Fall Music Preview/17 New LPs to Get Excited About

Welcome to the latest Paradise Found Records blog. Summertime might have come and gone, but the good news is that there are a large number of exciting new and archival releases due between now and the end of the year. Here’s what I’m most excited about (release dates in parentheses and subject to change):

Courtney Barnett — Things Take Time, Take Time (November 12)

Barnett says her third record is more introspective than her first two albums. If the rest of Things Take Time, Take Time is as good as first single “Rae Street,” this one should be on a lot of year-end best-of lists.

The Beatles — Let It Be (October 15)

The Fab Four complete their reissue series in conjunction with Peter Jackson’s new six-hour doc about the Let It Be sessions, due on Disney+ in late November. As usual, this reissue comes in a variety of editions; sorry, no $1000 version like last month’s 50th anniversary reissue of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass). Check out the 2021 remix of the title track here.

Brandi Carlile — In These Silent Days (October 1)

Carlile has described her upcoming, seventh album as “a celebration.” You can hear the first single “Right on Time” here.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions with Various Artists — Spanish Model (September 10)

Here’s one no one saw coming: an LP of Spanish and Latin American artists singing over the instrumental backing tracks from one of Elvis Costello’s earliest and best records, 1978’s This Year’s Model. Judging by the first two tracks, “Pump It Up” (with Juanes) and “La Chica De Hoy/This Year’s Girl” (with Cami), this should be an engaging update of a New Wave classic.

Neal Francis — In Plain Sight (November 5)

Chicago’s Neal Francis is due to blow up with his infectious blend of jam band and retro-rock. 2022 could be the year he finds a wider audience, if first single “Can’t Stop The Rain” (featuring killer slide guitar by Derek Trucks) is any indication.

Aimee Mann — Queens of the Summer Hotel (November 5)

Mann’s latest is inspired by Susanna Kaysen’s memoir “Girl, Interrupted,” which inspired the 1999 film starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar). You can hear the first single “Suicide is Murder” here.

Kacey Musgraves — Star-Crossed (September 10)

The Austin native moved to Nashville and found fame and fortune with 2018’s Golden Hour. Her follow-up will be accompanied by a 50-minute film; check out the title track here.

My Morning Jacket — My Morning Jacket (October 22)

2020’s The Waterfall II might have been a big success for My Morning Jacket, but that’s not stopping them from coming right back with their ninth (and first self-titled) studio effort next month. The first taste–“Regularly Scheduled Programming”–bodes well for the release.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss — Raise The Roof (November 19)

Plant and Krauss unite for the first time since 2007’s multi-platinum Raising Sand, once again under the stewardship of producer (and song selector extraordinaire) T-Bone Burnett. The first taste is an infectious cover of Lucinda Williams’ great “Can’t Let Go” from her 1998 classic Car Wheels On a Gravel Road.

Radiohead — KID A MNESIAC (November 5)

Radiohead’s apex is widely considered to be 1997-2001, when they released OK Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac. The group is releasing a three-record set this fall with remastered editions of Kid A and Amnesiac plus a third album of previously unreleased songs and alternate outtakes, including “If You Say The Word.”

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats — The Future (November 5)

Colorado’s leading musical export returns with his first studio effort with the Night Sweats in three years. Hear first single “Survivor” here.

The Specials — Protest Songs 1924-2012 (October 1)

The Two-tone ska heroes turn their laser-sharp political focus to classic protest songs from the last hundred years by artists as diverse as Bob Marley, Leonard Cohen, Big Bill Broonzy and Rod McKuen. The first taste is their rendition of “Freedom Highway,” the classic track written by The Staples Singers for the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery.

Billy Strings — Renewal (September 24)

Bluegrass’s hottest act (and toughest ticket), Billy String promises that his latest record “reaches well beyond bluegrass with elements of heavy metal, jam bands, psychedelic music and classic rock.” With Topanga Canyon wizard Jonathan Wilson producing, this one should be a treat. Hear first single “Fire Line” here.

Various Artists — I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico (September 24)

Famed producer Hall Willner practically invented the tribute album; this, his last effort before he passed in 2020, features a who’s who of modern rockers covering tracks from Velvet Underground’s debut. Matt Berninger of The National’s cover of “I’m Waiting For The Man” is an enticing sample of the collection; its release coincides with Todd Haynes’ new VU Doc coming to Apple TV+ this fall.

The War on Drugs — I Don’t Live Here Anymore (October 29)

New music from Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs is always welcome; this is only their fifth studio effort in 13 years. First single “Living Proof” starts soft but builds to a rich Adam Granduciel solo; the more lead guitar he plays, the better his band is.

Matthew E White — K Bay (September 10)

Richmond’s leading provider of alt-soul returns with his first solo album in six years. Judging from first track, the seven-minute “Genuine Hesitation,” the record should be as beguiling as his prior work.

Neil Young — Carnegie Hall 1970/Official Bootleg (October 1)

The early show from this solo run was heavily bootlegged; Young used that bootleg’s cover for this official release of the late set. Check out the acoustic “Cowgirl in the Sand” here.