This Month's Picks

Dreamachine (CD)

Habibi
Habibi's Dreamachine is filled with the type of songs that'll make you stop what you're doing and take notice. The band's original garage-meets-'60s-girl-group sound has evolved into something a little dreamier, a little more wistful and lovely, with a gritty edge. Opener "On the Road" creates an insistent, entertaining mood from dance beats, searing guitars, hypnotic vocals, and intriguing lyrics. The opening notes of "My Moon" feel like a technicolor romance, all soft hues and twinkling sounds, before morphing into an Eastern psych-influenced bittersweet love song. A beautiful, refreshing, moving album. More
Genre: Rock

Bluey: Season 3 (DVD)

An immediate hit in its native Australia-with its popularity swiftly spreading abroad-this engaging animated series for preschoolers follows the adventures of Bluey Heeler, an energetic six-year-old Cattle Dog who'd find imaginative escapades with her kid sister Bingo and the neighborhood canine kids, and receive instructive indulgence from archeologist dad Bandit and airport security worker mom Chilli. More

Kung Fu Panda 4 (4K UHD)

Jack Black returns as Po, the world's most unlikely kung fu master, in this butt-kicking new chapter from DreamWorks Animation's beloved action-comedy franchise: Kung Fu Panda 4 . After learning he must find a new hero to take over as Dragon Warrior so that he may fulfill his destiny as the next spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, Po decides to take one last adventurous mission. He teams up with a quick-witted thief named Zhen, a corsac fox to discover the truth about recent sightings of villains he's defeated in the past. In a journey that puts both to the test, it will take a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon, to bring them together and perhaps remind Po that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places. More

Blue Electric Light (CD)

Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz sounds better than ever on his latest, Blue Electric Light . Replete with all the effortless swagger and blistering guitar work that are Kravitz trademarks, these tracks are bold, sultry, and cooler than cool. Elements of funk weave their way through the songs, whether it's on the potent and pleasing "Human" or the Prince-esque seduction of "TK421." Blue Electric Light is pure good times and perfect summer listening. More
Genre: Rock

The Avett Brothers (LP)

The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers are back with a warm and inviting new self-titled album. The band's lilting indie-folk packs quite the emotional punch as the brothers sing about aging and dying, the unpredictability of life, and the twists and turns of even the most well-intentioned of relationships. The melodies are exquisite, with layered compositions featuring banjo, organ, fiddle, piano, and strings. The perfect soundtrack for endless summer days and the cool night breezes that hint of autumn and the dying of the leaves.More
Genre: Rock

Orgy Of The Damned (CD)

Slash
Rock legend Slash makes his mark on the blues with his new album, Orgy of the Damned . As expected, the guitar work is phenomenal: these tracks are gritty, funky, and sizzling hot. Slash has enlisted an eclectic, all-star cast of collaborators for these steamy blues covers, too. Billy F Gibbons and Gary Clark Jr. bring electrifying blues meets rock 'n' roll attitude to their respective tracks. Demi Lovato brings soulful pop slink to a disco-laced funk/electro cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." Iggy Pop brings his inimitable, easy swagger to "Awful Dream." Crank this one up and prepare to be transported to the sultry, sweaty roadhouse of your dreams. More
Genre: Rock

Lives Outgrown (CD)

Beth Gibbons
Wow. Expectations for a Beth Gibbons solo album were always going to be high and the great news is that Lives Outgrown delivers. The Portishead singer's voice has exceptional power, the arrangements are layered, haunting, and affecting, the songs will take your heart in your hands just as Gibbons' earlier work did. These ten chamber pop and art folk tracks were recorded over a decade, with production from Gibbons herself with James Ford, plus additional production by Lee Harris (Talk Talk). Lives Outgrown captures something about the experience of aging, mortality, and farewells that's difficult to articulate in words. Of course Beth Gibbons does it with devastating beauty and a sparse but lovingly-held sense of light. More
Genre: Rock

Standing Out Loud (CD)

Alastair Greene
Fans of down-and-dirty blues and scorching Southern rock will dig Alastair Greene's Standing Out Loud . Greene's work is rooted in the tradition of '60s and '70s blues rock; he's both a guitar virtuoso and a sort of music historian, not to mention a killer songwriter. These tracks are rowdy and rollicking, plainspoken and punchy. In short, there's a whole lot of rock 'n' roll spirit infusing these swampy blues and sizzlin' rock tracks. Turn them up loud and crank the AC because the temperature is about to rise. More
Genre: Blues

Dune: Part Two (4K UHD)

Dune: Part Two explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. More

Orphan [Collector's Edition] (BLU)

Artistic and well-spoken in spite of a troubled past, 9-year-old Russian orphan Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) is adopted by an American couple (Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard) unable to have the third child they desired. When bizarre accidents and disappearances begin to happen, Esther's stepmother begins to dread her new child may somehow be involved. Atmospheric, disturbing horror film co-stars CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett, and Aryana Engineer. More

The American Society Of Magical Negroes (BLU)

The American Society of Magical Negroes is a fresh, satirical comedy about a young man, Aren, who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people's lives easier. More

That Golden Time [Gold Vinyl] (LP)

Villagers
That Golden Time is a fitting name for the latest from Dublin's Villagers. Singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Conor O'Brien writes warm, hazy, dreamy indie folk that sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a sunny summer day lounging in a field and watching clouds. The melodies range from lilting and wistful to downbeat and gripping. It is, as you may have guessed, an achingly lovely album. Intimate and introspective, Villagers just capture something about the poignancy of temporality and the everyday beauty of life in these songs. More
Genre: Rock

Cyan Blue (LP)

Charlotte Day Wilson
Charlotte Day Wilson's Cyan Blue is a hazy, dreamy just left-of-center R&B album. The songs are intimate and inviting, the sound of falling in love. Wilson's Sade-like silked vocals float in and around the standup bass and plaintive piano at the heart of the tracks; the effect is hypnotizing and enthralling. Influences ranging from jazz to neo-soul are woven together to create an ethereal, seductive atmosphere. Charlotte Day Wilson is a true R&B innovator and Cyan Blue is a must-hear. More
Genre: Soul

Undefeated (CD)

Frank Turner
Frank Turner's Undefeated is easy to love, a punk album that deftly blends genres and will leave you with a smile on your face. "Girl from the Record Shop" feels like a slice of punk-meets-new-wave heaven: it's funny, relatable, and feels like it came directly from one of those '80s 7-inches that gets rediscovered and passed around in awe. "Letters" is insistent, heartbreaking power pop with a crescendoing pop-punk chorus (emphasis on the "punk"). "Do One" is defiant yet ultra catchy thanks to its anthemic pop-punk chorus (emphasis on the sunshiney old school "pop"). It's true...Turner's songwriting is, just like this album's title, undefeated. More
Genre: Rock

Cold World [Clear w/ Black Splatter Vinyl] (LP)

Death Lens
Death Lens delivers scorching modern punk on Cold World . The songs tackle the topics of social injustice and global turmoil, and how we react to the seemingly nonstop flow of bad behavior and bad news. Listening to Cold World is an exhilarating experience that speeds by and will leave you aching for more. Grounded and gritty, the album moves from fierce and uncompromising to alienated and abrasive. This is the real deal. More
Genre: Rock

Here in the Pitch (CD)

Jessica Pratt
Jessica Pratt is back with the intriguing, almost otherworldly Here in the Pitch . The songs sound like they've been piped in from some reality adjacent to our own: an alternative existence with all its multifold possibilities, a door leading to a place where the past yet lives. Part of that's due to the gauzy textures, the intimate lyrics, and the melange of genres from a bygone era. Pratt's compositions blend '60s pop, bossa nova, psychedelia and the slightly off-kilter, cinematic stylings of icons like Scott Walker and Judy Garland. It all works splendidly. A transportive, utterly beautiful album that's unlike anything else out there. More
Genre: Rock

empathogen [w/Poster] (CD)

WILLOW
WILLOW's empathogen is a heartfelt and bold sonic step forward. Moving away from her earlier pop and pop-punk sounds, WILLOW now leans into a jazz vibe that's alternatively theatrical and spectacular, alternative and authentic. She's joined by Jon Batiste and St. Vincent on these lush, splendidly arranged tracks. Lead single "b i g f e e l i n g s" is a fantastic indicator of the temperature, virtuosity, and emotional pitch of empathogen : every element of this show-stopping album is just straight up bigger and more brilliant than everyday life. More
Genre: Rock

All Born Screaming (CD)

St. Vincent
St. Vincent gets dark on All Born Screaming . Annie Clark has said that the songs are about metaphorical heavens and hells and that's certainly the vibe of this adventurous, invigorating new album. Clark recruited Dave Grohl and Cate Le Bon for what she has called a "plague-pop" outing. It's a fitting moniker: the exuberance, the anxiety, the high highs and low lows are all there. Clark gets industrial and intense, danceable and delirious. All Born Screaming is an exciting sonic evolution for an artist who's not afraid to push the limits. More
Genre: Rock

Letters From A Black Widow (CD)

Judith Hill
Letters From a Black Widow is the exhilarating new album from Judith Hill. The GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist (Michael Jackson, Prince), and former The Voice contestant has the voice of a legend. Hill's songwriting is epic as well: these tracks tell tales of turmoil, resilience, and redemption, all rooted in Hill's real life struggles and emotional liberation. It's a fierce, brave, brilliant record, a lively blend of blues, funk, and soul that should make Hill a household name. More
Genre: Soul

Teething (CD)

Porij
Porij's Teething sounds like falling in love. The UK four-piece combines garage, house, nu-jazz, and electro-pop into lush, dreamlike tracks. "Ghost" is soft and intimate, a track as tender as it is bittersweet. With its whispered vocals and heartbeat rhythms, "You Should Know Me" starts off like the soundtrack to the afterparty after the afterparty before bursting into gleeful ravey abandon. "My Only Love" is hushed and wondrous and a conversation overheard between two lovers. Teething is a captivating slice of electro, with an appreciation for the brief, beautiful moments in life, and an ability to craft a mood that'll linger long after the record stops spinning. More