TERENCE BLANCHARD Magnetic [Blue Note] Terence Blanchard, continues to give new meaning to the word prolific. Primarily known as a jazz trumpeter and composer, he’s worked as an educator and written music for films, theater and even opera. So when he actually gets around to releasing proper jazz records it’s an event. Happily, Magnetic is as strong as anything he’s produced. Surrounding himself with his regular quintet, Blanchard surveys various... 

PEDALJETS What’s In Between thepedaljets.com The indie world’s sudden interest in all things ’90s is great news for the Pedaljets, which is funny, since they missed out on that decade the first time around. Formed in Lawrence, Kan., in 1984, this is one of rock’s classic “coulda been a contender” bands, and had they stuck it out after the 1989 release of their sophomore album, they might have found fame in the post-Nirvana era. On their... 

MARSHALL CHAPMAN Blaze of Glory tallgirl.com On one hand, you can’t believe this South Carolinian cult fave is 64 years old. The singer, songwriter and “female Jagger,” as some call her, wrote and recorded her 13th album after what sounds like one hell of a trip to Mexico. Chapman gets real on bluesy rockabilly cuts and spills her guts on country-folk ballads, and thanks to warm production and sparse arrangements—all rumbling bass and twinkling... 

KEATON SIMONS Beautiful Pain keatonsimons.com A prime mover in his hometown L.A. scene, this singer-songwriter and studio musician has opened for Coldplay and Train, done session work for Snoop Dogg and Gnarls Barkley and landed songs on numerous TV shows, among them Celebrity Rehab, which featured his stepfather, actor Eric Roberts, as a patient. Why, then, isn’t he famous? It’s probably a matter of time. Simons’ sophomore effort is an exceedingly... 

JAY NASH Letters From the Lost jaynash.com Nowadays, since car-commercial placements are the new hit singles, you don’t want to be too much of anything—except maybe versatile. On his latest, this Vermont singer-songwriter mopes and strums like Ray LaMontagne (“Sometimes”), whoops and stomps like a Lumineer (“Sailor”), plays blues-pop riffs like John Mayer and even tries some Thom Yorke falsetto. No wonder he’s performed with everyone... 

THE MOTHER HIPS Behind Beyond motherhips.com Californian to their core, the Mother Hips know that life is nothing to get hung about. No matter what earthly concerns harsh our mellows, “man is not the man,” and we all wind up “back in the ocean.” So frontman Tim Bluhm sings on “Isle Not of Man,” the leadoff track on their eighth album. These self-styled “California Soul” survivors don’t fear a return to the Pacific, and on these slightly... 

NED VAN GO Lost in the Trouble nedvangomusic.com Carrying on the proud tradition of Southern Culture on the Skids, the Drive-By Truckers, and any country band that has dared to poke fun at Dixie living, Ned Van Go pack their fifth LP with gnarly cow-punk tunes (“Hog Rock Road”), silly-sweet country ballads (“Moon Shine on You”) and 95 mph bluegrass burners (“Copper Bluegrass”). “Where Ya Gone Virginia?” and “1000 Dollar Car,” meanwhile,... 

THE HAPPY HOLLOWS Amethyst thehappyhollows.blogspot.com In just one album, this female-fronted L.A. trio has done what it took similarly staffed East Coast superstars the Yeah Yeah Yeahs three records to pull off. They’ve gone from making garage rock to synth-pop, and while their transition has been less spectacular—they were never as explosive as the YYYs, and they’re not as experimental now—the change has been for the best. On tunes like... 

JANN KLOSE Mosaic jannklose.com A tune like “The Kite” might not sound dangerous, but the line “Let this kite take flight,” a seize-the-day metaphor for the heart or spirit of a fearful lover, is pure nitroglycerin. Had Klose handled those words incorrectly, he’d have blown his song’s credibility to bits and left himself with nothing but sap. But this German born, African-raised singer-songwriter does sentimentality with sincerity and... 

MANDO SAENZ Studebaker mandosaenzmusic.com This Mexican-born Texas troubadour has a deep, dark secret. Before turning his life to music, he earned—gasp!—an MBA. Luckily, on his third album, the country singer-songwriter never sounds like some stodgy businessman playing cowboy. In fact, he doesn’t really sound like anyone. Saenz sings with mumbled twang—think Tom Petty if he’d landed in Nashville instead of L.A.—and on his best songs (“Break... 

MICHAEL AND THE LONESOME PLAYBOYS Bottle Cap Sky rocknrollpoet.com Why do they call Michael Ubaldini the “rock ’n’ roll poet?” First, he’s a solid lyricist. Second, he’s a fairly limited singer, and on songs about heartbreak, outlaws, trains and highways, he never threatens to overshadow his words with vocal fireworks. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as this Californian grew up worshipping Hank Williams, Bruce Springsteen and Joey... 

MOON HOOCH Moon Hooch  moonhooch.bandcamp.com Amazingly enough, the last band you’d want to hear on the subway after a long day of work sounds pretty great on record. Known for impromptu performances at Brooklyn train stations, this trio lets ’er rip with two piercing saxes and seriously fierce drums. Sound like something cooked up at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music? It was, but there are riffs amid the skronking and grooves in... 

The Tomás Doncker Band Howlin’ Wolf EP tomasdoncker.net Talk about a resume. A veteran of New York City’s avant-noisy No Wave scene of the early ’80s, guitarist Tomás Doncker has played with everyone from Bonnie Raitt to electro-dub producers. If anything links the various styles he’s explored, it may be the blues, and here, he covers five songs made famous by Mississippi legend Howlin’ Wolf. Doncker recorded the EP for a stage show called... 

VINYL SPECTRUM Cosmic Desire vinylspectrum.com “Your mind’s always in the way,” sing these San Fran funkateers, honoring their city’s history of jazzy psychedelic rock. The title cut, with its surf-noir guitar, would be the highlight, were it not for the two sax jams toward the end. More of Dario Slavazza’s sweet honking, please.    Read More →

RADIO DIAL Word Painter radiodial.us The voice is Sam Ward’s, but Radio Dial is a songwriting outlet for Memphis multi-instrumentalist Michael Caserta, a riff-slinging, hook-hurling master of Top 40 hard rock. Stone Temple Pilots rockers? Staind-style power ballads? Caserta’s got both, plus “Fake Memories” a fist-pumper you can’t help but dig.    Read More →

ARIAN SALEH Undone ariansaleh.com On his full-length debut, this Brooklyn-based grandson of Iran’s “first lady of opera” joins forces with studio wiz Chuck Wild and an ace cello-and-drum backing duo. The sound: gypsy folk, reggae, twitchy electro-pop and more, served with a tasty side of Middle Eastern mystery.    Read More →

BILL KIRCHEN Seeds and Stems billkirchen.com As leader of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, this Telecaster master predicted cow-punk, psychobilly and today’s Americana scene. Here, he revisits Airmen and solo classics, truckin’ for yucks on the Cody cuts—“Hot Rod Lincoln” among them—and even getting serious on a poignant Dylan cover.    Read More →

FIREHORSE Pills From Strangers thisisfirehorse.com Brooklyn singer-songwriter Leah Siegel climbs back in the Firehorse saddle for this, a seven-song sophomore set spanning artsy electro-pop to acoustic folk and the sublimely Spartan drum-and-vocal sketch “Any Other Day.” Siegel goes “Doves Cry”–era Prince on “Good,” underselling with the title.    Read More →

SIGUR RóS Kveikur [XL] What is it about Sigur Rós? By rights, this Icelandic band shouldn’t be anywhere near popular enough to headline Madison Square Garden or appear on The Simpsons, and yet in the first half of 2013, they’ve done both, building anticipation for this, their seventh album of elliptical, ethereal, strangely enchanting “dream rock,” as many describe their sound. This time out, “nightmare rock” sometimes seems the better... 

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE …Like Clockwork  [Matador] It’s been six years since Queens of the Stone Age released Era Vulgaris, and in that time, frontman Josh Homme has worked with the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, and drummer Joey Castillo has left the band. But in spite of—or maybe because of—the time away, the Queens’ sixth album reveals a renewed sense of self-assurance. It’s evident in the expansive sound, which allows the guitars... 

DEMI LOVATO Demi [Hollywood] The last time Demi Lovato released an album the onetime teen Disney princess was coming off a rough patch that included a break for rehab and newly discovered bipolar disorder. Not so surprisingly, the music on 2011’s Unbroken took a serious turn. On her fourth album, the 20-year-old pop singer and X Factor judge is still in a reflective mood, but with a brighter outlook this time. And as its title implies, Demi is supposed... 

THE NATIONAL Trouble Will Find Me [4AD] Though the National is often described as “world-weary,” “world-wary” may be more accurate. On five previous albums, the Brooklyn-based band crafted increasingly sophisticated songs populated by characters that live in their own heads, reluctant to engage as they parse the secret angst and uncertainty of evolving adulthood. The group’s latest is a stunning refinement of the form—a search for self... 

JOHN FOGERTY Wrote a Song for Everyone [Vanguard] John Fogerty’s first album in four years finds him collaborating with musical A-listers on songs he’s written throughout his career. Several tracks remain faithful to the original recordings, and while the new version of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” doesn’t add much, it’s a pleasure to hear Alan Jackson’s rich baritone. The most notable departure may be the Foo Fighters’ hard-rock... 

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS Nanobots [Idlewild] On Nanobots—their 12th studio album, not counting the four they’ve made for children—They Might Be Giants continue to be very serious about the business of being silly. This time out, the indie mainstays rhyme about combustible heads, the misguided commitments of karate, and occasionally even educational topics, as on their homage to Nikola Tesla and his works. With 25 tracks clocking in at just over... 

Steve Martin & Edie Brickell Love Has Come for You [Rounder] Twenty-five years ago, the idea of a Steve Martin recording with Edie Brickell might have seemed like a disaster of New Coke proportions, but Love Has Come for You proves them to be a delightful creative duo. The album combines Brickell’s lyrics and smoky soprano with Martin’s intricate and evocative banjo melodies. Though they co-wrote these songs from opposite coasts, they truly... 

LOW The Invisible Way [Sub Pop] Over the course of their dozen-plus previous offerings, Low has never shown themselves to be the most effusive combo, so to hear them opting for a more expressive delivery suggests a bid for accessibility. The tone is still austere, and the subject matter decidedly conflicted—themes veer from struggle to intimacy—but the sound is no longer blanketed by the veil of melancholia that’s enveloped it in the past. Those... 

JOE BONAMASSA An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House  [J&R Adventures] Anyone who reserves a page of his concert DVD’s booklet for a list of guitars he plays on the disc is obviously after the gearheads. (For the record, a 1974 Martin D-41, a 2012 Gibson SJ-200 and Guild F-512 12-string are among the dozens of acoustics listed.) And up until about a year or so ago, Joe Bonamassa mostly appealed to fellow instrumentalists, who could appreciate... 

Pistol Annies Annie Up [Sony Nashville] When it comes to Pistol Annies—Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe—the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts. On its second album, the country trio pays tribute to lower-class women and speaks intelligently of their struggles. Whether singing alone or in harmony, each Annie adds new wrinkles to her phrasing: Lambert sounds feistier than ever, and Presley and Monroe meet that challenge... 

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS More Than Just a Dream [Elektra] Like any music junkie, Fitz and the Tantrums frontman Michael Fitzpatrick is well aware of the second-album curse. He responds by filling the follow-up to his band’s 2010 debut, Pickin’ Up the Pieces, with a few new styles and sounds, attempting to outrun the backlash he fears is coming. And for the most part, Fitz and the Tantrums stay one step ahead. More Than Just a Dream is more dynamic... 

Willie Nelson Let’s Face the Music and Dance [Sony Legacy] For Willie Nelson, there’s no better (legal) way to celebrate a birthday than to release a record. The latest addition to the octogenarian’s 200-plus-album discography marks a return to the Great American Songbook, which served him so well on 1978’s Stardust. Nelson’s instantly recognizable, languorous vocals suit the material, giving a rough-hewn charm to standards like “Walking... 

The Three O’Clock The Hidden World Revealed [Omnivore] In the early ’80s, two separate yet parallel strains of Southern California rock offered different takes on ’60s revivalism. On one end, there was the hardcore punk of Black Flag and their ilk—bands that redefined “loud” and “fast” by pushing the antiestablishment rock of forefathers like Credence Clearwater Revival to hulking extremes. Punk was great for angry teenagers, but what... 

THE CHAPIN SISTERS A Date With the Everly Brothers thechapinsisters.com When ’50s rockers gain traction among young’uns, it’s usually because they represent the rebelliousness that historians often associate with the era, but that seldom translates in the malt-shop hits still heard on oldies radio. Recent examples include most-exalted badass Johnny Cash and feisty growler Wanda Jackson. The Everly Brothers are a harder sell, but the Chapin Sisters—two... 

MORTAR & PESTLE Mortar & Pestle mortarandpestlemusic.com One track into the debut from this Oakland trio, you might be surprised to see a drummer credited in the liners. On “U.V.”—as good a first impression as any new group might hope to make—singer Janaysa Lambert and keyboardist Paul Shinichi do soulful synth-pop somewhere between Depeche Mode and Des’ree, that ’90s one-hit wonder behind “You Gotta Be.” They could have gotten... 

DOUG MACLEOD There’s a Time doug-macleod.com A master of amused resignation, like all the best bluesmen, Doug MacLeod is as fine a phrase turner and joke maker as he is a string bender and drawling crooner—and that’s saying something. On his latest album—the umpteenth in a career rife with accolades and collaborations with genre greats—the 66-year-old hangs with good-time girls (“Rosa Lee”) and strolls on the dark side (“Run With the... 

MICHAEL GALLANT TRIO Completely gallantmusic.com Michael Gallant has never met a keyboard he doesn’t like. As a music journalist [and regular contributor to M], he’s profiled everyone from Dave Brubeck to Justin Timberlake—and as a pianist, he’s performed with Dixieland ensembles and composed scores for films, theater productions and even iPad graphic novels. Here, leading a jazz-rock trio, he deftly and tastefully swings between genres, playing... 

BORA YORK Dreaming Free borayork.com You can’t fake the warm feeling Chris Bartels gets on Dreaming Free, the full-band follow-up to an indie-folk solo effort he dropped in 2011. Collaborating with his wife and a group of good friends, the 25-year-old Minnesotan makes soft-focus synth-pop for young romantics and dreamers. Everything from the chiming guitars to the echoing vocals positively glows, and despite the bittersweet tinge of tunes like “Close... 

COLD SATELLITE Cavalcade coldsatellite.com What bar band sings lines like, “In the distance lies a city / a dappled ruby hub”? One smart enough to divvy up duties and let a poet write the lyrics and a burly-voiced guitar slinger deliver them. Cavalcade marks the second collaboration between celebrated wordsmith Lisa Olstein and acclaimed country rocker Jeffrey Foucault, and it’s plain to see what they get from each other. Songs this meaty and... 

HALLE & THE JILT Three Roads Home halleandthejilt.com Plenty of songwriters claim to take lyrics from diary entries, but in the case of Halle Petro, this seems especially true. Her songs are clear enough—most deal with relationships, and she pretty much lets on whether she’s hopeful or heartbroken—but there are gaps in the stories, just like there’s space in the arrangements of these 10 bluesy, rootsy jazz tunes. There’s little soul-diva... 

LINDA DRAPER Edgewise lindadraper.net On the latest from this New York singer-songwriter, the name of the game is motion. On “Glass Palace,” Draper contemplates leaving a lover and perhaps even passing into the great beyond, while “Right on Time” and “Hollow” find her “running down Bergen Avenue” and racing against the tide of tediousness threatening to overtake her life. With all of these songs—pop-rock sparklers informed by the... 

PARIS COMBO 5 pariscombo.com Few musical terms can be more terrifying than “jazz fusion.” When supremely talented players go all crazy chemist and start mixing genres, things can get ugly fast. But that’s not the case with Paris Combo. The French five-piece hit big during the ’90s swing revival, but then, as now, they refused to be fitted for standard-issue zoot suits. On 5, their first album since 2004, these wily Parisians throw a fantasy... 

THE BLACK LILLIES Runaway Freeway Blues theblacklillies.com Born of heartache—Cruz Contreras formed the group after the 2007 dissolution of his marriage, which also busted up his previous band—the Black Lillies are no longer strictly a vehicle for catharsis. On its third album, this seriously fierce trad-country outfit indulges in musical joyrides (see the sublime “Smokestack Lady”) and offers heartfelt character studies of Vietnam soldiers,... 

NAKIA Drown in the Crimson Tide nakia.net Singer, songwriter, actor and reality TV veteran Nakia Reynoso is a one-man variety show—a retro-sounding, thoroughly modern all-around entertainer for his time and place. In 2011, The Voice judge Cee Lo Green was sufficiently smitten to make him a quarterfinalist, and one spin through this six-song EP reveals why. Like Green, Nakia makes heavily varnished pop rooted in—but not slavishly indebted to—classic... 

CATHY Swimsuit Season cathymusic.com The latest in a long line of unassuming indie bands to have discovered the perfect ratio of wounded-dude sincerity to left-of-the-dial irreverence, Cathy makes record-geek rock everyone can get behind. Here, the Brooklyn foursome honors saints ranging from Alex Chilton to J Mascis, channeling their love and respect into punky power-pop jams and rousing alt-country sidesteps. There are even a few ballads, closer... 

GWEN SEBASTIAN Gwen Sebastian gwensebastian.com Thanks to The Voice—and judge Blake Shelton—this North Dakota singer-songwriter got her name out to the masses. Thanks to her voice—unusually tart and twangy—she skirts a pop-country pitfall or two, infusing this slick disc with a bit of old-school grit and genuine character.    Read More →

BAD PILGRIM Bad Pilgrim badpilgrim.com Good students of Operation Ivy, Less Than Jake and maybe even early Elvis Costello, Bad Pilgrim prove that poppy punk and breakneck ska can be sweet and juvenile without bouncing into goofball territory. Spin “Don’t Leave Me Alone” and spend a glorious 1:20 with your teenage self.    Read More →

JIMBEAU HINSON Strong Medicine jimbeauhinson.com Forgive Hinson if he’s feeling reflective. HIV-positive since the early ’80s, the hit-making country songwriter is glad to be alive, and on these earnest folk-rock tunes, he’s not shy about saying so. His calm, soulful delivery is as listenable as it is admirable.    Read More →

THE ORANGE PEELS Sun Moon theorangepeels.com On their fifth album, these Northern California tunesmiths rejigger the lineup and, by their estimation, get a bit experimental. Should they open for Muse, they’ll have a couple of grand arena-esque jams to pick from, but their focus remains sweet orchestral indie pop, complex yet light.    Read More →

STANDISH/CARLYON Deleted Scenes facebook.com/standishcarlyon Back in the day, this album might have facilitated romance between Bauhaus and Wham! fans. Today, its spacey, minimalist, gothed-out lover-man R&B feels universal, natural—even inevitable. It has something to do with the internet, as well as the sensual songcraft of this Aussie duo.    Read More →

CBGB MOVIE TRAILER Plenty of great music  The trailer for the upcoming CBGB movie has just gone up and not surprisingly, people who were there are already complaining. Roger Friedman’s Showbiz411.com entertainment news site reports that “everyone who ever went there is ducking and hiding,” notably including Linda Ramone, widow of Johnny Ramone. She doesn’t like the casting for Johnny (he’s played by Puerto Rican actor Julian Acosta, who... 

FIGAT7TH DOWNTOWN FESTIVAL WRAPS FIRST ANNUAL SUMMER FETE WITH SOUL, JAZZ AND HIP HOP FEATURING JOSÉ JAMES & CAROLYN MALACHI Friday, August 2, 2013, Los Angeles — Hundreds of enthusiastic music lovers flocked to FIGat7th in downtown Los Angeles, California, to experience the closing night of the final free summer concert of the inaugural FIGat7th Downtown Festival.  “For us music is freedom,” declared Grammy nominated songstress,...