Starting June 21, The Carmichael Gallery’s will open their latest exhibition Take a Deep Breath. The exhibit will feature new works from artists such as Cherri Wood, The Dark, Kngee, Know Hope, and Asbestos.

Give Imaad Wasif a break. Yes, his voice does resemble Jeff Buckley’s, but stylistically the two are oceans apart. Buckley thrived on lush arrangements and theatricality that verged on the operatic. Wasif, by comparison, plays sparse, off-the-cuff songs about aloneness and traveling through darkness. Strange Hexes, his second solo release and first to feature Two Part Beast (Bobb Bruno and Adam Garcia) is a quest for spiritual validation that is every much as exciting as Buckley’s Grace, and equally deserving of praise.

With one of the most exciting and historical presidential elections underway, a satirical account of previous and current leaders entitled Of Great & Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 Presidencies, will be released September 9th on Standard Recording. Musicians Christian Kiefer, Matthew Gerken, and Jefferson Pitcher composed and recorded the 3-disc set along with such guest musicians as Jamie Stuart of Xiu Xiu, Marla Hansen, Califone, and Bill Callahan.

After recently signing with Eyeball Records, Willkes-Barre, Pennsylvania-based An Albatross will return to New York City and Philadelphia to perform with Don Caballero and Ponytail! in late August.

Parc Avenue is the first real LP from Plants and Animals, the arty and expressive Montreal trio. Released on Secret City Records, it was recorded before their last EP, With/Avec, yet this album feels like Plants and Animals are now fully realized. Filled with spontaneity and jubilant, Parc Avenue is a joyous work of Arcade Fire-like enormity, set between three friends and many well-wishers.

Austin-based quartet, The Sword plays derivative heavy metal reminiscent of Black Sabbath, full of witches-at-black-masses lyricism. Gods of the Earth employs vaguely blues-influenced rhythms and dense heavy metal chords intent on creating a vibe rather than showcase technical prowess. The album begins and ends in cinematic fashion.

King Kahn and the Shrines sidestep gimmick and breathe new life into excavated soul sounds on the forthcoming The Supreme Genius Of (Vice, 2008). The album picks up right were the elusive Kahn and his nine piece enterprise left off, with last years What Is?! (Hazelwood, 2007). Opting for their signature analog nostalgia garage sounds; reverberating guitar riffs recall primal rock and roll at its most chaotic and ambitious. In lesser hands The Supreme Genius Of could come off exploitative, but Kahn treats his source material with a reverence that infuses agelessness and authenticity.