So having singled out Brand New as my album of the week here are 8 other albums that came out this week. Some of them I've mentioned just because they are well known not necessarily because I am a fan! Others are new to me and are ones that I'm planning on giving a listen to and one is an album I've been looking forward to for a while!
Alberta Cross - 'Broken Side of Time'
This is the debut album from this New York based band. Very much a blues influenced rock band they have drawn comparisons with the likes of Kings of Leon. They have toured extensively in the UK including some high profile support slots for Oasis in 2008 and for The Dave Matthews Band in 2009. This album is released in the UK on Ark Recordings, an independent London-based record label.
http://open.spotify.com/album/2ElPvFyx1AvBH3Z1o5usA4
Basement Jaxx - 'Scars'
This is one of those albums I'm not particularly expecting to be a big fan of. I've never really been that into dance music and am not expecting to start now. I do however respect this dance duo as being very influential and I have to admit to liking the odd song of theirs over the years! Now on their fifth studio album they once again utilise a wide array of vocalists including Lightspeed Champion, Paloma Faith and Yoko Ono! I'm not going to give any kind of review as I wouldn't know where to begin but check it out for yourself if you are intrigued!
http://open.spotify.com/album/4tWSeJfRAzwcevIygsdqAX
BLK JKS - 'After Robots'
Pronounced Black Jacks, this South African rock band release their debut full length album on independent american record label Secretly Canadian. There is a real blues influence to this band but they also remain true to their South African roots. Both the music and lyrics show of the influences of South African culture combining the bleak look at the past with the great hope and optimism for the future. There seems to be a freedom in their music, an experimentation that borders on the psychadelic in places. These guys really do have a unique sound, it may not appeal to all, it may well be a bit too weird for some but it is certainly worth a listen.
http://open.spotify.com/album/2N9aoCiMNwvKcJ73MncBaX
Dizzee Rascal - 'Tongue 'N Cheek'
It feels like only yesterday that I first heard of Dizzee Rascal so it is hard to believe that this week sees the release of his fourth studio album. Moving away from his grime roots and going for a more mainstream sound has certainly increased his populrity in the past year. Singles "Dance Wiv Me" and "Holiday" produced by Calvin Harris and "Bonkers" produced by Armand Van Helden have all been big hits. He has found a formula of staying true to his sound but also appealing to the masses and is reaping the rewards. I dabble in rap without really being into it and I have to say much to my surprise I did really enjoy Dizzee when I saw him at V. The album isn't on Spotify so I can't imagine I'll ever hear anything other than the singles from it but thought I'd give it a mention anyway!
Monsters of Folk - 'Monsters of Folk'
Since first finding out about this album I have been really excited by the prospect and even pre-ordered it on Amazon. It seems to be the vogue to create supergroups these days and Monsters of Folk is the ultimate folk supergroup. The members are Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M.Ward. Each of the parts that make up this band are masters of the genre and so I was interested to see what they would come up with when pooling their ideas together. Is the sum greater than it's parts? Well to be honest I'd have to say as is so often the case the answer is no! Nothing on this record reaches quite the same level as the contributers previous work. Perhaps it is unfair to judge them in that way though. If you take this band as being a new band releasing their first album this is a fine effort. The production provided by Mike Mogis is excellent and there is a good variation through the album provided by the different members influences. It has a real easy-going laid back vibe which makes it the perfect record for sticking on in the background when you want to chill out. Could have been better? Probably! But well worth a listen all the same
http://open.spotify.com/album/5IYzvGYq475r52HxDuWU58
Pearl Jam - 'Backspacer'
First rising to fame as part of the Seattle grunge scene in the early 90's, Pearl Jam have managed to survive where so many bands of that era have fallen by the wayside. This week sees the release of their ninth studio album, a milestone not reached by many bands these days. Produced by Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against The Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Bruce Springsteen) and released on Universal the album sees them drawing on more new wave influences. This provides a much happier more uplifting sound without losing any of the riffs and rock 'n' roll sensibilities. Eddie Vedder's vocals are as brilliant as ever particularly shining on the mellower tracks such as "Just Breathe". Pearl Jam are definately not a grunge band anymore, none of the shoegazing, none of the anger, this album might well do the opposite and put a smile on your face!
http://open.spotify.com/album/5pGKourRchGRrTKZxgpNCD
Richard Hawley - 'Truelove's Gutter'
Apparently this guy has been around for ages and is a bit of a legend. Maybe I'm ignorant but I've never heard of him before. In the early 90's he was a member of britpop band Longpigs and has since played with Pulp as well as appearing on songs by Elbow and Arctic Monkeys. This week sees him release his sixth album as a solo artist. This album is not the most uplifting album in the world. Lyrically it is pretty dark apparently inspired by some pretty dark times in his life. The music is similarly bleak although it does have some lush instrumentation and great melodies. The orchestration and arrangements certainly make this album worth a listen.
http://open.spotify.com/album/0zVtspcd49i55XA3LY1SSX
Times New Viking - 'Born Again Revisited'
This is another band I had never heard of before looking at the list of new releases for this week and checking them out on Spotify. This is their fourth album and their second on Matador Records. They are a very raw lo-fi indie rock band going for the high energy minimal production sound. Only one song goes over the three minute mark with most songs on the album being under two minutes. There are certainly elements of garage rock bands like The Strokes in the sound. It's not exactly easy listening and I think I would need to be in the right mood to listen to it! See what you think!
http://open.spotify.com/album/3TF7JvAMFpStQwCOpMvrdi
No comments:
Post a Comment