Outside the Heard

	Bill Murray, Jan Vogler, and Friends New Worlds Verve

With New Worlds, (The) Bill Murray serves as both singer and narrator, bringing his charm and wit to songs by Foster, Gershwin, and Bernstein as well as readings of classic American poetry and prose by Whitman, Hemingway, Twain and others, in dialogue with German cellist Jan Vogler’s singing Stradivarius.

	Death From Above 1979 Outrage! Is Now WB

Outrage! Is Now confidently kicks off a new chapter for ultimate dance punks, Death From Above. "This record is the sound of the two us pushing at the walls.” says Sebastien (vocals, drums). "We both wanted to see how far we could take our sound as Death From Above,” adds Jesse (bass, keys, synths). “In a way, that has always been our objective."

	Lionize Nuclear Soul The End

Over six albums, Lionize have streamlined their blend of funky riffs, cyborg tales and reggae sensibilities into an original, rock whole. Nuclear Soul features Lionize at its most expansive. Says singer/guitarist Nate Bergman: "It has elements of bands like Clutch and Deep Purple… All these elements touch on something familiar, but also sound new."

	Lights Skin&Earth WB

Throughout a year long process, Lights began secretly working on writing and drawing her own comic book based around an alter ego called “En.” The experience carried over to Skin&Earth, which finds Lights tackling subject matter she once deemed taboo. Guests include Corin Roddick of Purity Ring, Big Data, and Josh Dun of TwentyOnePilots.

	repeat repeat Floral Canyon Dangerbird*

*repeat repeat's sound is bold, bi-coastal beach pop (they’re as much NYC as they are El Lay): At once coolly current and proudly vintage – sugar-coated music with a raw, real, rocky center. The band’s sophomore stunner, Floral Canyon, pushes its musical envelope, drilling deeper drive and darkness into the music’s sun-kissed core.

	Chris Rea Road Songs For Lovers The End

Chris Rea is many things – artist and painter, blues aficionado, car nut, filmmaker, and a composer. With his new album, Road Songs for Lovers, Rea has returned to doing what he does best: Crafting gorgeous rock ballads with uncommon wit and chops. It’s quite possibly is best work yet.

	Lou Reed and Kris Kristofferson The Bottom Line Archive Series: In Their Own Words: Vin Scelsa Bottom Line Record Company

Lou Reed and Kris Kristofferson: In Their Own Words with Vin Scelsa documents the only occasion where these two master songwriters performed together. KROQ’s Vin Scelsa leads the conversation, while Reed and Kristofferson swap stories and songs, with each performing a cover (Kristofferson does Bird On A Wire, Reed performs Tracks of My Tears).

	Wolf Alice Visions Of A Life RCA

Wolf Alice, one of the biggest breakthrough independent bands of recent years, make their eagerly anticipated return with Visions of a Life – a fundamentally personal album that proves a band can mature without giving out its ability to make great indie make-out jams. From opener "Heavenward" – a cloudburst of shoegazey guitar and vaulting vocals – through to the epic, eight-minute closing title track, Visions of a Life is jam packed with stately moments and surprises alike.

	Carla Bruni French Touch Verve

French Touch brings together a delightful trove of sentimental pop favorites – all chosen for their personal significance yet reimagined in Carla Bruni's intimate and moving style. These are, in her own words, "songs that inspire the French term for love at first sight – a coup de foudre."

	ELLA FITZGERALD / LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Someone To Watch Over Me Verve

Ella Fitzgerald’s iconic vocals are given new life thanks to freshly recorded string arrangements by the London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and conducted by James Morgan and Jorge Callandrelli, Someone to Watch Over Me features, “Misty,” “I Get a Kick out of You,” “Makin’ Whoopee!” and more!

	Andre Rieu Shall We Dance (CD/DVD) Verve

World-renowned violinist, conductor, and classical music maverick, André Rieu returns with Shall We Dance, which features some of the world's most beloved classic songs including "The Blue Danube," "Love in Venice," "Bolero," "Zorba's Dance," and more. Includes a DVD documenting his spectacular, party-like concerts.

	Luke Elliot Dressed For The Occasion Jullian Records

Dressed for the Occasion by Luke Elliot harks back to the great songwriters of old - the stalwarts of the form who delicately honed their craft: the Leonard Cohens, the Bob Dylans and Tom Waits. Elliot, like these artists before him, has tales to tell. Produced by John Angello (Sonic Youth, The Hold Steady, Dinosaur Jr.), Dressed for the Occasion demonstrates Elliot's precociousness as a songwriter – a record that shows equal parts aggression and restraint. Be it the softer ballads such as "Let It Rain On Me," or the forceful lead single "Trouble," with its desperate vocals and dark, Lynchian guitars.

	Marc Almond Shadows And Reflections BMG/The End

Marc Almond's new album, Shadows and Reflections, features sumptuous arrangements of iconic torch songs and 60's orchestral pop for which he is beloved (including songs made famous by Burt Bacharach, The Action, The Yardbirds, Bobby Darin, Julie Driscoll, Billy Fury and the Young Rascals), as well as two new original compositions.

	Jessica Lea Mayfield Sorry Is Gone ATO Records

Sorry Is Gone, the highly-anticipated new album from Jessica Lea Mayfield. Produced by John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.), Sorry Is Gone finds Ohio-born Americana-punk taking on a still raw yet gilded sound that soundtracks songs all about, in her own words, “taking my life back.” Vulnerable – but never weak – Mayfield is a revelation.

	HARROLD, KEYON The Mugician Legacy

Long known as the artist's artist – trumpeter Keyon Harrold has worked with Maxwell, Common, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Eminem. The Ferguson-born / New York-based musician now takes center stage with The Mugician – a captivating LP that ponders the fears and frustrations of a divided country while yearning for justice and peace. Gary Clark Jr., Bilal, Big K.R.I.T., Pharoahe Monch, and Don Cheadle guest.

	Kele Okereke Fatherland BMG/The End

Fatherland is the new solo album from Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke. Fatherhood is a major influence on this new album, but it wasn’t the only one: Elliot Smith, Joni Mitchell, an Al Greene played significant roles as well. As such, Fatherland embraces a much more organic – even classic – sonic palette, featuring genres ranging from “delicate folk,” “sumptuous soul,” and “insidious, dub reggae-meets-Weimar cabaret.”

	Galantis The Aviary Atlantic/Big Beat

Swedish pop duo, Galantis, have found major success writing songs for the likes of Britney Spears and Icona Pop, but their new album, The Aviary, finds them keeping the best ideas for themselves (along with some cool guest vocalists – resulting in some their greatest anthems yet. This is peak pop – impossible to ignore and guaranteed to get you dancing.

	Rostam Half-Light Nonesuch

Rostam produced three gold records with Vampire Weekend before announcing his departure in 2016. By the end of that year he had contributed songwriting and production to Frank Ocean's Blonde, Solange's A Seat at the Table, and a collaborative full-length with The Walkmen's Hamilton Leithauser. Half-Light is his kaleidoscopic solo debut.

	Eamon Golden Rail Motel Huey Avenue

After a decade-long hiatus, Eamon, the singer / songwriter behind the hit single, F**k It (I Don't Want You Back), returns with Golden Rail Motel – a fiery collection of new material, an album soaked in soul. A testament to fending off personal demons, Golen Rail Motel is a welcome return from one of RnB’s most powerful voices.

JD McPherson returns with what he calls "A truly romantic garage rock record" in Undivided Heart & Soul. Co-produced with Dan Molad (Lucius) and developed largely in the studio (the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville), Undivided Heart & Soul carries a sense of immediacy and irreverence. "In writing this record, I threw several handfuls of caution to the wind," JD explains. "Lyrically, I was allowing myself to be exposed in a way I never have before. Concurrently, maybe as some sort of a self-defense mechanism, the guitars got fuzzier and louder. The first day at RCA was like being in church... By the second day, it was a high school band's rehearsal space." Putting the hands of Molad on the wheel of the record, however, ensured that the music didn't take too many expected turns. "Most folks know us for our take on vintage R&B and early rock 'n' roll," he adds. "The past year, I've been digging so much into the heavier, brasher sounds of early rock 'n' roll... from bands like The Sonics, Link Wray, and into some early British rock such as The Creation... these influences feature heavily in these songs. The tunes that showed up weren't exactly always in familiar territory, and... we greeted them as welcome strangers.”

JD McPherson -
UNDIVIDED HEART & SOUL
New West Records

The eagerly awaited revival of Mark Frost and David Lynch's revolutionary television series Twin Peaks has come and gone – and fans are mystified, delighted, and horrified by how it all went down (don’t worry: no spoilers here). Music has always played a central role in David Lynch's work and it helped establish the haunting, dreamlike nature of the original Twin Peaks. The same is true for the new series. Much like the plot of the show, the songs that appear on the new soundtracks were revealed gradually over the course of the season's 18 episodes. The first track as heard on the debut episode is "Twin Peaks Main Theme" by Grammy-winning composer Angelo Badalamenti, whose music is inextricably linked to the original series and film. The second track is "Shadow" by Chromatics. Then there was Au Revoir Simone, Sharon Van Etten, Nine Inch Nails, and so on. Even soul legends like Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MG’s, and The Platters make appearances. And who could forget the Julee Cruise? Swoon. So, grab some coffee and pie and luxuriate in this strange world. Even if there are no answers, we have music to help us make sense of it all.

Twin Peaks -
Music from the Limited Event Series
Rhino

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.