November 13 Releases, 2012

By: Sam Boyer, Blogs Editor / '90s Blogger

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but I know you're all thinking about the rad album releases this week instead. No? Okay, fine. It's my job to think about those album releases for you, then. And boy, oh boy, do we have some awesome ones this week.

Let's start with the obvious. Green Day dropped part two of its trilogy, ¡Dos!, which is only slightly better than ¡Uno!. There are some pretty strong tracks, like "Wow! That's Loud" and "Stray Heart," but there are a handful of mediocre ones, too. And then there's "Nightlife," which is perhaps one of the worst Green Day songs in history. If a hardcore Green Day fan like me says a song is terrible, then it really is terrible. I can dig just about anything GD does, but having a female rapper on a track? That's just unacceptable. But there's still one more album in this trilogy, so here's hoping ¡Tre! is some kind of brilliant (wishful thinking, I know).

Look for my review of ¡Dos! on ACRN's website soon!

Since I am a '90s blogger, I have to give a shout out to my boys in Soundgarden for releasing their first album since 1996's Down on the Upside. King Animal is decent, but it sounds more like a warm-up album rather than a comeback album. This is the same band that released Superunknown, arguably one of the best albums of the '90s. So where's that earth-shattering metal sound from before? King Animal isn't bad, but it's a little too tame for Soundgarden. The casual fan might dig it. Hardcore fans might be a little skeptical.

Check out ACRN's review here!

Are you ready for some mainstream rock? The answer is always yes. Deftones released their seventh studio album, Koi No Yokan, and it's not bad. Not bad at all. It's more alternative than mainstream rock, but the Deftones have always avoided being shoved into one specific genre. If you're not into the whole alternative rock scene, I'd skip this album. But if you're like me and you still rock out to "My Own Summer," definitely check this out. 

Some other releases of note: Christina Aguilera's Lotus (shouldn't she just give up at this point?), Brian Eno's LUX and Crystal Castles' III. I don't know a lot about these artists, so I can't go handing out recommendations. But if something strikes your fancy, don't be afraid to give it a try!

Also, check Drop It Like It's Hot each week for new releases and witty commentary!