Summer/Fall Album Preview

Now that summer is in full swing bands are receding a bit from show stages and concentrating more on working in the studio. It’s the right time, given lighter class and work schedules and the tendency of some showgoers to head to the lake or otherwise out of town. As it turns out, right now is one of the busiest recording periods we have seen in years in SGF, with many of your favorite acts quietly tucked away in studios throughout the city, working on the next album for your CD shelf or iPod. Below is the list of albums in progress that we’re currently aware of, listed alphabetically by band name. Naturally, we’re missing something, and if you’re aware of it please include it in the comments section below. The more we can inform people the more they’ll have to look forward to.

* Assembly Line Gods are in the middle of working on two records at the moment, actually: one for independent release and another with Dirtbag Music. Details remain sketchy on both at the moment, except that the independent release will become available sometime this fall. We’ll keep you posted for more as it comes.

* Berch recorded at Monarch Recording Studio before traveling to Memphis to finish work on Before and After the Fall. If you’ve been a frequent showgoer you’ll know quite a few of the eight tracks on the finished work, but “Northern Lights” is one nobody in SGF outside the band is likely to know. Release date is September 17.

* The BoogeyMen head into Wired Woods Studio (run by bandmate Danny Maple) this week to record their first album. According to the band’s principal songwriter, Trent Wilson, the plan is to have an album with–get this–19 tracks when the finished CDs arrive in October.

* The Bootheel recorded its new EP, Transatlantic Drag, at Electric Audio (owned by renowned engineer Steve Albini) in Chicago a few weeks ago, same as with its debut EP, Gold Tops. The album was initially planned for release in August, but singer and guitarist Todd Balisle tells us it may be closer to September in order to better work around the band’s coming summer tour. 

* Bottlefish is finally readying its full-length for a fall release (there is no pinned-down date yet). Tentatively titled The Rhythm Method, the album was recorded at The Studio with Lou Whitney a few songs at a time over the past year.

* The Cropdusters finished preliminary tracking with producer Eric Ambell and are due to return to The Studio on South Avenue to finish recording vocals and a few other details in the next week or two. The album is set to be 10 tracks long, according to Lou Whitney, though few details beyond that are available. With singer and bassist Jeb Venable sidelined with a broken foot earlier this week, the completion time may have lengthened a bit, too. We’ll let you know once the picture becomes clearer.

* The Electrics are working with Lou Whitney in The Studio on their album after doing some initial recordings with Steve Budd, though singer Eddie Gumucio says there aren’t many details to reveal yet. The songs are being pared down to a final list and there remains no set release date, but late fall is a reasonable expectation.

* Roots Of Mankind vocalist Jason Nunn is recording an album with local producer e$Money, the man behind 2008′s SoulinyaBowl. Too soon to know a release date yet, but sometime in fall seems likely. Stay tuned.

* Saint Never just released An Organic Machine… and a Loving Robot, a seven-track EP including SN’s popular song, “Everybody Crawls.” You can find it on iTunes and ReverbNation right now and in hard copy later this summer.

* Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin will release Let It Sway, produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie and Beau Sorenson, on August 17 through Polyvinyl Records. It’s the band’s third release through the label, after the re-release of Broom (originally recorded independently) and Pershing.