Now Hear This! � May 2023

Archetypes Collide
Archetypes Collide
Fearless

Unapologetic choruses and bang-your-head riffs collide with massive hooks soaks in atmosphere on the band�s debut album. �My Own Device,� �What If I Fall,� and �Parasite,� combine loud bombast with intimate pop. Archetypes Collide demands repeated listening, mixing everything from Linkin Park and Bring Me The Horizon to The Chainsmokers, and Stranger Things-style retro synths, into a unique musical identity.

Dave McMurray
Grateful Deadication 2
Blue Note

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McMurray returns with the follow-up to his acclaimed 2021 tribute album which once again finds the saxophonist reimagining the songs of the Grateful Dead with his gritty and soulful Detroit sound. Dave is joined by special guests Oteil Burbridge, Bob James, Jamey Johnson, Greg Leisz and Don Was. Includes Dead favorites and deep cuts including �Truckin�,� �China Cat Sunflower,� and �To Lay Me Down.�

Mya Byrne
Rhinestone Tomboy
Kill Rock Stars

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Americana has many champions, but there are scarce few like Byrne; a queer trans woman creating ripples that will find themselves born again and again as waves. On Rhinestone Tomboy, we are treated to a portrait painted with shades of Byrne's youth, one spent listening to stacks of her mama's dusty 45s, and thrift store 8-tracks blasting from blown speakers out the window of an old Chevy.

Artemis
In Real Time
Blue Note

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In Real Time highlights the improvisational strength of its members as well as their respective gifts as composers. A dynamic new line-up of the collective features founding members Renee Rosnes (piano), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Noriko Ueda (bass), and Allison Miller (drums) joined by newcomers Nicole Glover (tenor saxophone) and Alexa Tarantino (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone and flute).

Leith Ross
To Learn
Republic

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A bold musical talent, Leith Ross has an empathetic edge to her work, channeling emotional confessions through softly strummed chords. To Learn is the perfect depiction of this � airy and dreamy, it dips into the sub-conscious only to emerge emboldened. It�s a quietly brilliant and deeply affecting collection of revelatory songs.

Magnolia Park
Baku's Revenge
Epitaph

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Up-and-coming Florida pop-punks Magnolia Park deliver a masterclass in hooks. The band�s incredibly accomplished songwriting is undeniable here. Every chorus feels capable of rewriting the definition of catchy, whether it�s the slick and bouncing or gleefully wry � the ablum manages to do a lot of fantastic things across it�s breezy 23 minutes. Even if you�re sick of pop-punk by this point, they deserve a space in your playlists.

Logan Halstead
Dark Black Coal
Thirty Tigers

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Logan Halstead doesn't like to put himself in a box sonically or stylistically. Still, many would adorn it as Appalachian/Americana music. Above all, it is raw and honest, and the writing wrapped in wisdom one might only think someone two decades older than could conjure. While the masses clamored for more content, Halstead took his time � and the product is timeless.

Drain
Living Proof
Epitaph

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Living Proof is a testament to the hard work and heartfelt ethos that�s at the center of Drain�s good-time psyche. There are a couple surprises on the album. Rapper Shakewell appears on the track, �Intermission�. There�s also a cover of �Good, Good Things,� a nearly four-decade old melodic punk carol by the Descendents: slam-pit forebearers to Drain if there ever were any.

Natalie Merchant
Keep Your Courage
Nonesuch

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The eclectic Keep Your Courage comprises nine original songs featuring duets with vocalist Abena Koomson, contributions from the Celtic folk group L�nasa and Syrian virtuoso clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and horn arrangements by jazz trombonist Steve Davis. There are also lush orchestrations throughout by seven composers including: Gabriel Kahane, Stephen Barber, Colin Jacobson, and Megan Gould.

Waterparks
Intellectual Property
Fueled By Ramen

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Whereas 2021's Greatest Hits was an experimental rollercoaster ride clocking in at 17 songs, Intellectual Property instead offers up 11 perfectly-formed bangers, tackling everything from cinematic pop (�End of the Water�) to loved-up acoustic rock (�Closer�) and straight-up rowdy chaos (�Real Super Dark�).

Illenium
Illenium
Warner

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Illenium elevates dance music via his bold, progressive take on the genre. His expansive sound, which mixes elements of celestial electronic, mellow alternative, crushing dubstep, emotional indie and pop-tinged bass music, has solidified the Denver-based artist as a singular force in a crowded arena. Now he�s returning to his roots with a novel sound that celebrates his love for raw guitar riffs and impactful rocktronica.

The Boxmasters
'69
Thirty Tigers

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The Boxmasters, Billy Bob Thornton and J.D. Andrew, add the thirteenth studio album '69 to their discography which dates back to 2008. Sonically the songs are an homage to '60s influenced rock and roll with odes to the Beatles, Byrds and Beach Boys, as well as Mothers of Invention, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Big Star.

Braids
Euphoric Recall
Secret City Records

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Over the past decade, Braids have devoted themselves to exploring their art, together, making for one of the more daring and fluid catalogs in contemporary experimental pop. Euphoric Recall is lush and sprawling yet captured with in-the-room clarity; it grooves viscerally, freer, and wholly anew. Braids abandoned strategy, burned it down, and realized their love record.

Robbie Fulks
Bluegrass Vacation
Compass Records

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Bluegrass music has always been a part of Fulks's musical vision but his new album is his first purely bluegrass endeavor. Paired with a cast that features some of the brightest stars of the genre, the result is one of the most remarkable bluegrass albums of the century. In the end, Fulks plants his flag firmly in the bluegrass tradition, a genre that built the stepping stones Fulks walks on today.

Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills Live at Berkely 1971
Omnivore Entertainment

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Hand-picked by Stills from his personal archives, was recorded on August 20 and 21, 1971 at The Berkeley Community Theater. Fans who were lucky enough to catch his historic debut trek, were treated to the balladeer, the raving troubadour, the acoustic bluesman, the soul driver, and by far the most passionate music maker offering his goods across the better auditoriums and arenas that summer.

Liston Smith, Lonnie, Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammed
Lonnie Liston Smith
Jazz Is Dead

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For over five decades, the legendary keyboardist and bandleader has been a driving force in shaping the Jazz-Funk sound. Smith made his recording debut as a sideman for heavyweights Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Gato Barbieri and Leon Thomas. Now, he reunites with Jazz Is Dead to deliver a full-bloom tribute to the multitude of sonic strains that all lead back to the fingertips of the maestro himself.

Blood, Sweat & Tears
What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears OST
Omnivore Entertainment

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In 1970, Blood, Sweat & Tears became the first American rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain. What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears? is a film about this tour, this journey and the discovery of the film and music that documented one of the world's biggest bands at the peak of their powers. The soundtrack contains 10 previously unissued live recordings from Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland.

Kara Jackson
Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love?
September Records

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On her brutally honest debut album, the Chicago singer-songwriter takes folk music and bends it to her will, exploring agony and adoration in equal measure. Jackson captures the dangers of living with an open heart at a time of diminished personal connection, massive overwork, incessant productivity, and constant grief: To prioritize love one must give up something else.

Brian Dunne
Loser On The Ropes
Kill Rock Stars

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Dunne may be a singer/songwriter in the purely technical sense of the term, but he shares more in common on this album with the punks and new wave weirdos. That�s not to say it�s a punk album�in fact, it might be the most beautiful and melodic record Dunne�s ever made�but rather that the songs are lean and gritty, sick of mincing words and insistent on cutting straight to the heart of things with a raw, understated poeticism.

Spotlights
Alchemy For The Dead
Ipecac Recordings

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Spotlights occupy the space between a push-and-pull of jarring metallic catharsis and sweeping distortion with neither extreme completely tightening its grip. This deft balancing act has enabled the trio to carve a singular lane. Armed with an uncanny ability to wield darkness or light, the trio�s fourth full-length offering, Alchemy for the Dead, finds them exploring something we all face, yet few embrace.

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Various Artists
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 3
Hollywood Records

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It's time to face the music. Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful. Featuring a stellar line-up of tracks perfect for any hero saving the galaxy. Available on CD and double black vinyl.

Taj Mahal
Savoy
Stony Plain

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With a voice as instantly recognizable as Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, or Dr John, Taj Mahal has throughout his career pushed the envelope of American music forward by incorporating sounds from the Caribbean, Africa, traditional blues and jazz. With Savoy, Taj takes a new direction in his musical journey, exploring classics from the American songbook with his good friend and acclaimed record producer John Simon.

Indigo De Souza
All of This Will End
Saddle Creek

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It�s remarkable how much emotion De Souza squeezes out of a few decidedly simple phrases. All of This Will End encapsulates one of the North Carolina singer-songwriter�s other great skills, her ability to look back at parts of her life, even the darkest moments, with curiosity and gratitude, somehow transmuting those experiences into beautiful memories or, in this case, a wonderful album.

The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) is a national level organization comprised of the best independent record stores in America. CIMS was founded in 1995 with the goal of uniting like minded independent store owners, giving them a more powerful voice in the music industry. The stores that make up CIMS are all very different, but we share the same desires � to be the heart of our communities, to super-serve our customers, to support and develop artists, and to share our love of music.

For more information about CIMS and the stores in our organization, please visit cimsmusic.com or find us through social media with the #cimsmusic hashtag. And please remember to always shop local by supporting your neighborhood record store.

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Now Hear This! � May 2023