New Release Round-Up 03-17-23

Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting - New West Records
The time is now for Caroline Rose. Their last record, Superstar, was released on March 6, 2020. The record was critically acclaimed and positioned Rose as the next big breakthrough in music. Needless to say, the resulting pandemic grinded all momentum to a halt while at the same time throwing Rose’s personal life into turmoil. The result of that turmoil is the fuel that fired the creation of their latest album, The Art of Forgetting. With The Art of Forgetting, Rose took on the dual role of writer and producer. The album encapsulates the feeling of experiencing recent memories, having them turn into old ones and then ultimately forgetting those memories altogether. There is a romantic nature within the sonic landscape of this record. Tape effects and loops emulate the feeling of aging while the juxtaposition of modern acoustic-electronic textures, like lo-fi tape next to hi-fi granular synths result in some of their most mature and honest work to date.

Fake Names - Expendables - Epitaph
If credibility were currency, Fake Names’ wealth would be off the charts. Composed of Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Dag Nasty), Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace), Dennis Lyxzén (Refused, INVSN, The [International] Noise Conspiracy), Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside) and the newest member Brendan Canty (Fugazi, Rites of Spring), the band is a veritable post-hardcore dream team. However instead of rehashing the past, Expendables is a reinvention that sees the band dialing back the distortion and leaning into the melodies. The result pairs their unparalleled pedigree with a pop sensibility that’s slightly unexpected and wholly satisfying. “For our last record [2019’s FAKE NAMES]the general influences were 70’s U.K. punk and power-pop; but it wound up with a little classic rock vibe as well, like the Vibrators meets Aerosmith. We never saw that coming!” , Baker explains. For Expendables the band enlisted producer Adam “Atom” Greenspan (IDLES, Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Baker explains, “The pop influences are a little more out front on this one and the production really helps it shine. It sounds more direct, more urgent.” Expendables is the latest exchange in a musical conversation that spans four decades. Baker aptly refers to the lineup of FAKE NAMES as a “mutual admiration society” and says that once the five members got in the same room together, it felt as if they had already been in the band together for years.

Elton John - Honky Chateau: 50th Anniversary - Island
Released in May 1972, Honky Chateau was the album that made Elton John a superstar and ushered in a new era for him.  Named after the residential studios outside Paris where the album was recorded, Honky Château bought a new level of simplicity and directness to Elton’s music that had previously only been seen in glimpses. Shorn of the complexities and ornate orchestrations of his recent work, Honky Chateau seemed freewheeling and intimate. It was helped by Rocket Man, the record which became another of Elton’s signature songs.  These special editions contain the original album, and on both vinyl and CD editions a newly created selection of outtakes from the sessions, produced from the original tapes by Matt Still, which highlight the warmth and humor of the sessions. On CD only there are eight tracks from the album that were recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in 1972, all receiving their live debut, just a few days back in the UK after recording. Assembled with the customary care by Elton’s catalog team, the album comes as a gatefold with an eight-page booklet with rare photos, memorabilia and an essay by co-curator and music writer Daryl Easlea, featuring interviews from those who were there.  Honky Château has been mastered at Lurssen in California, and the vinyl cut at Abbey Road.

Bob Marley - Tuff Gong Jamaica Pressings - Island
Twelve limited-edition Bob Marley vinyl LP's, each numbered and pressed exclusively at the legendary Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, will be available, featuring nine original studio albums and two original live albums, plus the world's best-selling reggae album, Legend, all including a highly-desirable Tuff Gong stamp.  The limited-edition albums were pressed at Tuff Gong's newly refurbished vinyl pressing plant, which re-opened in summer 2020 and will have an annual capacity of 250,000 units.  Each album was mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters in Los Angeles.