Monday, October 3, 2011

October 4 Album Releases, 2011

By: Carolyn Menyes, Interviews and Live Reviews Editor

We're back again dropping it like it's hot here at ACRN. New school year, new season, new music. So, let's see what Rocktober 4 has to offer in terms of album releases!

First up is Feist's fourth studio album, Metals. Homegirl has had a few hits in her day, including "1234" (as seen in all those commercials circa 2007) and "Mushaboom," which I think has been covered by just about every other indie musician out there. Metals' first single, "How Come You Never Go There," is a typical lady singer-songwriter jam with a sleepy feel. If October continues to be as gray as it has been thus far, and this single indicates the rest of the album's sound, I feel like it's a good fit for fall.

Now, I'm not of the punky persuasion and consequently not the most qualified to discuss these next three albums. But! those who are will be quite pleased with what this week has to offer.

Mayday Parade are releasing their eponymous third album, New Found Glory are performing some Radiosurgery and The Misfits are coming out with their seventh record, The Devil's Rain. (That last one has such a delightful pun; let's just appreciate that for a moment.)

I listened to the lead single, "Oh Well, Oh Well," off of Mayday Parade, and it seems like a technically solid pop-punk record. Bands and songs like these always remind me of those dudes who wore Etnies and carried around their skateboards when I was in the seventh grade, and I bet this album will please their demographic. Let's shred, guys! (And make fun of that grunge girl. Sigh, middle school is rough.)

According to an impressively thorough Wikipedia article on Radiosurgery, the latest New Found Glory took a page from Adele's success book and wrote a record based on "lyrics [that] were directly inspired by events in the bands personal lives, after one member suffered a long-term relationship break-up." But, I guess maybe that's just music in general. Heart break = best inspiration.

And like I said, I'm not the biggest fan of this genre, but all this music sounds the same to me. I honestly thought New Found Glory sang "Sugar, We're Going Down," and when I started playing the title track off Radiosurgery, my dear roommate swore it was Simple Plan. Am I being offensive? Probably. But, whatever. This is nothing we haven't heard before. Let's be creative and original for once, pop-punkers of the world!

Even though I tend to lump them in the same category as Mayday Parade and NFG, The Misfits single "Land of the Dead" off The Devil's Rain is refreshingly different from the last two bands I discussed. And I know fans of this band are intense and won't care about what some Bright Eyes fan has to say about it. But, it's spooky and hardcore and it makes me want to hide in a corner. So, it seems like it's effective.

Mutemath is also releasing their third record, Odd Soul, this week. I listened to the title track (there's a trend to my research, if you can't tell), and it's little bluesy, a teeny electo and even a smidge sexy. I am more comfortable with this music. I'll most likely check this disc out more in depth here soon.

For all those socially-conscious girls (who may or may not dig girls) out there, Indigo Girls are releasing their fourteenth studio album, Beauty Queen Sister. Let's go to Lilith Fair, ladies! We can make a difference.

Finally, and most comedic, Erasure are releasing an album, Tomorrow's World. They did that song that's in Robot Unicorn Attack, and that's all you need to know.

So, sorry to punk fans out there, but you wounded my spirit when I was 12, and I will not forgive you (or your music).

Until next time, if they let me do this again, it's been real.

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