Less than two years ago, this young four-piece had never played outside their native Ireland. Now after opening for The Strokes, Pixies and Noel Gallagher, this fast-rising act breaks stateside with their debut LP, a wise-beyond-their-years album influenced by early Arctic Monkeys, American Football, sleek early Motown production and more.
Contact: Amy Bailey
One of the most celebrated poets in their field and winner of the first-ever Woman of the World Poetry Slam takes on multiple forms of adversity on their new LP. Gibson’s LP is a vivid spoken word meditation on social justice, love, heartbreak, queerness, trauma, mental illness and healing and tells a story of modern times both beautiful and painfully visceral.
Contact: Allen Nguyen
When his father retired from salmon fishing on Kodiak Island, AK, the musician and lifelong fisherman reached a crossroads. William’s debut LP is the sound of his renewed sense of purpose, a new musical direction that sounds like “American Heartache”: music that stirs forgotten memories and feels eternal and fresh, pulling the past into the present as a way of navigating loss. The new album features contributions from First Aid Kit, Dawes’ Griffin Goldsmith, co-producer Brian Phillips and more.
Contact: Spencer Foster
This ain’t your dad’s Muscle Shoals music. The local four-piece has teamed up with longtime Wilco collaborator Tom Schick to create a sound inspired by their hometown’s musical legacy but unlike anything that’s come from the area before. Recorded at the hallowed FAME Studios and mixed at The Loft in Chicago, the new Muscle Shoals sound is chiming guitars, meditative lyrics and a breezy, blissed-out feel.
Contact: Max Lefkowitz
This tribute album honors the undisputed “King of the Slide Guitar,” timed to what would have been his 100th birthday. The 13-track collection puts James’ legendary body of work in the hands of master interpreters from blues, country, pop and more, including Tom Jones, Bettye LaVette, Keb’ Mo’ and Warren Haynes. All profits will go to MusicCares and Edible Schoolyard NYC.
Contact: Amy Bailey
One of Canada’s foremost jazz pianist/vocalists reflects on the challenges of being an artist and mother, as well as the uprooted sense of place that comes with being a dual citizen. This diverse song cycle features originals and covers, including her oft-requested fan-favorite version of Coldplay’s “Yellow.”
Contact: Spencer Foster
