New Music Monthly: June 2018 Releases

May was a pretty good month for new releases, but it pales in comparison to the slate of new tunes we have in store for June. Plus, the month has five release Fridays, which means more music for all of us! You'll find new albums from British rock legends Roger Daltrey (The Who) and Wilko Johnson (Dr. Feelgood) on the shelves this month, as well as new music by blues legend Buddy Guy, Pete Yorn (with actress/singer Scarlett Johansson), Ray Davies, Jim James, Howlin' Rain, and Arthur Buck (a collaboration between singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur and former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.

And for those of us with a "classic" orientation, how about archival releases from Mick Ronson, Junior Byles, Dennis Coffey, the Posies, and Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention or vinyl reissues of classic LPs from Liz Phair, Buddy Guy, and Junior Wells?

If we wrote about it here on the site, there will be a link to it in the album title; if you want an album, hit the 'Buy!' link to get it from Amazon.com...it's just that damn easy! Your purchase puts money in the Reverend's pocket that he'll use to buy more music to write about in a never-ending loop of rock 'n' roll ecstasy!

JUNE 1
Neko Case - Hell-On   BUY!
Roger Daltrey - As Long As I Have You   BUY!
Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer   BUY!
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Apart   BUY!

JUNE 8
Eric Clapton - Life In 12 Bars OST   BUY!
Dennis Coffey - One Night at Morey's, 1968   BUY!
Howlin Rain - The Alligator Bride   BUY!
Liz Phair - Liz Phair [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Liz Phair - Whip-Smart [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Liz Phair - Whitechocolatespaceegg [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Gruff Rhys - Bablesberg   BUY!
Mick Ronson - Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story OST   BUY!
Various Artists - Ska & Reggae Classics (Trojan Records)   BUY!

JUNE 15
Arthur Buck - Arthur Buck [Joseph Arthur & Peter Buck]   BUY!
Junior Byles - Rasta No Pickpocket   BUY!
Gene Clark - Gene Clark Sings For You   BUY!
English Beat - Here We Go Love   BUY!
Ethiopian & Gladiators - Dread Prophecy   BUY!
Buddy Guy - The Blues Is Alive and Well   BUY!
Wilko Johnson - Blow Your Mind   BUY!
Johnny Marr - Call the Comet   BUY!
The Posies - Dear 23   BUY!
The Rose Garden - A Trip Through the Garden (w/Gene Clark)   BUY!
Mark Wenner's Blues Warrriors - Mark Wenner's Blues Warriors   BUY!

JUNE 22
Nine Inch Nails - Bad Witch   BUY!
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - Burnt Weeny Sandwich [vinyl reissue]   BUY!
Various Artists - This Is Trojan Roots (Trojan Records)   BUY! 

JUNE 29
Ray Davies - Out Country: Americana Act II   BUY!
Florence + the Machine - High As Hope   BUY!
Buddy Guy - A Man and the Blues [vinyl reissue]  BUY!
Jim James - Uniform Distortion   BUY!
Junior Wells - Coming At You [vinyl reissue]   BUY!

Album of the Month: It may be a controversial pick in a month that includes new LPs from Roger Daltrey, Neko Case, and Ray Davies, but Wilko Johnson's Blow Your Mind is the British rock legend's first studio album in 30 years, and the follow-up to his Daltrey collaboration Going Back Home. Read more about it here... 

New Music Monthly: April 2017 Releases

April seems to bring the "revenge of the indies" as a number of high-profile indie-rock artists are releasing new material, with Father John Misty, the New Pornographers, Guided by Voices, and Robyn Hitchcock all dropping new albums this month. Classic rock legends Deep Purple and Ray Davies are both offering new LPs, and there's also a cool Cheap Trick rarities collection and other great stuff to be had in April! And don't forget – Record Store Day 2017 happens on Saturday, April 22nd!

APRIL 7
Carptree - Emerger   BUY!
Deep Purple - InFinite   BUY!
Father John Misty - Pure Comedy   BUY!
Guided by Voices - August By Cake   BUY!
Nick Lowe - Nick The Knife   BUY!
Nick Lowe - The Abominable Showman   BUY!
Imelda May - Life Love Flesh Blood   BUY!
The New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions   BUY!
Professor Louie & The Crowmatix - Crowin' The Blues   BUY!

APRIL 14
Brinsley Schwarz - It's All Over Now   BUY!

APRIL 21
The Black Angels - Death Song   BUY!
Ray Davies - Americana   BUY!
Robyn Hitchcock - Robyn Hitchcock   BUY!
Marc Jonson - Years   BUY!
Rhino Bucket - The Last Real Rock 'n' Roll   BUY!
Neil Young - Bottom Line 1974   BUY!

APRIL 28
Cheap Trick - The Epic Archive, Vol. 1 (1975-1979)   BUY!
Mark Lanegan Band - Gargoyle   BUY!
Leon Russell - Leon Russell [vinyl]   BUY!

(Album release dates are subject to change without notice and they don't always let me know, so there...)

Album of the Month: Neil Young's Bottom Line 1974 is a semi-legit import release of the rock legend's fabled (and often bootlegged) 1974 show at the infamous NYC venue. This unannounced solo acoustic set of eleven mostly new (at the time) songs runs slightly more than an hour and was fortunately caught on tape by an anonymous fan. Five of the songs Young performed debuted with this show, and ten of the eleven songs were unreleased at the time. Surprisingly, as beloved as this Bottom Line show is among Neil Young fans, he has yet to provide it an authorized release as part of his archive series.