EDITOR'S NOTE: This post is syndicated from Joe Koch's blog, Of Figs and Mint.

was just released on Tuesday and I can already tell that it will be one of my favorites of the year. Imagine Hem teaming up with The National and letting Jón Þór Birgisson [of Sigur Rós] lead the artistic direction. The result is ambient and minimal without losing a distinctive, personal Southern flavor. I haven't listened to anything else for the last 24 hours and I continually hear new things in the intricately subtle layers that line the album's faint corners.

After the break: Jefferson Airplane, Blitzen Trapper, The National, and North Mississippi Allstars!

Read More...

Hans-Joachim Roedelius, experimental composer and longtime collaborator with Brian Eno, has released over 100 albums and is still actively performing in festivals around the world. The BBC has said, "If you're a fan of contemporary electronic music, but Roedelius is an unfamiliar name to you, then you're missing out on one of that genre's most important well-springs."

collects 31 of his solo recordings and various projects, and is a fantastic entry point for anyone unfamiliar with this artist and his legacy.

Read More...

South African acoustic duo Soulfire have just re-released their debut album on Amie Street, making it available for the first time to an international audience! Soulfire's laid-back, soulful rock has won them a loyal fan base in South Africa and abroad with their easy and accessible sound, combining influences from Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Damien Rice and Iron & Wine with those of Neil Young, Paul Simon and James Taylor.

Read More...

We're excited to bring you six albums from Roots Manuva, the celebrated UK rapper and sable6-dubbed "King of British Hip Hop"! Amie Street has just added a whole bunch of Big Dada artists, so this is just a sample of the great new music on the way!

Read More...

is one of those albums that will grab you from the first note. You can imagine nightclub curtains pulling back to reveal the horn section on a bandstand and Baby Dayliner in the center spotlight, with a spread-collar shirt and Morrissey haircut.

But here's the funny thing: when he starts singing, you realize he's kind of just a dude. His voice is great, but it's nothing superhuman. It seems like he's still having fun with every bit of vibrato, like a slightly-drunk friend of yours on karaoke night realizing he really can sing. And the crowd loves it.

Read More...

Before Bangers & Cash, Spank Rock broke out with 2006's

-- an album that thrilled some (like Thom Yorke) and offended others (like Pitchfork). But one thing it did unequivocally was establish Naeem Juwan's lyricism and XXXChange's production as razor-sharp: flailing lightsabers instead of Wu-Tang swords and elbowing censors to the side.

Read More...