New Albums - Page 109

Swedish progressive metal band Opeth has returned with its 12th full-length studio album, Sorceress. Bassist Martín Méndez is the most stalwart band member, behind the band’s architect, Mikael Åkerfeldt. “I love this album, as does the whole band. I wrote the music during 5-6 months and we spent only 12 days recording it at Rockfield studios in Wales,” Åkerfeldt said....

The Pixies have released their first album in two years and their first with bassist Paz Lenchantin as part of the band’s permanent line-up. Lenchantin toured with the group in 2014 and her work can be heard on the deluxe edition of the band’s 2014 album, Indie Cindy, which was the group’s first without bassist Kim Deal. The new album,...

So, you love yourself some Sting. And you love vinyl. Well, then, The Studio Collection is right up your alley. The 11-LP vinyl box set includes all the bassist-singer-songwriter’s A&M Records studio albums in one collection. The set includes Brand New Day and Sacred Love, which were not previously released on vinyl. Along with Sting, the albums feature the work...

California hardcore punk band Suicidal Tendencies has released its first studio album in three years, World Gone Mad. The album, the band’s twelfth studio album, includes Ra Diaz (Drogatones, Tiro de Gracia and Ritmo Machine) on bass. Diaz talked about his career and joining Suicidal Tendencies on No Treble in July. The lineup also includes frontman Mike ‘Cyco Miko’ Muir,...

Metal band Charred Walls of the Damned has released it third studio album, Creatures Watching Over the Dead, which bandleader Richard Christy (drums) composed over the past five years. “When I write for Charred Walls I never really plan anything out. I just start playing riffs and if something sounds really cool, I’ll build a song from there. My only...

Jazz bassist Steve Swallow (Carla Bley, Gary Burton) has once again worked with guitarist John Scofield on the jazz-country album, Country for Old Men. The album sees Scofield, who produced, and his band paying homage to country artists like George Jones, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, James Taylor, and Hank Williams, as they transform country tunes into jazz pieces. Here’s a...

Ethan Iverson, pianist for The Bad Plus, always wanted to make an album with the prolific bassist/cellist/composer Ron Carter. And so now he has on The Purity of the Turf, which sees Iverson working in a trio with Carter and drummer drummer Nasheet Waits. The record is on Criss Cross records, which releases jazz recordings made by groups working together...

Craig Strain’s band Pickpocket has released its debut album, Sojourn, after a decade’s worth of work. Strain, who is the band’s leader, primary songwriter and bassist, first began playing bass at age 14. He’s worked in a variety of genres throughout his career, including jazz, hip hop, folk, pop, rock, country, rnb, soul and funk. And now, he’s celebrating the...

Jazz bassist Matt Brewer (Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Vijay Iyer) leads a quintet on his latest recording, Unspoken. All the members of the quintet are top-notch players and improvisers younger than 40: tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel, pianist Aaron Parks, guitarist Charles Altura and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. Together, they bring to life seven original Brewer compositions, and their versions of Bill...

The Robert Glasper Experiment’s exploration of jazz and hip-hop continues on the group’s latest, ArtScience. The band’s bassist, Derrick Hodge, whose sophomore solo album The Second dropped in August (check out the No Treble interview), not only holds down the low end, but also sings one of the record’s first singles, “Find You,” according to Billboard. The core band members...

Serbian bassist Nenad Vasilic, known for his blend of jazz and Balkan styles, has released his first trio recording, Wet Paint. Vasilic, who previously recorded in slightly larger groups, focused on walking the line between vintage and modern sounds with his trio and even reached into his own past in the attempt. The album includes a cover of his favorite...

Etienne Mbappe handles both bass and lead vocals on his fourth solo effort, How Near How Far, released under the name, Etienne Mbappe & the Prophets. Mbappe (John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension, Joe Zawinul, Robben Ford, Slif Keita, Ray Charles, Steps Ahead, Bill Evans) has focused more on instrumentation than vocals on this record. “The concept of the Prophets,” Mbappé said,...