Outside the Heard

	John Maus Screen Memories Domino

Whilst often described as retro-futurist on behalf of the 80's drum machines and synth sounds employed, John Maus’ music is more personal than the nostalgic re-tread implied. He's more interested in seeking cadence, through his love of Renaissance polyphony and the experimentation behind post punk – which is why Ariel Pink and Animal Collective love working with him. Screen Memories is an amalgamation of musical ideas as radical as its intent.

	Matt Mays Once Upon A Hell of a Time... Sonic

Enigmatic singer-songwriter and Canada’s own rock’n’roll son, Matt Mays returns with a brand new studio album, his sixth, Once Upon a Hell of a Time. Matt co-produced the record with collaborator Loel Campbell (Wintersleep). This new album follows up the award-winning Coyote, which landed Matt a 2014 JUNO Award for Rock Album of the Year. “The full album has a pretty strong theme or feeling and I wanted that to come across right away,” says Matt. “This is party rock for the heartbroken.”

	Melkbelly Nothing Valley Wax Nine/Carpark

If Nothing Valley were a real place, it'd be mossy, verdant, and a little bit strange. Melkbelly, formed by vets of Chicago's experimental and DIY scene champions, organized noise and thoughtful freneticism on its debut full-length, Nothing Valley, fusing dreamy vocal lines, weird hooks, and cantankerous guitar racket. Its songs clang and bang in stripped-down production that highlights the band's sharp edges; multi-faceted slabs of sound serve harmonious, immediate songs. Think The Breeders meets Lightning Bolt. Yeah: It’s that good.

	Hugh Masterson Lost + Found Rock Ridge Music

Lost + Found is an apt title for Hugh Masterson’s solo debut. The six songs cover a heartfelt journey through surviving loss and life changes while gaining self-awareness through experience. “I use songwriting as therapy,” he says. “I think other people will relate to these songs. Finding happiness daily is not an easy thing.” Co-produced by Masterson and Bill Skibbe (The Black Keys, Dead Weather, The Kills), the duo bring a Midwestern bounce and jangle coupled with Nashville wail and grit.

	The Contenders Laughing with the Reckless Rock Ridge Music

Lady luck had introduced singer songwriter Jay Nash and singer and drummer Josh Day in Los Angeles over a decade ago when they bonded over a shared love of The Band, roots music, and the great American songbook. Laughing with the Reckless is very much about the perseverance of hope in dark times along with the powerful connection of music, old friends and loved ones, all delivered with a wry and wistful narrative.

	Bootsy Collins World Wide Funk Mascot Records

World Wide Funk marks both a reckoning and significant reboot, if you will, for the Rhinestone Rock Star Monster of a doll baby baba, Bootsy Collins! Blue-chip rappers like Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane, DJ Quik, Dru Down, and Chuck D, along with guitar shredder Buckethead, join a Bootsy-curated posse of fresh new artists on a record that embraces everything from the classic P-Funk sound Bootsy pioneered to the closest Collins has ever come to radio-active, boots on the ground, friendly fire in a musical-P-rated-adventure!

	Mista Savona Havana Meets Kingston VP Records

Producer, arranger, and musician Mista Savona brought together a stellar assortment of Cuban and Jamaican musicians to create this collection of reinterpreted classics and original songs as a soundtrack to an upcoming documentary of the same title. Havana Meets Kingston is a tour through these two historic island nations highlighting the common ground between the two, through rhythm and culture.

	The Professionals What In The World The End

Formed by Paul Cook and Steve Jones, The Professionals arrived on the scene in 1979, following the demise of the Sex Pistols. In 2017, the band spearheaded by Paul Cook, Paul Myers and Tom Spencer are back with the full blessing of founding member Steve Jones. What in the World boasts ten new tracks and a host of famous guests, including Billy Duffy (The Cult), Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses), Mick Jones (The Clash) and Steve Jones himself!

	Dhani Harrison IN///PARALLEL BMG

After many years of collaborating with others, Dhani Harrison -- son of Beatle George -- felt right about creating a solo album. IN///PARALLEL proves that was well worth the wait. From the widescreen intro and Middle Eastern vibe of "Never Know" -- a song about the ability to choose your own destiny -- to the orchestral flourish of "Admiral of Upside Down," Dhani offers up a grand-scale vision inspired by icons like David Bowie, Radiohead, Massive Attack and fellow film composer Hans Zimmer.

	Gill Landry Love Rides A Dark Horse ATO Records

Following his critically-acclaimed debut, Gill Landry's Love Rides A Dark Horse captures the better part of a year the singer/songwriter spent picking up the pieces of a failed relationship. Touring and recording alone during this period, Landry wrote with unflinching honesty about depression and expectation and desire. The songs spill over with gorgeous harmonies by Klara Soderberg (First Aid Kit), Karen Elson, and Odessa, while Landry's husky baritone -- often reminiscent of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits -- spills his guts.

	Morgan Saint 17 Hero Epic

"Hatred is not in my blood. Euphoria is what I feel in my dreams. Love is what I'm searching for." Those twenty words at the start of Morgan Saint's debut EP, 17 Hero, form a manifesto and a map for the music that follows. Saint's songs chronicle of emotional thrills and crashes, and they challenge preconceptions -- notions of how pop can sound, how it works, how it looks, and what it can accomplish. It's a cross between the directness of a text message and the disarming privacy of a diary entry -- but with way better hooks.

	Nai Palm Needle Paw Masterworks

Nai Palm is the twice Grammy nominated singer, songwriter and voice of Australian jazz futurists, Hiatus Kaiyote. Comprised almost entirely of her guitar playing and vocal arrangements, Needle Paw is Nai Palm’s self-imposed challenge to explore the potential for immortality and timelessness within her music by stripping away the produced layers to focus on the element that is closest to the source of the human soul: the voice. Needle Paw is the rawest glimpse into Nai Palm’s musical world.

	Soraia Dead Reckoning Wicked Cool

Soraia epitomizes raw power, unrelenting energy, chaos, and freedom. ZouZou Mansour and Travis Smith are the core of this group. Their songwriting is rooted in early garage rock with strong dynamics and melody -- and their live show frenetic and intensely interactive, with ZouZou channeling the sublime energy of Iggy Pop and Joan Jett. Dead Reckoning features twelve new songs, including covers of Prince (the late-period gem ''Wow,''), The Sonics' (proto-punk classic ''Have Love Will Travel'') and E Street legend, Little Steven (the girl group influenced ''Why,'').

	Dirty Fences Goodbye Love Greenway

Dirty Fences’ third studio album, Goodbye Love, is packed with plenty of meaty riffs, perfectly-executed harmonies, and features a guest appearance from Sheer Mag's Christina Halladay. On ''Goodbye Love,'' Dirty Fences give a nod to their influences -- which include acts like Redd Kross, The MC5, and Johnny Thunders, plus an obsession with early KISS and Motley Crüe through the lens of The Dictators and Ramones -- while maintaining an identity all its own.

	Terra Lightfoot New Mistakes Sonic Unyon

With New Mistakes, Canada's Terra Lightfoot offers up something rare: the kind of genuine document that can only come from a road-tested breed of songwriter and performer. Shot through with the guitarist-vocalist's powerful, bluesy soul, vivid lyrics and ferocious six-string virtuosity, New Mistakes is an unforgettable record. From the ground-shaking stomp of ''Paradise'' and wild-eyed energy of ''Pinball'' that open the set, to the gospel-tinged album closer ''Lonesome Eyes,'' New Mistakes distills Lightfoot’s masterful talent to its electrifying essence.

	Mickey Hart RAMU Verve

While most albums function as a snapshot of a place and time, RAMU is more like a photo album -- one that features samples and recordings from around the globe, originating between 1944 and 2017. Best known as The Grateful Dead’s percussionist extraordinaire, Mickey Hart’s life ambition has always been to record and preserve the music of the world using the most innovative and high-quality equipment possible. Through the making of RAMU, that goal has grown to be something more. It’s about creation through collaboration, through combination, and through inclusion.

	Jazz Loves Disney 2 - A Kind Of Magic Various Verve

The follow-up to last year’s Jazz Loves Disney, Jazz Loves Disney 2 features a collection of jazz and world artists making classic Disney songs their own. Produced by Jay Newland, arranged and directed by Rob Mousey, Jazz Loves Disney 2 – A Kind of Magic features George Benson, Madeleine Peyroux, Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum and more, performing songs like “Be Our Guest,” “Under The Sea,” “Beauty & The Beast,” and other Disney greats.

	The Front Bottoms Going Grey (Explicit) Fueled By Ramen

Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Brian Sella and drummer Mathew Uychich, Going Grey finds The Front Bottoms embracing the impermanence of life and finding flexibility in the face of change. Having relocated band headquarters to the coastal New Jersey community of Asbury Park during the demoing stages of the album, Going Grey sees the band acknowledging the nostalgia of simpler times with admiration, while welcoming the inevitable unknowns of life -- not that they’re blaming Jersey...

	Stereophonics Scream Above the Sounds Warner Bros./Parlophone

20 years after their debut, Word Gets Around, and six No. 1 albums later, Stereophonics are back with Scream Above The Sounds. Vocalist/guitarist Kelly Jones said of the songwriting process that he began to write, "big, anthemic songs that are rallying against those anxious feelings that have flooded through cities. Every song offers a sense of release. Even when there's nostalgia, fear or anxiety, they're still all offering hope and room to manoeuvre."

	King Leg Meet King Leg Sire

Born in Nebraska, "discovered" in Nashville and now occupying Los Angeles, King Leg is an infectious dose of distinctively American rock 'n' roll -- equal parts throwback and shiny new thing. Says the legendary Seymour Stein: "King Leg makes American Music. It is Rock & Roll, with a nod to R&B and Country… When I heard King Leg's music, I was totally blown away - not just by the immediacy of the songs, but also the extraordinary voice - reminiscent of the great Roy Orbison. King Leg may be young, but musically he is fully mature.”

Taylor Swift spent her teen years and early adulthood becoming one of the biggest stars in the world – first conquering country music and then, especially with her last album, 1989, the pop universe. 1989 not only featured her most indelible hooks – love ‘em or not, you’re probably humming one right now – but a new attitude. Even pop princesses get mad as hell and aren’t willing to take it – break-ups, negative press, streaming services – anymore… And just like that her songs acquired a somewhat subversive but definitely sarcastic air that kept both tweens and middle-aged music writers on the edge of their seats. But everyone loves drama -- so, while details about Swift’s new album, reputation, are still shrouded in mystery, one thing seems certain: She’s gonna give us more. Sure, the cover of reputation looks like she’s about to deliver an early-Aughts mall-punk opera, but the album’s first two singles, “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Ready For It?” indicate that she’s a lot more interested in hip hop and glitchy RnB. And with collaborators like Drake, Kesha, and Max Martin rumored to be in the mix, reputation could be an album hell-bent on throwing some serious shade. And we’re gonna love every minute of it.

Taylor Swift -
reputation
Big Machine

Since the 70s, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Cheap Trick, have been blending elements of pop, punk and even metal in a way that is instantly catchy and recognizable. With timeless classics such as “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender,” and the late 80s lighter-waving favorite, “The Flame,” Cheap Trick are a musical institution who continue to find new fans year after year. Now, forty-odd years into their unlikely career, Cheap Trick have achieved yet another first: They recorded a holiday record, Christmas Christmas. Arriving mere months after their critically-acclaimed eighteenth studio album, We're All Alright!, Christmas Christmas, Cheap Trick delivers a sleigh full of rock and roll Christmas classics and festive favorites by Wizzard, Slade, Chuck Berry, The Ramones and The Kinks, as well as newly penned offerings like the joyous lead track "Merry Christmas Darlings."

Cheap Trick -
Christmas Christmas
Big Machine

The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) is a group of some of the best independent music stores in America. CIMS was founded in 1995; its current membership is made up of 29 accounts that handle 47 stores in 21 states. Many of the accounts have been recognized by the music industry and their local communities for their outstanding dedication to customer service and developing artist support.

Each member is bound by its shared love of music, a reputation for great selection and customer service in its community, yet each CIMS account is as unique as the market it represents. Most importantly, CIMS member stores continually seek to challenge the jaded, color-by-numbers advertising and marketing of other retailers.