Natural Child - Dancin' With Wolves (Burger)
Natural Child - Live in Birmingham LP+7" (self)

Recording for the first time as a 5-piece, Dancin' With Wolves easily became the most fleshed-out, polished and complete record Natural Child had to their name. The wild spirit is still there on songs like "Saturday Night Blues" and "Firewater Liquor," but the rough edges have been bevelled. Dancin' was approached with a greater sense of care and craftsmanship than anything they'd done previously, and when the presence of Schneider's pedal steel and Divine's keys are added to the mix, the resultant sound brings to mind Neil Young, Canned Heat, Bob Dylan, The Band and a number of other influences from the 70s in a way that is far easier to discern.

Damaged Bug - Hubba Bubba (Castle Face)

Recorded at home in the fall of 2013 with a variety of synthesizers, drum machines and assorted handmade electronics, Damaged Bug is Oh Sees mastermind John Dwyer's latest bit of cracked pop alchemy. The project is the cure to the ailment of too much guitar for too long. Fizzing and sputtering like a glowing, temperamental cockpit control panel, Dwyer bunkered deep in a blinking laboratory, penning songs about the long arc of our travels across space and time. Propulsive beats and synthetic veneers coat laser-guided melodies reflecting off shiny metal surfaces while instrumental interludes pop in and out like breaks in the asteroid belt. A far-out side of our main man-nocturnal, hard-wired, and chrome-plated. Hubba Bubba features original artwork by Deirdre White.

Elbow - The Take Off And Landing Of Everything (Concord)

'The Take Off and Landing of Everything' was recorded at the band's facility at Blueprint Studios in Salford with additional sessions at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Wiltshire during 2013. As with their UK multi-platinum fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid and UK platinum follow-up build a rocket boys!, the album was produced by Craig Potter. Free poster with purchase!

Zara McFarlane - If You Knew Her (Brownswood)

New album from the British jazz vocalist, her 2nd to be released on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings. This new, emotionally charged body of work sees her blossoming as a lyrically conscious songwriter, an artist composing original songs, telling her own stories, demanding attention for their daring brilliance. Eight of the 11 songs are beautifully crafted originals, which, says Zara, "collectively explores emotive stories of beauty, passion, love, vulnerability, empathy, boldness, directness and sensuality. Inspired by the many vibrant, amazing, charismatic black women in my life, it's an album that celebrates the strength of women, from the alpha female to the housewife".

Aloe Blacc - Lift Your Spirit (Interscope)

Brand new album from soul singer and songwriter Aloe Blacc. Lift Your Spirit features the smash hits "The Man" and the acoustic version of "Wake Me Up". Folksy-soul Bill Withers by way Sam Cooke vocals and lyricism. Not a far cry from "I Need A Dollar" but definitely an introduction to a wider audience this time around.

Dean Wareham - s/t (Double Feature)

Dean's first ever full-length solo album! Produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and features Britta Phillps on bass, Anthony LaMarca on drums and Jim James himself on keys, guitars and vocals. "Jim's engineer Kevin Ratterman brought in some nice equipment with tubes and shiny little lights and all that. We set up drums in the living room, guitar amps in the garage, and the vocal microphones in Jim's den. We tracked four songs that weekend and decided right away to come back in a few months and finish a whole album."

Asgeir - In the Silence (One Little Indian)

At just 21 years of age Icelandic singer-songwriter Asgeir has become a sensation in his domestic music scene - staggeringly, almost 10% of the Icelandic population now own his debut album 'Dyrd i dausathogn' - the English version, translated by John Grant, will be released worldwide this autumn as 'In The Silence' on One Little Indian Records. This is a lovely album with echoes of Ben Howard, Paul Simon and Bon Iver. Behind it is the influence of the great American artist John Grant who has toured with him and assisted in the newly-translated English lyrics mostly penned by Asgier's 72 year old father in his native tongue.

Roman Remains - Zeal (Hot)

Roman Remains is The Duke Spirit's Liela Moss and Toby Butler. Feverishly crossing the line between Electro, Industrial and Dance, Liela Moss's inimitable vocal style give North London's Roman Remains' an alluring feel that draws its audience into another world.

Steve Martin featuring Steep Canyon Rangers with Edie Brickell - Live (Rounder)

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, featuring Edie Brickell, will release their first ever live concert DVD capturing their extraordinary performance at the historic Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside California last fall. The live performance was recorded for PBS' "Great Performances" and features material from Martin and Brickell's Grammy-nominated album "Love Has Come For You," as well as music from Martin's Grammy nominated collaboration with The Steep Canyon Rangers, "Rare Bird Alert," and his Grammy Award winning album "The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo." This special live DVD features Martin's unique blend of comedy and bluegrass and is a first class evening of excellent entertainment.

Metronomy - Love Letters (Atlantic)

The British dance-rockers and festival mainstays Metronomy are about to release their fourth studio album Love Letters, and "I'm Aquarius" and "Love Letters," the first two singles, suggest that they're going for more of a starry-eyed, psychedelic vibe this time around.

Tape & Vinyl & Print Zone

Eric Clapton - Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013 LP (Rhino/Reprise)
Hackamore Brick - Oh Those Sweet Bananas 7" (Ugly Pop)
Health Worldwide - Snack Music [tape] (Flannelgraph)
Lace Curtain - 3rd EP (Mexican Summer)
Lootpack - Loopdigga EP (Stones Throw)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik LP (WB)
Trin Tran - Far Reaches LP (Castle Face)

Also Released This Week

Current 93 - I Am the Last of All the Field That Fell (Spheres)
Talib Kweli - Gravitas (Javotti)
Ozomatli - Place in the Sun (Vanguard)
Amanda Shires - Down Fell the Doves (Lightning Rod)
Tensnake - Glow (Astralwerks)
VA - Veronica Mars OST (Water Tower)