John Prine - The Tree of Forgiveness (Oh Boy)

Prine's first collection of new material since 2005's Grammy-winning Fair and Square. Rather than going out on a limb, Prine cultivated the themes that have brought acclaim since the 70s. He can take a topic like loneliness and make it funny or heartbreaking. Prine teamed with producer Dave Cobb to record in Nashville's historic Studio A, enlisting friends like Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and Amanda Shires to sing along. The songs are new, although some had waited to be finished for decades. The musical arrangements may be simpler than on past efforts, yet his unique ability to distill complex emotions into everyday language remains fully intact. Vinyl delayed until 5/11. Please put yr name on our list to ensure you get it on 5/11!

King Tuff - The Other (Sub Pop)

The ten tracks that make up The Other represent a kind of psychic evolution for King Tuff. No less hooky than previous records, the new songs ditch the goofy rock-and-roll bacchanalia narratives of earlier records in favor of expansive arrangements, a diversity of instrumentation, and lyrics that straddle the fence between painful ruminations and a childlike, creative energy untarnished by cynicism. The soulful and cosmic new direction is apparent from the album's first moments: introduced by the gentle ringing of a chime, acoustic guitar, and warm organ tones, "The Other" is a narrative of redemption born of creativity. At a time when everything in the world feels so deeply spoiled and the concept of making meaning out of the void seems both pointless and impossible, why not try?

The Moondoggies - A Love Sleeps Deep (Hardly Art)

A Love Sleeps Deep's bones rattle with all the seismic changes of the last 5 years since the release of their Adios I'm a Ghost. While the Washington band got lumped in early on with the woodsy folk-rock/Americana movement that sprung up in the Pacific Northwest in the 2000s, their core sound has always been rock in the more classical sense- more Pink Floyd than Woody Guthrie. A Love Sleeps Deep crystalizes that.

A Place To Bury Strangers - Pinned (Dead Oceans)

For well over a decade now, APTBS have become well known for their unwavering commitment to unpredictable, often bewildering live shows, and some might say dangerous volume. Pinned is their 5th LP, and an album that finds them converting difficult moments into some of their most urgent work to date. It's their first since the 2014 closing of Death By Audio, the beloved Brooklyn DIY space where Ackermann lived, worked, and created with complete freedom. There are searing meditations on truth and government-led conspiracies, as well as haunting, harmonized responses to the tensions of our current political climate.

Derek Smalls [Spinal Tap] - Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing) (BMG)

The Road Of Rock is a rocky road, and no one's life exemplifies that more thoroughly than that of Derek Albion Smalls (Spinal Tap) who celebrates his 75th birthday with a hoped-to-be triumphant return to at least one of the echelons of the rock firmament. Guest artists on the album include Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Bros) Gregg Bissonette, Larry Carlton, David Crosby, Donald Fagen, Taylor Hawkins, Jim Keltner, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, Michael League (Snarky Puppy), Jane Lynch, Steve Lukather (Toto), Judith Owen, Snarky Puppy Horns, Joe Satriani, Paul Shaffer, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Richard Thompson, Steve Vai, Waddy Wachtel, Rick Wakeman, Phil X, Dweezil Zappa.

Brazilian Girls - Let's Make Love (Six Degrees)

Brazilian Girls return in 2018 with Let's Make Love, their 4th album and first since 2008's Grammy-nominated New York City. Produced by longtime collaborator Frederik Ruben and came to life over the course of several years. The band brings a woozy romanticism to many tracks. The album gets its title from the frenetic yet ethereal "Let's Make Love," a track that takes a more classically arranged form than the band's earlier work.

Sandy Bull - Steel Tears // Endventions & Tributes (Omnivore)

A musical alchemist, introvert, gearhead, former junky, itinerant wanderer and erstwhile musicologist, his adventurous investigations of stringed instruments, whether guitar, banjo, the Hindustani sarod or the Turkish oud, predated celebrated savants like John Fahey and Leo Kottke. But Bull's music got lost in the haze of his brief career, which began with Fantasia in 1964 and seemingly ended with an ode to self-destruction, Demolition Derby, in 1972. This first-ever reissue of Steel Tears, features the newly remastered album alongside Endventions, 4 previously unissued tracks recorded by Bull before he passed away in 2001. Wrapping up the CD are 3 tribute tracks by a band comprised of Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Matraca Berg, Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson), Kevin Welch, Glenn Word (Mark Knopfler) and Harry Stinson (Marty Stuart).

Craig Smith - Love Is Our Existence (Maitreya Apache)

Craig Smith was an extraordinarily gifted songwriter and musician who seemed poised for a successful career in the 60s- until his life was derailed by drugs and schizophrenia. In 1969, clean-cut, charismatic Craig Smith became Maitreya Kali, a dark, disturbed psychedelic Messiah figure. He laid out his strange vision on a self-released 2-LP Apache/Inca, which went on to become one of the most sought-after artifacts of the psychedelic era. He died homeless on the streets of Hollywood in 2012. Love is Our Existence presents a selection of Craig's unreleased music. Professionally recorded in LA studios between 1966-71, these previously unheard songs reveal a singer and songwriter of breathtaking depth and talent. Painstakingly remastered from acetates and masters, these songs have the same haunting, otherworldly quality heard on the Apache and Inca LPs.

Hank Wood And The Hammerheads - s/t (Toxic State)

Riffs, hooks and manic energy delivered in great punk songs with a thuggish swagger. These NY dudes aren't your regular punks- the songs feature squealing keyboards, a giant bald tattooed dude who bashes cowbells, and the insane hollers of Hank Wood. But behind it all was this infectious gallop that didn't make you want dance so much as shake. Part of a small scene of exciting NY bands that includes Dawn of Humans, Crazy Spirit, and La Misma, they are pushing the boundaries of punk and looking to take it to new places.

Also New This Week

Bambara - Shadow on Everything (Wharf Cat)
Breaking Benjamin - Ember (DMG)
David Brown - Selected Instrumentals, Drones, And Unreleased Tracks (self)
Goldmund - Occasus (Western Vinyl)
Shuta Hasunuma & U-Zhaan - 2 Tone (Birdwatcher)
Jeffrey Lewis - Works By Tuli Kupferberg (1923-2010) (Don Giovanni)
Mien - s/t LP (Rocket)
Ministry - Greatest Fits (Run Out Groove)
Mouse On Mars - Dimensional People (Thrill Jockey)
Naturally 7 - Both Sides Now (BMG)
Josh Rouse - Love in the Modern Age (Yep Roc)
Septic Tank - Rotting Civilisation (Rise Above)
Nino Tempo - Purveyor Of Balladry: The Best Of (Omnivore)
U-Ziq - Challenge Me Foolish (Planet Mu)
Laura Veirs - Lookout (Raven Marching)