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Wired Up! giveaway
Crammed with electrifying images and firsthand accounts of the 1970s underground glam rock scene in Europe, Wired Up! is one of our favorite new books -- and now you can win a copy!
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The Poplist with Maston
Maston's upcoming debut album, Shadows, is a spooky and melodic treat. In the first Poplist of 2013, Frank Maston shares some of the album's inspirations.
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Smashing Pumpkins giveaway
Artful alt-rockers Smashing Pumpkins recently remastered Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and we're giving away the Deluxe Box Set!
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Editors' Choice
What were the best new releases of December 2012? Browse the latest installment of Editors' Choice for our editors' picks, including Willy Mason's Carry On.
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New Classical Reviews
Wondering what our classical editors have been spinning? Get the lowdown in our latest classical new releases roundup, featuring artists like Plácido Domingo.
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AllMusic's Best Albums of 2012
Rhapsody presents the AllMusic editors’ favorite albums of 2012! For more picks, peep the list every Tuesday plus sound off in the comments.
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featured new releases
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- Vusi Mahlasela
- Sing to the People
- Recorded in Johannesburg, this set features Vusi Mahlasela performing several of his signature songs in front of an enthusiastic audience.
- Karyn Williams
- Only You
- Draws a great deal from the country pop scene, while maintaining enough inspirational hyperbole to secure a few Dove award nominations.
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- Pere Ubu
- Lady from Shanghai
- Thirty-five years after The Modern Dance, Pere Ubu subvert dance music's relentless beats with plenty of weirdness and paranoia.
- Wooden Wand
- Blood Oaths of the New…
- Leaving behind the roosty full-band bluster of their 2011 album, these spare songs ring of isolation, pastoral moodiness, and spiritual weariness.
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- Vogler Quartet
- Dvorák: String Quartets,…
- This is the first in a series of Dvorák's string quartets from the formerly East German Vogler Quartet and it is a very strong double album that will give…
- Enrico Rava
- Rava On the Dance Floor
- The famed Italian trumpeter celebrates the music of Michael Jackson in this excellent live recording.
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- Joe Lovano / Joe Lovan …
- Cross Culture
- The third album from saxophonist Joe Lovano's Us Five quintet is an adventurous, exploratory work also featuring guitarist Lionel Loueke.
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- Original Soundtrack
- Girls, Vol. 1: Music from…
- It may not have as much spark as the show, but it's a believable, listenable backdrop to the ups and downs of post-college life.
- Broadcast
- Berberian Sound Studio
- The soundtrack to Peter Strickland's sound-driven horror film features some of Broadcast's most clever, eerie, and beautiful music yet.
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- Hollywood Undead
- Notes from the Underground
- More juvenile party songs and angst-ridden ballads from the masked group of alt-metal rappers.
- Chris Tomlin
- Burning Lights
- Another excellent set of praise-based earworms from one of CCM's most consistently solid practitioners.
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- BBC Symphony Orchestra …
- Lowell Liebermann: Revelry
- Lowell Liebermann's stylistically ambiguous music receives clear interpretations in this album by Grant Llewellyn and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
- Baltimore Symphony Orc …
- Michael Torke: Color Music
- Michael Torke's energetic orchestral music is well-represented on this compilation by David Zinman, Kent Nagano, and Yoel Levy.
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- Pet Shop Boys
- Memory of the Future:…
- The third single from the duo's 2012 album Elysium gets remixed by Ulrich Schnauss, DJ Waldo, and Digital Dog.
- Twenty One Pilots
- Vessel
- The major-label debut of this Ohio-based duo offers up a nonstop party of Top 40-leaning glossy pop, mixing in rap breakdowns and classic rock flair.
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- Silke Avenhaus
- Salon chromatique et harmonique
- Silke Avenhaus presents a cleverly devised program of unusual Romantic piano works, modeled after 19th century salon recitals.
- Karen Geoghegan / Juan …
- Weber: Symphonies Nos.…
- Weber's two semi-neglected symphonies receive a handsome presentation from Juanjo Mena and the BBC Philharmonic on this 2012 Chandos release.
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- Alan Curtis / John Elw …
- Agostino Steffani: Duetti…
- These little duets, on extravagant romantic themes, are sectional pieces of great subtlety and charm. The album, with a quartet of singers of the era accompanied…
![Django Unchained [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](http://web.archive.org/web/20130113030148im_/http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/479/MI0003479885.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
- Various Artists
- Django Unchained [Original…
- The soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is a wild ride through '60s spaghetti Westerns, '70s exploitation, and modern hip-hop.
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- The Pogues
- The Pogues in Paris: 30th…
- The 21st century Pogues sound a lot like the 20th century version, albeit a little heavier on the piss than the vinegar.
- Toots & the Maytals
- Live!
- Toots leads a revamped version of the Maytals through his hits at a well-recorded 1991 show in New Orleans.
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- Muddy Waters
- You Shook Me: The Chess…
- The excellent third volume in the great bluesman's Chess Masters series finds him at the crossroads where the 45 rpm single was giving way to the LP.
- T.I.
- Trouble Man: Heavy Is…
- Inspired by Marvin Gaye's 1972 film soundtrack work, the Atlanta MC's eighth album is a small step forward from his seventh.
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- Barrington Levy
- Sweet Reggae Music 1979-84:…
- Even in the singles-oriented field of late-'70s reggae, it's rare to find a compilation as fully essential and exciting as this anthology.
- Motörhead
- Complete Early Years
- Released to coincide with the legendary New Wave of Heavy Metal outfit's 35th anniversary, this mammoth box set is cool, but pricey.
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- Kristian Bezuidenhout
- Mozart: Piano Concertos,…
- Bezuidenhout gets able backing from the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra under Petra Müllejans, who come up with fresh sonorities in the winds and in the lower…
- Woollen Kits
- Four Girls
- The Australian garage rock trio's debut is a rough-hewn gem for every second of its 32 minutes.
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- Chanticleer
- By Request
- All in all it would be hard to improve on this release as an introduction to the music of this American group that has done as well as anybody at being consistently…
- Al Ayre Español / Edu …
- Handel's Memories
- An ideal choice for those who want to get deeper into how Handel's London audiences heard his music. Banzo's group Al Ayre Español catches the unusual moment…
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- Vogler Quartet
- Schulhoff
- Erwin Schulhoff's eclectic chamber music of the 1920s receives a handsome presentation from the impressive Vogler Quartet.
- Ars Nova Copenhagen / …
- Arvo Pärt: Creator Spiritus
- The cumulative effect is powerful indeed, and the musicians are backed up by superb engineering from Harmonia Mundi. If you are interested in the development…
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- Joyce DiDonato
- Drama Queens
- Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato brings royal heroines to life in her exciting Baroque opera collection, Drama Queens.
- Brother John Rydgren
- Silhouette Segments/Cantata…
- These rare tracks feature Brother John Rydgren's baritone musings over a backdrop of fuzz guitars, heavenly choirs, and sitar drones.
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- Peter, Paul and Mary
- Live in Japan, 1967
- Peter, Paul and Mary toured Japan in 1967, releasing a live album there drawn from the shows -- the album, expanded, has now been released in the U.S.
- Glee
- Glee: The Music: The Christmas…
- This set of largely traditional songs is one of Glee's finest holiday albums.
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- Willy Mason
- Carry On
- Willy Mason fuses his folk roots with personal lyrics and digital rhythms, taking an unexpected detour.
- Hortlax Cobra
- 1984
- John Eriksson's second album is a synth pop tribute to Van Halen's 1984 using the same titles, song lengths, and keys.
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- Nashville Cast
- The Music of Nashville:…
- Produced by T-Bone Burnett, this collection of actor performances from the hit series is a breath of fresh air for contemporary country.
- Boys Like Girls
- Crazy World LP
- The band's third album finds them moving away from happily anthemic emo pop into a sleeveless and overly cheerful brand of modern country pop.
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- Jim Lauderdale / Buddy …
- Buddy and Jim
- Radio co-hosts Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale have released an album combining originals with some old classics.
![Turn on the Bright Lights [Tenth Anniversary Edition]](http://web.archive.org/web/20130113030148im_/http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/456/MI0003456642.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
- Interpol
- Turn on the Bright Lights…
- The album that introduced Interpol's compelling resuscitation of post-punk.
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- Jim Norton
- No Baby for You!
- The aggressive comedian gets gross and politically incorrect, but few could work so blue for so long and so well.
![This Is 40 [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]](http://web.archive.org/web/20130113030148im_/http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/469/MI0003469755.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
- Original Motion Pictur …
- This Is 40 [Original Motion…
- The soundtrack to Judd Apatow's This Is 40 is a clever, moving collection of adult pop songs that grapple with the problems of maturity.
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- Bruno Mars
- Unorthodox Jukebox
- Mars' second album sounds good production-wise, but is derailed by too many misogynistic lyrics and not enough memorable songs.
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- Big Boi
- Vicious Lies & Dangerous…
- Antwan Patton's second proper solo album contains a handful of inharmonious collaborations with dream pop and surf punk acts.
- Game
- Jesus Piece
- With a long list of guest artists, the rapper skillfully explores the divine and the devilish, and how they both feed the soul.
recent releases
![Miles Ahead [Mono]](http://web.archive.org/web/20130113030148im_/http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/480/MI0003480360.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
![Krazy Kat [Jazz Tune]](http://web.archive.org/web/20130113030148im_/http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/464/MI0003464935.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
staff picks
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Propelled into infamy by the willfully idiotic "Love Missile F1-11", 1986's Flaunt It was new wave's answer to Malcolm McLaren's Sex Pistols. It also provided Ferris Bueller with the perfect soundtrack with which to break the fourth wall while getting dressed before his big day off.
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Various Artists
Handy Man: The Otis Blackwell Songbook
This set collects some two-dozen Otis Blackwell songs done by artists ranging from Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley to Mahalia Jackson, Solomon Burke, Little Willie John, Gene Pitney, and more, and the wonderful R&B; crackle of these versions simply underscores Blackwell's songwriting genius.
