Alison Goldfrapp has set a towering bar for British synth-pop in the 21st century and she�s only just getting started. The magnetic London-born singer, songwriter and producer�s seven albums with Goldfrapp were fuelled by an unfailing modernity and a sixth sense for sounds that were more timeless than any trend. With the release of her debut solo album The Love Invention�an electrifying dance-pop suite�her multi-faceted musicianship reaches a new peak.

The Love Invention marks Alison�s reawakening as a dancefloor priestess, in an intoxicating showcase of the disco and house influences that have always been at the heart of her musical DNA. �So Hard So Hot� bottles the ephemeral joy of a dancefloor with its anthemic house beat, disco handclaps, and an exquisitely alluring vocal from Alison. The sense of uninhibited liberation courses through album highlights like �In Electric Blue,� a yearning synth-pop confection with a chorus as blissful as love�s first butterflies. On �Never Stop,� she is flooded with the rush of an all-encompassing love over a buoyant, rubberised beat; the sublime synth-pop of �Fever� is an ode to the intoxicating majesty of the dancefloor, with a chorus that explodes as if setting off a glitter cannon.

Rancid - the legendary Bay Area punk rockers are back with their 10th studio album, Tomorrow Never Comes on Epitaph Records. Emerging from the blue-collar swamps of Berkeley, California, Rancid has now been a living, breathing punk rock band for over a quarter century.�

Back in 1991, after the demise of their much beloved and still influential first band, Operation Ivy, founding members Tim Armstrong (vocals, guitar) and Matt Freeman (bass, vocals) decided to do the impossible � start an even better band. Thus, Rancid. Signing with Epitaph Records, the band released their first album, �Rancid,� in 1993. Shortly thereafter, Lars Frederiksen (vocals, guitar) joined the band and they went on to release incredible records from �Let�s Go.� (1994) to their classic - platinum selling ��And Out Come The Wolves.� (1995). Drummer Branden Steineckert joined the band in 2003, cementing the line-up that rocks out till this day.

Seeing Rancid live is a life changing experience and steady touring is in the plan for 2023, kicking off in Las Vegas at the legendary Punk Rock Bowling Festival in late May - the band will hit Europe in June and the rest of the world soon after.�

Through it all, Rancid has remained fiercely independent, never losing their loyalty to community or each other. Their music confronts political and social issues, while balancing personal tales of love, loss, and heartbreak with attitude. Rancid gives their listeners a community where everyone can belong. By carrying on the traditions and spirit of the original punk rock bands that came before, Rancid has become a legend and inspiration to punk bands that have come after. They are the living embodiment of East Bay punk. And if you don�t know all this by now -- you�re not playing their music loud enough!

In the years since The Aces released their acclaimed sophomore album, �Under My Influence� in 2020, the band has been on a journey of self-discovery. Faced with the realities of a global pandemic, sisters Cristal and Alisa Ramirez (lead vocals/guitar and drums, respectively), Katie Henderson (lead guitar/vocals), and McKenna Petty (bass) used quarantine as a time to reflect, confronting personal mental health issues as well as processing experiences they�d had growing up together in Provo, Utah, as part of the Mormon church. When The Aces returned to the studio, their vision � and the honesty and trust between them � felt stronger than ever. The result of this growth period is �I�ve Loved You For So Long,� the band�s third LP. Written and executive-produced by the group (along with Keith Varon, the sole collaborator on the project), the album is a sparkling indie-rock record that�s by far their most personal and self-assured work to date. From tracks that ruminate on mental health and self-sabotage to searing anthems about love, longing, and heartbreak, �I�ve Love You For So Long� is a record that�ll work its way into your head and heart � and will have you singing along all the way through.

The thought of how an underground power/pop/punk band should exist in the aftermath of the Green Day Nineties was a proposal that hung heavy with apprehension, confusion and bewilderment. While a difficult construct to navigate, this is the unlikely Portland, Oregon setting we see the Exploding Hearts erupt from.

Drawing spiritual inspiration from the likes of the Buzzcocks, Undertones, and Nick Lowe,�the attitude and implied delinquency of the Exploding Hearts was more in line with that of au courant Naughties Warped Tour line-ups. The band also considered themselves peers with the scuzzier side of �The� rock bands at the top of the 2000s. The intersection between Detroit garage punk, Goner Records and the shelves at Hot Topic is a seldom tread land, but it was fertile with potential.

With ten undeniable songs clocking in at just 28 minutes, the Hearts' indisputably essential Guitar Romantic operated as the punk rock equivalent of Ernest Hemingway�s writing: Nothing extraneous, simple, straightforward, to the point, deserving of no additional flourish or accoutrement, with every creative decision pushing forward the work as a whole. Arguably, perfect.

The album immediately felt strong. It felt classic. It felt�destined for bigger things.�

Yet barely three months after its domestic release, with momentum building and Lookout! Records sniffing around, band members Jeremy Gage,� Adam Cox and Matt Fitzgerald, all barely in their twenties, would die in a tragic van accident that ended the band.

The intervening two decades has found Guitar Romantic bubble up from a below-the-radar cult classic to a genuinely acknowledged and appreciated touchstone of its time. As years have carried on with the album rightfully landing on countless �Best of� lists, this record is somehow still ascending and growing.

With that in mind, the passing of Guitar Romantic co-writer �King� Louie Bankston in 2022 served as inspiration for Six to place the album with an appropriate and caring long-term home after years of planning to self-release. Six approached only one label - Third Man Records - who immediately agreed to take up the mantle of the record that was near and dear to their collective hearts.

Guitar Romantic (Expanded & Remastered) doesn�t just present the album with a sharp, spiffed up remastering. It also found original album producer Pat Kearns spinning the old reel to reel and archived DAT tapes for the first time in twenty years. This enabled Six to drop in nuggets like little snippets of pre-and-post-take studio dialogue amongst band members, adding audible life to a record that for too long has been overly-associated with death.

If that weren�t enough, the remastering uncovered the previously forgotten organ-heavy �King Louie Mix� of the fan favorite �I�m A Pretender.� Even more intriguing was the discovery of a completely unheard take of �So Bored", previously not even known to have been recorded at the Guitar Romantic sessions.� Of most excitement though is a remastered version of �Busy Signals� (a song originally released on a small-quantity 7-inch in January 2003).

All of these songs are included here, housed in a beautiful gatefold packaging and still all fitting on a single LP.

With plans to play a handful of select tribute shows across the US to honor the Guitar Romantic material, Terry Six continues to carry the torch for the Exploding Hearts and the countless fans who count this album as a quintessential touchstone.

Completing their seventh studio album was a hard-won victory for The Milk Carton Kids, but I Only See the Moon was worth the effort for Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan. �It feels like returning to something that�s natural and comfortable, and also just as inspiring and new as when we first met,� says Pattengale, who formed The Milk Carton Kids with Ryan in 2011.

What started as a three-week recording session in the fall of 2021, with Pattengale producing the contemporary folk duo himself for the first time, stretched into a monthslong project that found the pair digging deeper into their craft than ever before. With a new studio of their own in Los Angeles and the realization that they were in no hurry, The Milk Carton Kids took the time they needed to be fully satisfied with I Only See the Moon.

�I haven�t been as happy with the collection of songs that we�ve put on record probably since our first record, and it�s because of a lot of the lessons we�ve learned over the years, including giving yourself time and space,� Ryan says.The three-time Grammy nominees sound refreshed on 10 new songs distilled to the essence of The Milk Carton Kids: two voices blended together in spellbinding harmony, accompanied by subtly perfect acoustic instrumentation. Turns out that�s a tough sound to get just right, but I Only See the Moon shows just how much Pattengale and Ryan were willing to work for it.�

The first time banjo legend B�la Fleck, tabla master Zakir Hussain, and double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer got together to make an album, it was to write, not to play.

Fleck had met Hussain at a workshop where, as B�la put it, �I thought Edgar and I could learn a lot from him.� Later, when Fleck and Meyer were looking for a third partner for a triple concerto they had been commissioned to write to mark the opening of Nashville�s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, they thought of Hussain, who wanted to learn more about orchestral writing. The result was The Melody of Rhythm (2009), recorded with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin. �We tried to write some pieces that took the melodies and compositions in the concerto and developed them into different areas,� explains Fleck. �But we really hadn't performed at all.�

It wasn�t until the three began touring to promote the album that the trio�s true potential became apparent. Although each had a base in a different musical realm � bluegrass for Fleck, Indian classical music for Hussain, and Western classical music for Meyer � they shared a gift for improvisation as well as an ability to reach across musical genres as casually as neighbors might chat over a backyard fence.� When we are performing on stage, in composing mode or creating mode, we are basically having a conversation,� says Hussain. �So the music emerges as we speak.�

Hence As We Speak, an album that not only showcases the group�s breathtaking abilities as instrumentalists, but underscores the wide range of musical influences at their command. Across a dozen tracks, the group glides easily between the cerebral complexity of Indian rhythm and the gut-level groove of a funky bass line, sounding equally at home with the rigors of raga.

Adding to that magic is Rakesh Chaurasia, who plays bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute. When the trio was touring India, Hussain � who knew Rakesh through his uncle, Indian flute legend Pandit Hariprasad Chaursia � invited the younger flautist to sit in, and the chemistry was immediately apparent. �I think we wanted to see if we could do something a little more organic with just a small group,� says Meyer. �And to have somebody who plays as beautifully as Rakesh join us really opened it up to a more lyrical and melodic situation.�

�What I think is good about this quartet is that everybody has to stretch in the direction of the other people,� adds Fleck. �To me, a collaboration where nobody changes is not a collaboration. It's a mashup. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I like a collaboration where I have to learn a bunch of new things from the other people. And in this case, I'm learning like crazy.�

It�s been a time of intense, worldwide change over the past few years� or maybe it all depends on scale. Zooming out to a geological timeline, maybe not much has changed at all. On his sixth album Wilderness Within You, acclaimed singer/songwriter Parker Millsap explores this flux between the here and now and the big BIG picture, while reckoning with questions about humanity�s place on this planet. The result is a study in contrasts: the personal versus the cosmic, sparse acoustic compositions sitting next to lush psychedelic improvisations. Above all, Wilderness Within You is an understanding of darkness while expressing an abundance of gratitude for life itself.

Born and raised in Purcell, Okla., a tiny town with a huge sky, Millsap learned early on how to express gratitude through song while playing gospel in the church band. Long-time fans will recognize the album�s foundations � acoustic instrumentation and solid songwriting centered around Millsap�s show-stopping voice. They�ll also spot the evolution towards more experimentation and sampling from other musical cultures. Beyond the opening �Greetings and Thanks,� which puts to music �The Thanksgiving Address� of the indigenous peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy � all proceeds from the song will be donated to the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force � the album continues on with a series of auditory landscapes and thoughtful insights including �Running on Time,� which contrasts a sweet message about patience with distorted electronic harmonies. The second half of Wilderness turns darker and moodier with the industrial, buzz-saw �Half a World Away,� which finds Millsap questioning �who murders for my meat? who gets it here from there?� At the other end of the sonic spectrum is the beautiful, roots-y title track, a duet with the legendary Gillian Welch. The track illustrates Millsap�s understanding of nature as something that humans are not separate from - that life is stunningly beautiful most of the time, but does contain streaks of darkness that are just as natural: �There�s a field that�s full of violets, there�s a bruise that�s purple brown / There�s a little bit of violence, and a lot of fertile ground.�

In a broader sense, Wilderness Within You poses many weighty questions without easy answers. While Millsap can feel deeply discouraged by the way things are going wrong in the world, especially with the climate crisis, Wilderness Within You is threaded with hope and thankfulness for all we do have. This idea is beautifully etched on �Magic,� an anthem about the power of paying attention � a torch song perfect for listeners to join in and belt along to.

�I really do want people to feel the magic,� Millsap said, echoing lyrics from the song. �It�s out there.�

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 2006 release. In 1967, Terry Adams and Steve Ferguson, two musicians from Louisville, Kentucky, formed the New Rhythm And Blues Quartet in Florida after playing together in earlier bands. From the release of their 1969, self-titled debut, NRBQ became not only one of the greatest genre-defying bands on the planet, but also a band whose live shows were as unpredictable as they were unparalleled in the joy they brought their audiences. Although Ferguson left the band in 1971, he was never far away-periodically showing up at gigs (much to the delight of fans), and playing with Adams on various releases keeping their musical friendship alive and well. The pair got together in the mid 2000s to re-explore that kinship. They brought along NRBQ drummer Tom Ardolino, Terry's brother Donn (of The Whole Wheat Horns, whose work is prevalent on many NRBQ releases), and some other friends. Louisville Sluggers appeared in 2006 to the delight of the NRBQ faithful. In addition to originals from both Adams and Ferguson, the friends also explored the music they loved: Thelonious Monk, Jimmie Rodgers, Louis Armstrong, Hank Williams, and more. No matter the writer or influence, Louisville Sluggers was totally inventive, and a whole lot of fun. Now, Louisville Sluggers returns, with updated artwork (retaining Donn Adams original liner notes) and four previously unissued bonus tracks including recordings of "Turkey In The Straw" and Allen Toussaint's "Java." This reissue expands the wonder and merriment of Louisville Sluggers for the new and old generations of fans of NRBQ and beyond.

DEVILDRIVER didn�t pause, releasing the highly-acclaimed first installment of their two-part Dealing With Demons saga, Dealing With Demons I. International media mainstays like Revolver, Metal Hammer, Kerrang and Consequence lauded the album, with Blabbermouth adding, �If the second half of this mammoth endeavor matches the first, this will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the DEVILDRIVER story.� And now, as society emerges more hardened and determined than before, so does DEVILDRIVER�s 10th full-length, Dealing With Demons Vol. II. Once again produced and engineered by Steve Evetts with additional engineering from guitarist Mike Spreitzer, Dealing With Demons Vol. II is inarguably heavier and relentlessly harsher than its predecessor. Dealing With Demons Vol. II represents not only the most vicious of the two records, but also the darkest recesses of iconic frontman Dez Fafara�s psyche and the final purging of his demons that have long haunted the band�s music. Track one, �I Have No Pity�, instantly keeps fans guessing with its contrasting, marching rhythmic groove and Dez Fafara�s icy, earworm warnings. The album�s standout production immediately shines, with the track�s thick riffs, haunting leads, room-filling drums and Fafara�s vocal prowess leading the way. Eerie, insistent �Mantra� drops a wave of melodic aggression on the listener, instantly inducing headbanging with its breakneck pace and occult lyricism. Dynamic tracks like �Nothing Lasts Forever� and �Summoning� cascade with alternating passages of sinister riffage and memorable chants, while extraordinary highlights like devastatingly grim �Through The Depths� � with its black metal-esque passages, deft guitar play and menacing lyricism � showcase the evolution of DEVILDRIVER in the new decade. �Bloodbath� is as brutal as its name suggests, ominously bending and pummeling with immediate aggression, as �It�s a Hard Truth� continues the onslaught, cautioning against delusion amid balanced melodic leads. Closer anthems �If Blood Is Life� and �This Relationship Broken� are the blood-soaked cherries atop Dealing With Demons Vol. II, bringing together all of the elements that make DEVILDRIVER the best at their craft. If there is any question as to whether DEVILDRIVER is slowing down any time soon, Dealing With Demons Vol. II proves that 20 years into their career, even with their demons in tow � they move forward at the forefront of metal.

2023 release. Introducing London-based trio Island of Love, a band that delivers such a remarkably raucous live show that Third Man Records signed them during their cigarette break immediately after seeing them play. With influences from the band's start in the London hardcore punk scene and their DIY community roots, the album is elevated by the shared vocal and songwriting duties of Newble and Munch. Produced by Fuzzbrain's Ben Spence and engineered by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Jeff Rosenstock, Joyce Manor), Island of Love is an album full of songs that pinball back and forth between tones and styles, and make up one of the most refreshing and fun debut albums you'll hear in 2023.

The band's follow-up to 2019's critically adored Death Atlas full-length was again produced by Dave Otero (Allegaeon, Khemmis, Archspire) with startling new artwork by longtime collaborator Wes Benscoter (Vader, Kreator, Bloodbath, Hypocrisy). Comments vocalist Travis Ryan, "We've all heard the old saying about how the cockroach is so pervasive� so invasive� so insidious� that they could survive a nuclear war� Our previous album, Death Atlas, left the world blackened and lifeless.. or so we thought. It turns out that the carbon-encrusted bodies that adorned the album's layout and music video (and that resemble the victims of Pompeii that were frozen in time by the Mt. Vesuvius disaster of 79 A.D.) were actually more of a cocoon stage for something much more vicious to come: Humanity 2.0. "On the cover we see the terrasite, aka 'earth-eater,' molting from its ootheca. Having lived the tortuous existence of being a human, they have now re-emerged into a new world� saddened� confused� PISSED; rebirthed as a new variant of human disease, now adapted to continue and finish the utter ravaging of its home planet, Earth."

Part experimental indie and part �70s soft rock, Califone�s first record in three years finds creative force Tim Rutili reaching new levels of harmony, fragility, and confidence. Whether detailing aging goths retaining their identity through year-long spooky decorations (�Halloween�), an imagined conversation with an inbred monarch (�Habsburg Jaw�), or the conflicts between identity and technology (�Ox-Eye�), Villagers� nine tracks spread out and luxuriates in the messy darkness of modern life. Like sitting in awe on the porch swing at the end of the world, Califone�s latest marvels at the edge of the universe spreading into the darkness of infinity. With 25 years of Califone in his catalog (not to mention a variety of other projects, including alt rock heroes Red Red Meat), the Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based knows well how to find that moment of awe and bliss even as things are falling apart. Part poet, part abstract painter, and always surrounded by a variety of hyper-talented collaborators (here including longtime cohorts Ben Massarella, Michael Krassner, Rachel Blumberg, and Brian Deck, as well as the likes of Nora O'Connor and Finom's Macie Stewart), Rutili has always excelled at luring listeners through elusive lyrics, flashes of shadows and images coming together in disarming unity.

James Ellis Ford (Simian Mobile Disco & The Last Shadow Puppets) has been hidden in plain sight for his entire two-decade-long career. The composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter has worked with some of the biggest names in music, from Arctic Monkeys to Depeche Mode via Foals, Gorillaz and Kylie Minogue, but has always dedicated himself to the success of these projects almost to the point of self-erasure.

He alone has crafted one of the most bewitching and persuasive albums of 2023. The ten tracks are as much homage to the tender and eccentric English pop music of Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt as it is love letter to his wife and son�s Palestinian roots. With The Hum, James Ellis Ford has finally come out of hiding.

"Some people have commented that Tinariwen have always been a country band, albeit a North African take on that most North American of genres. That idea is magnified on new album Amatssou, which finds the Tuareg band�s trademark snaking guitar lines and hypnotic rhythms blending seamlessly with pedal steel, piano and strings from guest musicians including Daniel Lanois, the embellished arrangements lending the songs an epic, universal application.

Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. �Dear brothers all rest, all leisure will always be far from reach unless your homeland is liberated and all the elders can live there in dignity,� Ibrahim Ag Alhabib sings on �Arajghiyine.� The album�s title Amatssou is Tamashek for �Beyond The Fear� and it fits - Tinariwen have always been characterised by their fearlessness - and as Bob Dylan once said, the power of rock�n�roll is that it makes us �oblivious to the fear� as the music gives us the strength and resilience to confront adversity.

In the two decades since Tinariwen emerged from their base in the African desert to tour the globe, they have got to know many renowned country, folk, and rock musicians from the USA including Kurt Vile, Stephen O'Malley, Jack White, and Wilco. Tuareg nomads and cowboy drifters. Camel trains and mustang horses. The timeless horizon of the endless Sahara and the wild frontier of the Old West - several thousand miles of ocean may divide the desert blues of Tinariwen and the authentic country music of rural America but the links are as palpable as they are romantic."

Dave Matthews Band�s 10^th�studio album, Walk Around the Moon,�took shape during the pandemic and is as much a reflection on the current times as it is an urge to find common ground.�Walk Around the Moon�will be released to coincide with the start of the band�s 2023 summer tour. �

Shadow Kingdom presents Dylan performing revelatory 21st century versions of songs from his storied back catalog � including fan favorites like �Forever Young� and �It�s All Over Now, Baby Blue,� and deep catalog gems like �Queen Jane Approximately� and �Wicked Messenger.� Originally reinterpreted for an exclusive streaming film event, which aired in July 2021, Shadow Kingdom will now be available on vinyl, CD, and streaming platforms for the first time.� The album's setlist includes 13 original songs handpicked by Dylan for his Shadow Kingdom performance plus the closing instrumental, "Sierra's Theme."

The Lockdown Sessions�was recorded at home during the Covid lockdown between 2020 and 2021.�The collection includes five seminal tracks from across Roger Waters� time with Pink Floyd and his solo career; �Mother� and �Vera� from Pink Floyd�The Wall; �Two Suns In The Sunset� and �The Gunner�s Dream� from Waters� final Pink Floyd album,�The Final Cut; and �The Bravery of Being Out Of Range� from his highly acclaimed solo album,�Amused To Death.�Waters� new version of the classic Pink Floyd song��Comfortably Numb�, which was recorded during the recent �This Is Not A Drill� tour�features as the final track.

On Tired Hearts, their exquisite and thought-provoking new album, BAILEN learns how to dream in the face of life�s uncertainty and in the process, moves forward aware, resilient, and hopeful. The trio delivers a dazzling set of songs that navigates the space between the heart�s expectation and the head�s sober reality. Produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Snail Mail) along with the New York based siblings, Daniel, David, and Julia, BAILEN�s second album beats with empathy, vulnerability, and resolve.

Moby�s second album on Deutsche Grammophon following 2021�s Reprise. Digging further into his catalog, Moby has reimagined fifteen of some if his most iconic tracks for his new album, Resound NYC. The album features tracks that he wrote between 1994-2010 while living in New York City, and the new versions feature a vibrant, brass-heavy sound.

Over 3 decades ago, Peter One was a STAR. A country music star, in West Africa. With his singing partner Jess Sah Bi, Peter played to sold out arenas. In 1985, Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, launched the two Ivory Coast musicians into regional stardom across greater West Africa. Now solo, Peter One ultimately decided to emigrate to the US to further his music career. Come Back to Me features songs in English, French and his native African language.�

Dave McMurray returns with Grateful Deadication 2, 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. Grateful�Deadication 2 is a 9-song set that offers up Dead favorites and deep cuts including �Truckin�,� �China Cat�Sunflower,� and �To Lay Me Down.� CD Softpak.