Amoeba Music

Jazz Is Dead is reviving the music of Oakland's Black Jazz Label and its twenty albums by young black jazz artists in the 1970s, merging this distinctive musical culture with hip hop and funk to create something truly timeless. Organist/pianist Doug Carn's Black Jazz albums were the most successful for the label and include cult favorites like Infant Eyes , Adam's Apple , and Revelation . Now on Doug Carn JID005 , A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad and composer/producer Adrian Younge join Carn in a mesmerizing collaboration. A track like "Lions Walk," for example, pulls you in immediately with its retro groove, busy organ & sax interplay, and modern beats. More

Here's an unexpected gift from The White Stripes, the quirky duo that shook up the world of alternative rock back in 1997, and introduced us all to the prolific Jack White -- a greatest hits album. The "siblings" behind that scrappy hit "Fell in Love With a Girl" went on to win four Grammys and go platinum with 2001's White Blood Cells . The Greatest Hits double album is an appropriately non-obvious set that goes beyond the standard collection of singles, including lesser known tracks like "The Nurse" from Get Behind Me Satan . But the album does wrap up with the anthemic "Seven Nation Army" and kicks off with their very first single, "Let's Shake Hands," just like at their concerts. More

Pop-country's Russell Dickerson delivers his sophomore release, Southern Symphony , complete with a guest appearance from Florida Georgia Line on the rollickin' party single, "It's About Time." Dickerson unabashedly embraces the standard themes of cold beers and women in his smooth, twangy voice, especially on the solid, singalong-friendly track, "Never Get Old." But there's always room for a goodhearted ballad with a little boyband flair, and "Love You Like I Used To" doesn't disappoint. More

Back in 2018, Arctic Monkeys performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London and admirably donated the proceeds to War Child, which supports children in conflict areas. Now the audio recording of that concert is available as a double album, also in support of the foundation, featuring a fun setlist that includes tracks from each of their six studio albums. The evolution over the years of this beloved British band's sound is encapsulated here with full rock-star energy, making this a must-have for fans, especially those that haven't made it to a show. More

It's the 50th anniversary of Yusuf/Cat Stevens' Tea For The Tillerman from 1970, which he reimagined this year with his son. The original classic with its beloved singles like "Wild World" and "Where Do The Children Play?" has been remastered for this anniversary edition and paired with a disc of demos and live tracks from The Troubadour and KCET Studios in L.A. as well as BBC Radio. The second disc also features the previously unreleased track "Can This Be Love?" -- another reminder of Stevens' clear-eyed romantic songwriting. More

For the late Amy Winehouse's considerable fanbase, this new box set includes her two studio albums Frank and Back To Black as well as Lioness , her 2011 rarities album. Also featured for the first time is the full audio release from her 2007 I Told You I Was Trouble: Live in London DVD -- probably her last best performance -- and fifteen remixes from artists like Hot Chip and Jay-Z, the highlight of which may be Mylo's upbeat, fuzzy version of Winehouse's salty "F*** Me Pumps" from Frank. Also excellent is The Rumble Strips' sped-up, livelier remix of "Back To Black." More

Jewel Box: And This Is Me celebrates the songs mentioned by name by Elton John in his acclaimed memoir Me , closing with the Elton and Bernie Taupin’s 2020 Academy Award winning "(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again" featuring Taron Egerton. More

Gimme Some Truth is the definitive new best of John Lennon collection featuring his most vital and best loved solo recordings completely remixed from the original master tapes. More

M. Ward’s Migration Stories is a narcotic and nocturnal exercise in songwriting, with a sound as gauzy as its album cover. Largely acoustic driven, Migration Stories features what seem to be rather straightforward folk songs cloaked in all manner of sonic treatments, creating a tremendous moodiness and blurring the lines between sentiments happy and sad. At times M. Ward’s voice barely cracks above the fray, sounding weary and weathered and occasionally consumed by the ghostly atmospherics. Thus explains songs like “Heaven’s Nail and Hammer”, which takes a Louie Armstrong melody to Lynchian surf guitars, managing to sound both ominous and uplifting. “Unreal City” resembles a classic Springsteen song turned inside out, coming on as a ‘50s rock ‘n roll stomper before gradually deconstructing itself into a synth-assisted anti-chorus; an unwinding from the thrill of its sing-a-long introduction. More

On Serpentine Prison, the first solo album from The National's frontman, Matt Berninger paints subtle, intricate portraits of the ups and downs of life. In this quiet setting, his deep voice occasionally calls to mind Leonard Cohen, for example on the spare ballad "One More Second." These are elegant ruminations that offer fans of The National a new perspective on Berninger. More