Produced by 16-time GRAMMY Award-winning producer David Foster, Wallflower finds Diana Krall breaking new ground with her interpretations of some of the greatest pop songs of all time. The album features popular classics from the late ‘60s to present day which have inspired Krall since her early years, as well as an unreleased composition from Paul McCartney (If I Take You Home Tonight).

When first released in July 2003, A New Devotion sounded like it might burst out of its jewel case. Even at a wopping 76-minutes, the CD could barely contain four hyperactive lads romping across music history like kids in a candy store. Detractors hated its retro, upbeat vibe. Some even accused the band of wearing stylistic straightjackets. But those who “got it” rejoiced—a merry band of influential and vocal supporters that included Little Steven van Zandt, Al Kooper, Andrew Loog Oldham and Anton Newcombe. Pre-social media, word spread the old-fashioned (i.e. slower) way—sympathetic message boards, local gigs and radio shows. The High Dials soon found themselves circling round and round the continent in their purple van, helping build the scene that would later blossom into psychedelia’s third wave.

Helmet's highly anticipated new album, Left, marks their triumphant return to the studio after a seven-year hiatus. This sonic masterpiece, expertly mixed and produced by the acclaimed Jim Kaufman and mastered by 20-time Grammy Award winner Howie Weinberg (Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and many more), solidifies Helmet's position as one of America's most influential alternative rock bands.

Saor [pronounced Sieur: meaning “free” in Scottish Gaelic] is the first release in a triptych of albums, inspired by escapes to the peaks of Claire’s homeland of Scotland. Saor perfectly encapsulates Claire’s experimental approach to the pipe organ, exploring rich harmonic textures and complex overtones creating ever-shifting melodic and rhythmic patterns, which conjure visions of the Scottish dramatic landscapes she is inspired by.

The evolution of Swampmeat Family Band continues apace. When the Birmingham outfit released their incendiary third album, Muck, three years ago, it marked the culmination of the kind of vision that frontman Dan Finnemore had always had for them; having returned from the U.S. after a spell as a key member of Philadelphia rockers Low Cut Connie, he was burning with ideas and inspiration, channeling a renewed creative energy into a new-look version of the garage band he’d formed, as simply Swampmeat, with drummer T-Bird Jones in 2006.

Following his debut EP ‘En clair-obscur’ and a series of singles earlier this year cementing his place as a rising name in the world of cinematic soul and funk, Hamburg’s finest cinematic soul artist The Offline releases his debut album La Couleur de la Mer.

On his third voyage as Skyway Man, artist + producer James Wallace is still seeking answers beyond the stars and still coming back with more questions in the form of ten brilliant songs. On its surface, 'Flight of the Long Distance Healer' registers as another concept album replete with aliens and alternative philosophy, but this time around, Wallace coats the glass with a vital layer of self-reflection.

Béla Bartók and John Adams - the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra has chosen an unusual pairing for the third release on its own label. The orchestra and chief conductor Thomas Zehetmair play to one of their greatest strengths: pushing themselves to the limits in terms of creativity. In Bartók's Divertimento for string orchestra, the folk motifs dance dangerously close to the abyss. The contrasts between optimism and a premonition of doom are striking - Bartók composed the piece in the summer of 1939. In John Adams' "Shaker Loops", the extremes oscillate between lucid pauses and rousing outbursts. This recording makes it impressively clear that this popular work of "minimal music" is not so minimal after all, but contains complex arcs of tension and transitions.

Closer investigation of the roots and history of the Quartet, which was composed in 1824, reveals traces of all three of the so-called fine arts. The title “Death and the Maiden” reaches far back into the history of art. In the early 16th century, Hans Baldung Grien produced particularly impressive paintings and drawings on the theme of confrontation between life and death, symbolically embodied by a young girl and a skeleton. Published in 1774, the poem by Matthias Claudius succinctly presents the encounter in two verses that engage in mutual dialogue: on the one hand, the young woman in fear of death, and on the other, the skeletal man, whom Claudius transforms into an entirely positive figure through his soothing words.

Once again, Wolfgang Brunner and his Salzburg Hofmusik have unearthed a music-dramatic work by Michael Haydn: the Singspiel "Die Ährenleserin" was written in 1778 for the Benedictine monastery theater of Kremsmünster, based on a libretto by the librettist Christian Felix Weiße.

The selection of works presented on this album shows the curiosity with which David Popper must have absorbed music of all periods, whether in concert, in domestic music-making, or by reading scores. Here we find orchestral works, songs, oratorio and opera arias, piano music, and chamber works, and the chronological classification ranges from the early Baroque to Popper's contemporaries Wagner and Tchaikovsky. Popper's modesty and knowledge of his strengths, especially about his own instrument, induced him to compose almost entirely for the cello. Besides reflecting the taste of the day, his music is note worthy for its innate sensitivity, a dexterous command of orchestration, and a savory sense of humor.

Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten (Dissipate, you troublesome shadows), BWV 202, is a secular cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was likely composed for a wedding, but scholars disagree on the dating which could be as early as Bach's tenure in Weimar, around 1714, while it has traditionally been connected to his wedding to Anna Magdalena on 3 December 1721 in Köthen. It is one of Bach's frequently recorded cantatas. The aria "Sich üben im Lieben" ("To practice sweet courtship, to joyously cuddle" or "To cultivate love") is often performed as a concert piece.

The catalogue of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works numbers 1128 works, although he actually composed many more than that: a quantity of works have unfortunately not survived to the present day. Some works have also survived in an unfinished form, either because Bach himself did not finish them or because part of the manuscript has been lost. This recording presents all of Bach’s organ works that have survived as fragments; I myself have provided them with completions. Not an easy task, to say the least, but I have tried to adhere to Bach’s style, knowing only too well the impossibility of imitating such a supreme artist. This notwithstanding, it is at least now possible for us to hear and appreciate works that had to a great extent been forgotten.

"In 1976-77 I had written my trilogy, Hubert Greenery Peck, Moments, and Egg Soup, the latter of which comprised ‘A Hypothetical Simulation’ followed by ‘Those and The Eggs.’ Egg Soup originally had lyrics and singing. These songs gradually became finished with the genius of fellow band member James Strain adding his undeniable, unbelievable musical dexterity to the mix. Moving forward close to 46 years later is the brand new ‘The Strainge Case of Steve’ project, an album which is the consummation of all that’s been learned, well trodden, and procured through the years. And James with his mellifluous original songs adding spice and variety, the genius cornerstone of the new Reporters sound! Enjoy!” - Steve Kretzmer

"Little Girl Blue" is an artistic statement by jazz virtuoso Nina Simone that reinvents a wide variety of compositions. Simone's combination of classical training, smoky-alto vocal delivery and the influence of modern jazz make her a novel and inspiring jazz singer and instrumentalist.