Metallica, Natalie Merchant, & Juliana Hatfield
The week in new music & Dig Me Out podcast
1 Minute Reviews
New Releases
Metallica - 72 Seasons
📦 Vinyl & CD | 🎧 Apple Music • Spotify
Metallica's 12th studio album, 72 Seasons, marks the band's first record in six years. The 77-minute album, featuring 12 tracks, is produced by Greg Fidelman, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich, following Fidelman's work on their previous album, "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct." The album, available in various formats, showcases a new video for their first released track, "Lux Æterna," directed by Tim Saccenti, using cutting-edge technology. Grammy-winning designer David Turner handles album art and design. As James Hetfield explains, the title, 72 Seasons, represents the first 18 years of life that shape our identities. Alongside the album release, Metallica has announced their M72 Tour with 46 unique shows in 22 cities worldwide, with tickets now available.
Natalie Merchant - Keep Your Courage
📦 Vinyl & CD | 🎧 Apple Music • Spotify
Natalie Merchant, the former lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs, releases her first original album in eight years, titled "Keep Your Courage." Following a health crisis in 2020, Merchant created an album focused on love and caring for people, with influences ranging from Gaelic to Middle Eastern, blending various musical styles. The 10-track collection, rooted in myth and legend, features songs such as "Come on, Aphrodite," "Narcissus," "Tower of Babel," and "The Feast of Saint Valentine." The album, released on April 11, 2023, marks Merchant's triumphant return to music after overcoming significant challenges.
L.A. Guns - Black Diamonds
📦 Vinyl & CD | 🎧 Apple Music • Spotify
L.A. Guns, the legendary hard rock band, released their 14th studio album, "Black Diamonds", produced by founding member and guitarist Tracii Guns. The album, written and recorded throughout 2022, features a potent blend of hard rock and introspective acoustic tracks, showcasing the band's classic rock influences from the 1970s. The lineup includes Phil Lewis on vocals, Tracii Guns on electric and acoustic guitars, Ace Von Johnson on electric guitars, Johnny Martin on bass, Shawn Duncan on live drums, and Adam Hamilton on studio drums and strings. "Black Diamonds" is a testament to the band's creative energy and strong personal relationship, with core members Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis continuing their successful musical journey together.
Overkill - Scorched
📦 Vinyl & CD | 🗳 Bandcamp | 🎧 Apple Music • Spotify
New Jersey thrash metal veterans Overkill release their 20th studio album, "Scorched," via Nuclear Blast Records. The album's first single, "The Surgeon," is accompanied by an official visualizer. Overkill's lead singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, comments on the album's lengthy creation process, which took place between February 2019 and April 2023. "Scorched" marks a new recording environment for the band, as each member recorded their parts independently. Colin Richardson, assisted by Chris Clancy, handled the mixing, while Johnny Rodd produced the vocals, and Maor Appelbaum mastered and added finishing touches. The band collaborated with artist Travis Smith to create the album cover art. The tracklisting for "Scorched" includes ten songs, such as "Goin' Home," "Twist of the Wick," and "Bag O' Bones."
Pet Shop Boys - Lost
🎧 Apple Music • Spotify
"Pet Shop Boys have released their 2023 edition of "Annually," a 64-page hardback book accompanied by an exclusive CD EP titled "Lost," featuring four tracks recorded in 2015. The tracks - "The Lost Room," I Will Fall," Skeletons in the Closet," and "Kaputnik" - were initially intended for inclusion on their album "Super" but ultimately were not used. Neil Tennant explains that they are releasing the tracks now because they complement each other well and are relevant to the current world situation. The EP is produced by Pet Shop Boys and mixed/engineered by Pete Gleadall, with cover artwork by Farrow/PSB. The digital EP also includes a new mix of the previously released track "Living in the Past." "Annually 2023" is available exclusively from Pet Shop Boys' official online store. It features exclusive content, such as behind-the-scenes photos from their Dreamworld tour and discussions about their co-headline Unity tour with New Order. The band is working on their next studio album and has announced new tour dates for late spring/summer.
New 90s Podcast
Juliana Hatfield - Only Everything
On her third solo outing Only Everything, Juliana Hatfield cranked up the distortion and made one of best guitar rock albums of the 90s
By 1995, the alternative music revolution was in full swing, dominating MTV and radio across the US and around the world. While some original trailblazers, like the Pixies and Jane's Addiction, were no more, others continued and evolved their sound. Juliana Hatfield, who started in the mid-1980s with the Blake Babies, had already released two acclaimed alternative rock albums before unleashing 1995's Only Everything. For her third release, Hatfield cranked up the guitar distortion, using big, fuzzy tones to give tracks like "What A Life" and "Dumb Fun" more punch while exploring slower, shoegaze vibes on several back half-tracks. The result is the rare combination of catchy, clever songwriting that rocks.
Coming Soon
April Album Review Tournament - Group 2 of 3
Which album should we feature in a future episode of Dig Me Out? Here's how it works. We'll post a group of nine suggested albums from the hopper weekly. Cast your vote to decide the albums to move forward. The top two winners from each group face off in a final poll at the end of the month.
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