Belong - Same Places LP (Table of the Elements)

Belong shimmers like a mirage: vaguely discernable, yet always at the edge of an unobtainable horizon. On this release, the group evinces a slow-motion transformation - plate tectonics, wired for sound. The single sprawling track may evoke decay, dissolution, and destruction, but underfoot are tendrils of inexplicable joy. Crushing melancholia and shuddering euphoria, intertwined.

Brazilian Girls - New York City (Verve)

Third album by the critically acclaimed group expands on their signature, multi-lingual sound while paying respect to their international roots and the city where they got their start. The album also features renowned Senagalese musician Baaba Maal as a guest vocalist on "Internacional," and Kenny Wollesen and The Himalayas on multiple tracks.

Carla Bruni - Comme Si de Rien N'Etait (Downtown)

Carla Bruni has always had a certain poetry. A definite je ne sai quoi. The grace, style & beauty of this Italian-born, France-raised thirty-something is legendary; her intellect & vitality striking, even formidable. Now as the first lady of France, Carla Bruni is one of the most photographed women of the world but she doesn't want this to affect people's perception of her or her music. She wants the music to speak for itself and here it does. She is, since February 2008, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The Bug - London Zoo (Ninja Tune)

The Bug is the main project for Kevin Martin, a producer who over the years has also been behind a diverse range of projects. He is part of Techno Animal / Ice / God (all with Justin Broadrick of Godflesh / Jesu), King Midas Sound, Razor X Productions, Pressure and Ladybug. London Zoo was born of 3 key moments. An introduction to the thriving Dub-Step scene and it's key producers where Kevin realized there was others on the same sonic trajectory as himself, an introduction to Warrior Queen via his work with Wayne Lonesome on the Razor X project, and a Mary Anne Hobb's Breezeblock session which introduced him to Flowdan and Ricky Ranking. All three of which figure heavily in the end result and live presentation.

Clinic - Funf (Domino)

Ten years of Clinic flipsides are joyously addled but have consistently given a reason to listen beyond the A-sides, covering acid punk to damaged hoedowns and any stops in between. We think that they are the modern day Monks!

Darker My Love - 2 (Dangerbird)

Their sophomore album is awash with the same feedback-filled guitars and pounding rhythms that made their debut a standout, with a newfound sense of melody. "2" demonstrates the band's love of fuzzy, reverb-laden rock 'n' roll and sunburned harmonies that stick in your head long after the needle has left the groove. It plays out like a musical odyssey complete with shimmering guitar anthems, blasts of buoyant pop, and a few surprises.

Enemy UK - We'll Live and Die in These Towns (Reprise)

Youthful balls-out British rock & roll -- heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones, The Jam and Oasis. Already certified UK Platinum, this domestic version includes two new bonus tracks, including a cover of David Bowie's "Five Years."

The Faint - Fasciinatiion (Blank Wav)

The Faint's 5th album, is the first in the band's ten-year history to be written, recorded, produced, art directed and released entirely on their own. In certain ways, the album is the most mechanical and precise of the band's work: The vocals sounds less human than ever before; the bass lines are more mangled, keyboards spiral and squeal out of control; electronic pings and stabs invade the melodies; the lyrical anxiety and disdain of previous albums pervades almost every song.

Mike Gordon (Phish) - The Green Sparrow (Rounder)

An eclectic record boasting the former Phish bassist's skillful assimilation of free-form rock & roll, calypso, pop and funk that also showcases an unexpected side to his songwriting. The Green Sparrow features guest appearances from Gordon's Phish band mates Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell, Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead), Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), Ivan Neville and horn players from Antibalas.

Ida - My Fair, My Dark EP (Polyvinyl)

This seven song mini album features guest appearances by Levon Helm, Michael Hurley, and Tara Jane O'Neil, and includes covers of songs by John Martyn, Dolly Parton, and Annie Briggs. The 12-inch includes a bonus track, is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and includes a free digital download card.

Greg Laswell - Three Flights From Alto Nido (Vanguard)

With his elegantly expressive piano technique and feathery acoustic guitar work, Greg has drawn comparisons to such reputable songsmiths as Jeff Buckley, Coldplay, Ron Sexsmith and Radiohead. His intense lyrics and sweeping melodies amplify to create an eloquent sound that matches his hypnotic and haunting tenor.

Randy Newman - Harps & Angels (Nonesuch)

Randy Newman's first studio album of all new material in nearly a decade is, by turns, hilarious, poignant and scathingly satirical. Harps and Angels often has an easy going Crescent City feel, with Newman on piano fronting a small combo and revealing, as Rolling Stone put it after the Carnegie Hall show, his serious love and study of the New Orleans piano tradition.

Normanoak - Estra LP (St Ives)

Impossible Shapes' frontman Normanoak. Estra is named after a powerful horned goddess whom Normanoak has been busy invoking recently in small performance spaces around the country. The music shows more variety than any of his previous efforts - chugging rock songs burn up into soft, dark dirges that feature a uniquely made-up language code. Screaming minute-long hardcore songs fade into freaky, fucked instrumentals. The music is perfectly accompanied by the psychedelic watercolored drawings, each completely different and painted by the talented kids of his Kindergarten class.

Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) - s/t (Merge)

Conor assembled a special band in Mexico for this recording, known amongst themselves and to friends as The Mystic Valley Band. Members include Nate Walcott, Jason Boesel, Macey Taylor, Nik Freitas, and Taylor Hollingsworth. The result is his first solo album in thirteen years. In that time, he's recorded and performed in Commander Venus, Park Ave., Desaparecidos, and most notably Bright Eyes, his main musical vehicle for the past decade.

Oneida - Preteen Weaponry (Jagjaguwar)

Consider Oneida the bastard child of a Can/Suicide marriage; a band unafraid to pluck, tap, bend, synth, or crash their way to the various extremes of rock, pop, folk, and the avant-garde. Preteen Weaponry has three parts and is meant to be listened to all at once, in order. It's almost entirely instrumental and contains captured improvisational moments married with craft.

Prints - Just Thoughts (Temporary Residence)

The follow-up to their debut stirs the pot with a little more pop, their usual dose of psychedelia, and an intoxicating amount of dance. Navigating the unsteady terrain between mainstream pop icons, classic studio obsessives, and their own experimental leanings, Prints plays it fast and loose while paying close attention to the details, turning out heady dance-pop with a very high replay value.

Amy Ray - Didn't It Feel Kinder (Daemon)

The 4th solo album from one half of folk duo Indigo Girls. Ray is an activist involved in multiple political and social causes, including gay rights, abortion rights, Native American rights, low-power broadcasting, women's rights, indigenous struggles, gun control, the Zapatista movement, environmental protection and the anti-death penalty movement among others. She has made several trips to Chiapas, Mexico to support the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - The Whole Fam Damnily (Side One Dummy)

From the rowdy and rancorous opener to the melodic, slide-guitar-driven barnburner "Wal-Mart Killed The Country Store" and heartfelt fingerstyle ballad, this album is a timeless collection of songs that defies age and eraŅand pays homage to the Indianapolis band's influences without imitating them. "We come from the same tradition that Charley Patton and Furry Lewis came from; they just took off with their instruments and went out into the world to see what would stick," Peyton elaborates. "They sang about what they were going through in their time and we're doing the same thing in ours."

Telepathique - Last Time on Earth (Control Group)

This Brazilian duo mixes deep carioca from the favela with jungle-tinged house, electro, breakbeat, and old school bossa with a sensibility that is deeply punk and truly of their city, Sao Paolo. While Brazilian duo Telepathique are being billed as nothing short of their country's electronic saviors, there is a healthy dose of rock in their thick, rugged riffs and dance floor tunes.

David Vandervelde - Waiting for the Sunrise (Secretly Canadian)

The first long player from Vandervelde, on the heels of his much loved mini-album debut, "The Moonstation House Band". The material on this release is of higher order, lyrically more personal, and stripped down. He's toured with the likes of Spoon, Blitzen Trapper, and Richard Swift. Maybe you saw him play at Landlocked's old location a couple of years ago?

Also Released This Week (but not necc in stock, ask us!)

Atlas Sound - Atlas Shrugged 7" (K)
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours LP (Modular)
Hawthorne Heights - Fragile Future (Victory)
The Long Dog Bird - s/t (Jagjaguwar)
John Mellencamp - Life Death Love and Freedom [LP version] (Hear)
Music Go Music - Reach Out (Secretly Canadian)
Nas - s/t [LP version] (Def Jam)
Matt Pryor - Confidence Man (Vagrant)
Thee Oh Sees - Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion (Tomlab)
Verbena - Souls for Sale (Fat Possum)
Z's - The Hard EP (8/5)