By:

Staff

Here's a quick look at a handful of new albums, as well as a list of the rest of the stuff that's supposed to hit shelves this week:

Band of Horses

Everything All the Time

Sub Pop

Neil Young and My Morning Jacket fans, rejoice! No, the two haven't combined to form some super-powered country-rock collective, but if you squint real hard you might capture glimpses of what that would be like with new Sub Pop signees Band of Horses, featuring former members of Seattle's Carissa's Weird. Not to be hyperbolic or anything. ~Justin Sheppard

"The Funeral" MP3

Band of Horses Web site

Sub Pop Web site 

Cory Branan

12 Songs

Madjack

"Cory Branan's got an evil streak; and a way with words that will bring you
to your knees." That's what the punk-country dudes of Lucero have to say about the man. What do I have to say about him? Well, he's kinda like Ryan Adams before Adams got confused. A Mississippi native, Branan stands out from his indie-folk contemporaries with an absence of whining and a gut full of Bud. ~Andrew Bradick

Cory Branan Web site

Madjack Web site

"A Girl" MP3 (Right Click Save As)

Streaming audio 

The Essex Green

Cannibal Sea

Merge

Tired of your parents yelling at you for stealing their vinyl collection? Just need a break from the same old Byrds or Mamas and the Papas songs? The members of the Essex Green understand, and they're here to help. With its third album, the band continues to completely disregard the last forty or so years of pop music. But, you know, in a good way. ~Justin Sheppard

Merge Records Web site

Audio samples 

Liars

Drum's Not Dead

Mute

So what happens when a band relocates from New York to Berlin before recording its third album? Apparently the members add some warmth and structure to their sound. Oh, and they start naming their songs after two fictional characters -- Drum and Mount Heart Attack -- who are supposed to represent confidence and self-doubt. Well, at least the move didn't stifle the band's creativity. ~Justin Sheppard

"It Fit When I Was a Kid" video

Liars Web site 

Lilys

Everything Wrong is Imaginary

Manifesto

Figuring out how many musicians have rotated through the Lilys over the course of the band's fifteen-year career is almost as difficult as figuring out how the hell Kevin Shields got that beguiling guitar tone on Loveless -- something, coincidentally, that Lilys frontman Kurt Heasley tried his darnedest to do with his My Bloody Valentine-aping debut, In the Presence of Nothing. Since then, Heasley and his mystery men have expanded their shoegaze obsessions to include '60s Britpop and American psychedelia.  The Lilys' seventh full-length aims at something altogether different -- stuffing every inch of the Lilys' genre-hopping output into one starry-eyed wonder. ~John MacDonald

Streaming audio 

Madlib

Beat Konducta Volumes 1-2: Movie Scenes

Stones Throw

Does the man ever stop? With the release of Beat Konducta Volumes 1-2: Movie Scenes, the answer appears to be no. Since the releases of Jaylib and Madvillain in 2003 and 2004, respectively, Madlib has gone on to release five more projects, ranging from jazz (Yesterday's New Quintet), to broken-beat (DJ Rels), to experimental hip-hop (Quasimoto). With Movie Scenes, make that six releases. Madlib offers a selection of instrumental hip-hop undoubtedly influenced by musical composers from films of the '70s. And this won't be the last we hear from the Beat Konducta. This is only a diversion before the release of the next Madvillain album with MF Doom. ~Adrian Covert

Stones Throw Web site

Beat Konducta Web site

Madlib Web site

Streaming Audio 

Mates of State

Bring it Back

Barsuk

Ah, spring is springing again. Love and warmth are in the air -- or are those just the cheery sounds of Kori Gardner and her husband, Jason Hammel, the pop purists we know and love as the Mates of State? Expect more organ-driven fun fests and soaring harmonies (not unlike another boy/girl duo, Quasi) on their fourth full-length. Long-time fans will likely find a sound that has undertaken no drastic changes; the uninitiated may find something to keep them warm during these waning days of winter. ~John Zeiss

"Fraud in the 80s" MP3 (Right Click Save As)

Mates of State Web site

Barsuk Web site 

Murs and 9th Wonder

Murray's Revenge

Record Collection

For those who decided to ignore the declarative Murs Rules the World in 2000, Murs returns with producer 9th Wonder to offer Murray's Revenge. Okay, sure, maybe this is not a direct sequel to Murs Rules the World. Maybe it actually serves as a follow up to 2004's Murs 3:16, but I like to think that songs such as "Murs Day" and "Murray's Revenge (The End)" were influenced by the title track from Murs Rules the World, with a little North Carolina flavor added to that L.A. swagger. ~Adrian Covert

Record Collection Web site

Murs Web site

9th Wonder Web site

Streaming audio 

Prince

3121

Universal

The man who once scrawled "slave" across his face to symbolize record-label oppression is back with a major. But Prince has always been a man of mystery, an "I do what I want" artist whose incredible back catalog forgives occasional missteps. Bonus gimmick for those who purchase 3121's refreshing exercise in genre-hopping: seven purple tickets are spread out across the record's pressing. The prize for finding one? A special performance by the purple one himself at his home. The legend continues. ~Austin L. Ray

Prince Web site

Universal Web site 

Various Artists

Idol Tryouts Two: Ghostly International Volume Two

Ghostly International

Ghostly's Idol Tryouts Two follows 2003's compilation of the same name and culls a variety of artists from the Michigan-based label, friends of Ghostly, as well as from its house and minimal techno sub-label, Spectral. A diverse array of names, including Solvent, Matthew Dear, Greg Davis, Aeroc, makes up the collection's two CDs. The first disc floats more on electronica's pop end, and the second offers a more ambient buffet, finishing at a total of twenty-seven cuts and a shitload of synths. The Dabrye track is the flipside of 2004's "Game Over" twelve-inch, but for the turntable-less advocates eagerly frothing over the forthcoming full-length, it's a nice treat. Patience, son. ~Dominic Umile

Dabrye featuring Doom, "Air" stream

Kiln, "Hong" stream

Idol Tryouts Web site

Ghostly International Web site 

Aki Tsuyuko: Hokane (Thrill Jockey)

Amandine: Leave out the Sad Parts (Fat Cat)

Ambulette: Lottery (Astralwerks)

Animal Collective: Grass (Fat Cat)

Anti-Flag: For Blood and Empire (RCA)

Apathy: Eastern Philosophy (Babygrande)

The Appleseed Cast: Peregrine (Militia)

Army of the Pharaohs: Torture Papers (Babygrande)

Ashley MacIsaac: Pride (Koch)

B.G.: Heart of tha Streetz, Vol. 2 (Koch)

Balance: Young and Restless (SMC Recordings)

Band of Horses: Everything All the Time (Sub Pop)

Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals: Both Sides of the Gun (Virgin)

Big Mello: Bone Hard Zaggin [Chopped & Screwed] (Asylum / Rap-A-Lot)

Bizzy Bone: Story (Real Talk Ent)

Blight: Detroit: The Dream is Dead (Touch & Go)

The Blue Aeroplanes: Altitude (EMI)

Bossanova: Hey Sugar (Teenbeat)

Boy Sets Fire: Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years (Equal Vision)

The Brand New Heavies: Platinum Collection (WEA International)

Cannibal Corpse: Kill (Metal Blade)

Capone: Mafia Hits [Bonus DVD] (Latino Jam)

Cellski & San Quinn: Please Listen to My Demo (Inner City 2000)

Chicago: Chicago XXX (Rhino / Wea)

Cocteau Twins: Lullabies to Violaine (4AD / Ada)

Cocteau Twins: Lullabies to Violaine, Vol. 1 (4AD / Ada)

Cocteau Twins: Lullabies to Violaine, Vol. 2 (4AD / Ada)

Cory Branan: 12 Songs (Madjack Records)

Count Basie: This and That (Sounds of Yesteryear)

Dead Prez Presents M1: Confidential (Koch)

Dexter Gordon: Quartet (Passport Audio)

Dion: Bronx in Blue (Razor & Tie)

Dirty Projectors: New Attitude EP (Marriage)

DJ Screw: Best of the Best, Vol. 2 (Screwed up Click)

Eastern Youth: 365-Step Blues (Five One Inc)

Editors: Back Room [Original Release] (Fader Label)

Edu K: Frenétiko (Man Recordings)

Eightball: Lost [Chopped & Screwed] (Draper Inc)

Eightball & MJG: On Top of the World [Chopped & Screwed] (Draper Inc)

Elvis Costello: Juliet Letters [2-CD] (Rhino / Wea)

Essex Green: Cannibal Sea (Merge)

Everything But the Girl: Platinum Collection (WEA International)

Faktion: Faktion (Roadrunner)

Fine Young Cannibals: Platinum Collection (WEA International)

Flin Flon: Dixie (Teenbeat)

Follow the Train: Breath of Sigh (Darla)

Four Volts: Triple Your Work Force (Kanine)

Frank Lenz: Vilelenz & Thieves (Hidden Agenda)

From First to Last: Heroine (Epitaph / Ada)

Further Seems Forever: Hope This Finds You Well (Tooth & Nail)

The Game: G.A.M.E. (Fastlife)

Gary Numan: Jagged (Metropolis)

Geoff Farina: Already Told You (Southern)

Glissandro 70: Glissandro 70 (Constellation)

Graham Coxon: Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (EMI)

Gus Black: Autumn Days (Cheap Lullaby)

Haino Keiji & Yoshida Tatsuya: New Rap (Tzadik)

Hall & Oates: Platinum Collection (WEA International)

Hank Williams: Hall of Fame (Laserlight)

Hell Rell: Streets Wanna Know (Diplomats)

Henry Rollins: Big Ugly Mouth/Short Walk on a Long Pier      

Howe Gelb: Sno Angel Like You (Thrill Jockey)

Iggy Pop: Blah Blah Blah (Fontana Int'l)

The Izzys: Izzys (Kanine)

Jazzanova/Gilles Peterson: Kings of Jazz (Rapster)

John Zorn: Film Works, Vol. 18 (Tzadik)

Johnny Cash: Hall of Fame (Laserlight)

Josh Rouse: Subtitulo (Nettwerk)

Just a Fire: Spanish Time (Sick Room)

Justin Roberts: Meltdown (Carpet Square)

Karsh Kale: Broken English (Six Degrees)

Keak da Sneak: Farm Boyz (Thizz)

Kenny Rogers: Water & Bridges (Capitol)

Knife: Silent Shout [ENHANCED] [IMPORT] (Rabid)

Kokane: Hood Mob (Siccness)

Liars: Drum's Not Dead (Mute U.S.)

Lifetime: Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey (Jade Tree)

Lil Flip/Judge Dredd: Court Sessions, Vol. 1 (BCD Music Group)

Loose Fur: Born Again in the U.S.A. (Drag City)

Lost (Music from the ABC Television Series): Lost (Music from the ABC Television Series) (Varese Records)

Lou Rawls: Best of Lou Rawls: The Capitol Jazz & Blues Sessio (Blue Note)

Love Equals Death: Nightmerica (Fat Wreck Chords)

Luka Bloom: Innocence (Cooking Vinyl)

Mac Dre: Thizz Nation, Vol. 5 (Thizz)

Madlib: Beat Konducta, Vol. 1-2 (Stones Throw)

Marvin Gaye: Hall of Fame (Laserlight)

Mates of State: Bring It Back (Barsuk)

MC Lars: Graduate (Nettwerk)

Mclusky: Mcluskyism (Too Pure / Beggars)

Megan Reilly: Let Your Ghost Go (Carrot Top)

Men, Women & Children: Men, Women & Children (Reprise / Wea)

Miles Davis Quintet: Relaxin' (Prestige)

Mommy & Daddy: Fighting Style Killer Panda (Kanine)

Moth: Immune to Gravity (High Wire Music)

Mr. Mike: Wicked Wayz [Chopped & Screwed (Draper Inc)

Ms. John Soda: Notes and the Like (Morr Music / M.M.)

Murs: Murray's Revenge (Record Collection)

My Chemical Romance: Life on the Murder Scene [CD/2DVD] (Reprise / Wea)

Mylo: Live: Glasgow Barrowlands 10-27-05 (Live Here Now / Mute)

New Amsterdams: Story Like a Scar (Dig) (Vagrant)

Norma Jean: O God, The Aftermath [Deluxe Edition] (Tooth & Nail)

Oliver Black: Live in Texas [EP] (TVT Int'l)

Original Soundtrack: V for Vendetta (Astralwerks)

Otis Rush: Live at Montreux 1986 (Eagle Records)

Oxford Collapse: Oxford Collapse (Kanine)

Oxford Collapse: Some Wilderness (Kanine)

Pixies: Fool the World : The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies [Book] (St. Martin's Griffin)

Prince: 3121 (Universal)

Quasi: When the Going Gets Dark (Touch & Go)

Richard Ashcroft: Keys to the World [CD & DVD] (Virgin)

Roots Manuva: Alternately Deep (Big Dada)

Royksopp: Royksopp's Night Out (Astralwerks)

Run Chico Run: Slow Action (Boompa)

Sainte Catherines: Dancing for Decadence (Fat Wreck Chords)

The Seconds: Kratitude (5 Rue Christine)

Shoplifting: Body Stories (Kill Rock Stars)

Soft Cell: 20th Century Masters (Universal International)

Sondre Lerche and the Faces Down Quartet: Duper Sessions (Astralwerks)

The Sounds: Dying to Say This to You (New Line)

Southern Culture on the Skids: Doublewide and Live (Yep Roc)

Stereo Total: Juke-Box Alarm (Kill Rock Stars)

Stereo Total: My Melody (Kill Rock Stars)

Steve Oliver: Radiant (Koch)

Sugababes: Taller in More Ways (Universal International)

Swayzak: Route de la Slack: Remixes & Rarities (K7)

T. Rex: Whole Zinc of Finches (Easy Action)

Talkdemonic: Beat Romantic (Arena Rock Recording)

Tech N9ne: The Worst (Midwestside Records)

Tech N9ne: The Calm Before the Storm (Midwestside Records)

Television Personalities: My Dark Places (Domino)

Tom Russell: Love & Fear (Dig) (Hightone Records)

Twilight Circus: Foundation Rockers (M.)

Urban Mystic: Ghetto Revelations 2 (Warner Bros / Wea)

Ursula 1000: Here Comes Tomorrow (Eighteenth Street)

V for Vendetta: V for Vendetta (Astralwerks / Emd)

Various Artists: Never the Same (Astralwerks)

Various Artists: Bridge 9 Singles Collection, Vol. 2 (Bridge Nine)

Various Artists: Bridge 9: First Four Years (Bridge Nine)

Various Artists: Soul Heaven Presents Masters at Work [IMPORT] (Soul Heaven)

Various Artists: Idol Tryouts Two (Ghostly International)

Various Artists: NY: The Next Wave (Kanine)

Various Artists: Beginner's Guide to Afro Lounge (Nascente)

Various Artists: Songs for Sixty Five Roses (Songs for 65 Roses)

Various Artists: Best of Dirty Dirty House, Vol. 2 (System Recordings)

Various Artists: New World Dub, Vol. 1 (System Recordings)

Visioneers: Dirty Old Hip Hop (BBE)

Wizardzz: Hidden City of Taurmond (Load Records)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Gold Lion [CD-SINGLE] [ENHANCED] [IMPORT] (Universal)

Young People: All at Once (Too Pure / Beggars)

*Release dates may change. E-mail brandon@prefixmag.com with corrections or additions.  
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