Advertise with The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover Issue #95
Recordings
Subscribe to The Big Takeover

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Shop our Big Takeover store for back issues, t-shirts & CDs


Follow Big Takeover on Facebook Follow Big Takeover on Bluesky Follow Big Takeover on Instagram

Follow The Big Takeover

Dead Can Dance - Dionysus ([PIAS])

30 November 2018

It’s been five long years since we last heard from worldbeat iconoclasts Dead Can Dance. Fortunately, the hiatus ends with the release of Dionysus, a brand-new DCD album that’s both familiar and not quite like anything the group has done before.

Thomas Comerford-Blood Moon

Thomas Comerford – Blood Moon (Spacesuit)

29 November 2018

Aided by 16 guest musicians, this Chicago troubadour’s third solo album adds plenty of new stylistic wrinkles to the homespun, Wilco-esque alt-country of his 2014 II and 2011 Archive + Spiral.

Barre Phillips - End to End (ECM)

29 November 2018

Solo bass recordings often seem off-putting at first, more of a showcase for technique than anything else. But that’s only in the hands of a bassist who’s not interested in the music first. Phillips definitely is – here he comes across more as a composer whose primary instrument happens to be the double bass.

Jakob Bro - Bay of Rainbows (ECM)

27 November 2018

The second album in 2018 from Jakob Bro, Bay of Rainbows is a return to the Danish guitarist’s working trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Joey Baron.

Bird Streets - s/t (Omnivore)

26 November 2018

This is pop of a kind rarely heard anymore: informed by the sixties but matured in the eighties and nineties, guitar-based but not overwhelmed, high on craft but never aloof, heart on sleeve but rarely overwrought.

Twisted Oak - Cold Coffee and Half Smoked Cigarettes (Self-Released)

25 November 2018

One could argue that in future, Twisted Oak could use a little more production to prevent it from becoming too singer-songwriter-y, but it’s nevertheless a very strong start.

Album cover for Amazing Disgrace by The Posies.

The Posies - Amazing Disgrace (Omnivore Recordings Reissue)

25 November 2018

“This is not the album people will point to when they talk about the band’s greatest songs, and that would be a shame since some of their best songs reside here.”

Andrew Cyrille/Wadada Leo Smith/Bill Frisell - Lebroba (ECM)

23 November 2018

A triumph of experimentation with jazz sounds, Andrew Cyrille’s previous album The Declaration of Musical Independence_reasserted the AACM-associated drummer’s place in the top tier of the jazz pantheon. _Lebroba, its even-better follow-up, consolidates that position.

max lee - Colors of Noise (Self-Released)

22 November 2018

In a sea of self-released lo-fi albums, Colors of Noise manages to stand out from the pack with style, substance, and quality songwriting.

Elza - Nothing's Wrong (Self-Released)

21 November 2018

Nothing’s Wrong is a statement of consummate execution and even bolder vision from a true original.

Permanent Green Light - Hallucinations (Omnivore)

21 November 2018

An excellent combo that fell through the cracks of a confused early nineties music industry, Permanent Green Light deserves this second look more than just about anyone else from the time period.

Steve Tibbetts - Life Of (ECM)

20 November 2018

Saying an artist is one of a kind is such a cliché that it’s hard to take seriously. But how else to describe guitarist and composer Steve Tibbetts?

3x4 album art

3x4: The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade (Yep Roc Records)

18 November 2018

“These songs are powerful and exquisitely rendered with love for the craft and the artists behind these works, and what a treat for Record Store Day collectors.”

LeeSun - Singing You This Song (Self-Released)

16 November 2018

_Singing You This Song” is an album this will definitely provide a sense of comfort and solace for many.

The Rolling Stones, “Voodoo Lounge Uncut,” (Eagle Vision/Universal)

15 November 2018

This newly restored Rolling Stones concert film recorded in 1994 includes 10 songs and 5 bonus cuts not included on the original 1995 Voodoo Lounge Live release.

H! - Journey to the Centre of Yourself (Self-Released)

6 November 2018

_Journey to the Centre of Yourself” manages to convincingly depict a subject which is difficult to write about without sounding trite, and it feels like the launchpad for future, even greater artistic developments.

Crooked Flower - Into the Light (Self-Released)

28 October 2018

It’s difficult to say whether or not their busy recording schedule is a help or a hindrance to their evolution as a band, but one thing is clear: Into the Light shows Crooked Flower with no sign of slowing down and without want of fun or material.

Neurotix - Save Me (Self-Released)

26 October 2018

Save Me will immediately appeal to almost any fan of grunge, and many will be surprised to find there is evidently still new ground to cover in the genre.

Deb Montgomery - All the Water (Self-Released)

24 October 2018

All the Water is a fantastic work of craftsmanship, and fans finally are given a perfectly executed example of Montgomery’s unique vision.

Michael Rank - I Fell in Love with You Tonight

22 October 2018

Michael Rank seduces With Freaky New Single and Video from new album I Fell in Love with You Tonight

The Slang - Desperate Times EP (Secret Song Records)

21 October 2018

If there’s a fault at all here, it’s that the EP feels like it should have been fleshed out to a full-length, but fans, for better or for worse, will have to settle for the satisfyingly alluring five songs the band did produce.

Tangerine - White Dove

Tangerine - White Dove (AWAL)

19 October 2018

Tangerine’s new EP suggests a brighter aptitude for instrumentation and arrangement than their synth pop predecessors.

Highbeams - Keep Meaning It (Blanket Fort)

17 October 2018

There’s a lot of excitement circling Keep Meaning It (clearly the band felt it too while they were making it), and with any luck this album will prove to be their breakthrough.

Weather McNabb - Cubicle Zombie

14 October 2018

Cubicle Zombie is a tremendously tight, fully-formed collection of songs that prove the years of work spent finishing it were worth it, and hopefully it won’t be long before McNabb’s next collection of songs.

Alright Alright - Nearby album cover

Alright Alright – Nearby (Hooves and Sugar Record Co.)

12 October 2018

Denver-based alt-folk/Americana duo Alright Alright release a heartfelt and engaging debut album via Hooves and Sugar Record Co.

Synthonic - Sunshine EP (Self-Released)

3 October 2018

It isn’t exactly revolutionary in the genre, but it’s infectious in its positivity, and it’s immediately clear that the EP is the work of someone deeply in love with the process of making music.

Laura Paragano - Strange Curses (Self-Released)

26 September 2018

What’s remarkable about Strange Curses is that Paragano’s vision has been delivered to her audience fully formed.

Sam Fishman - End of Time (Self-Released)

25 September 2018

New Jersey’s Sam Fishman of the band Madison Rising is back with another imposing solo release, End of Time.

The Ar-Kaics - She’s Obsessed with Herself

24 September 2018

The Ar-Kaics gritty, gnarly, but secretly glamorous 60s punk

Historian - Distant Wells

Historian – Distant Wells (Self-Released)

24 September 2018

LA-based post-rock/orchestral/folk experimentalist Chris Karman unveils a distinctive, reflective, and hybrid album.

Ben DeLaurentis - Liar for a Muse (Self-Released)

20 September 2018

As one would expect, Liar for a Muse is quieter than the work with DeLaurentis’s band, but it’s also much more refined and mature as if the artist has a newfound sense of direction.

Warm Drag - S/T

Warm Drag - S/T (In the Red)

18 September 2018

Warm Drag is the authenticity yielded by a natural continuation of Paul Quattrone and Vashti Windish’s collaborative DJ sets, and the theme of this night is acid western.

dep - We Are The Lights That Will Not Go Out (Self-Released)

11 September 2018

We Are The Lights That Will Not Go Out is nothing groundbreaking, but it’s the perfect album when you’re in need of an injection positivity.

Snow Bound from The Chills.

The Chills - Snow Bound (Fire Records)

8 September 2018

“The venerable Dunedin quintet is back after three years with a delectable but moody new release.”

James White and the Blacks - Sax Maniac (Futurismo)

6 September 2018

Comprised of some of New York’s best session musicians and dedicated to his manager and girlfriend Anya Phillips (who passed away from cancer in 1981), this differs from his previous work, but not enough that fans who are unfamiliar with it shouldn’t hear it.

Glenn Jones - The Giant Who Ate Himself...

Glenn Jones - The Giant Who Ate Himself and Other New Works for 6 & 12 String Guitar (Thrill Jockey)

4 September 2018

Jones’s latest full-length indebts itself to his bygone friend and mentor John Fahey in a personalized sonic essay on his early teachings.

The Goldwyn Experiment - Avenue B (Stash)

1 September 2018

Overall, it’s the artist’s personality—a confident expression of both good humor and serious artistic intent—which makes Avenue B such an enjoyable, wild ride that never stops to rest for long.

Eric Anders and Mark O'Bitz - Of All These Things (Self-Released)

30 August 2018

Of All These Things is a work in which the love and care of the musicians’ craft is evident everywhere, and fortunately the pair is already hard at work on a follow up.

Oh Sees - Smote Reverser

Oh Sees - Smote Reverser (Castle Face Records)

27 August 2018

On their twenty-first record, Oh Sees remain confounding in their pace and dependability.

Jared Weiss - Isolated Thunderstorms (Self-Released)

21 August 2018

With Isolated Thunderstorms a listener should come for Weiss’s own takes on his New York musical idols, but stay for his sensitive and introspective lyricism.

Phantastic Ferniture - S/T

Phantastic Ferniture - S/T (Polyvinyl Records)

20 August 2018

Aside from one breezy single, this perfunctory debut is about as catch-all as a ClipArt search result for ‘indie band.’

Ty Segall & White Fence - Joy

Ty Segall & White Fence - Joy (Drag City)

17 August 2018

Joy resembles not the electric freak jam of its former, adopting instead a case of perpetual nervousness and a short fuse. Segall and Presley have bottled the essence of Dr. Jekyll transforming into Mr. Hyde.

My Autumn Amor - Letters To Brie (Self-Released)

13 August 2018
From the effusively charming “Gabrielle” to the Killers influenced “In A Scene,” Letters To Brie is a standout example of bedroom pop from an artist who so very clearly wears his heart on his sleeve.
Geography and Luck by Neil Sturgeon and the Infomaniacs

Neil Sturgeon and the Infomaniacs - Geography and Luck (Buzzwagon Beat Recordings)

12 August 2018

“Neil Sturgeon and his band of Infomaniacs have created a delightful new release, full of well-constructed hooks and excellent lyrics.”

Pram - Across the Meridian

Pram - Across the Meridian (Domino)

7 August 2018

Pram’s first release in a decade is often the score to the rumpus of ghosts in the attic after their being unleashed from a dusty music box ballerina’s stimulus.

Astral Cloud Ashes - Dear Absentee Creator (Self-Released)

6 August 2018

Dear Absentee Creator shows a lot of growth since Astral Cloud Ashes’ first record, and it suggest a consistent progression of devoted artistry.