Drop It: February 23rd

Welcome back, hot-droppers. Yes, it's true, the onslaught of new music can be a tad overwhelming at times. Lucky for you, ACRN is always here to help sift through all of the new releases that are fit to illegally downlo- er, um, purchase.

Brian Jonestown Massacre is back with another album, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?, showing no signs of slowing down after reaching double digits two years ago. The sound is a far cry from the BJM of old, almost reaching the point of techno, as demonstrated by the song "Let's Go Fucking Mental," which has consumed the band's Web site. So goes the progression of front man Anton Newcombe (that asshole from the movie "Dig"). The album does, however, represent the return of Matt Hollywood (the guy who gets pissed and quits in the movie "Dig") to the group.

Swedish indie-pop outfit Shout Out Louds will release a third album, Work, their first record in three years. Most of the album is readily available already, but the sparse, 80s-pop influenced album is still generating buzz. Work was produced by Phil Ek, whose impressive resume includes albums by Fleet Foxes, The Shins and Band of Horses.

This Tuesday will be a bittersweet release day for fans of The Streets, AKA Mike Skinner. It will mark the release of a long-awaited album, Computers and Blues, as well as Skinner's final effort under the name. Even before releasing his fourth album, Skinner was telling sites like NME that he was, to paraphrase, effing sick of being "The Streets." The new album seems to have a definitively darker tone, but Skinners lyrical prowess is still on display.

If somewhat-edgy pop-punk is more your thing, Alkaline Trio drops This Addiction this week. The title track is essentially a love letter that says: "Baby, you're like heroin. All those other girls are nothing but methadone to me." The rest of the album seems to pretty much follow suit, and the cover art depicts a heart-shaped collection of pills. Sometimes, it's OK to judge a book by its cover.

As for the best of the rest, there are a few notable blast-from-the-past type releases, including new goodies from Michelle Branch and Lifehouse. So if you feel like reliving the turn of the century, dig in.

That's all for now, but stay tuned next week for everything from Peter Gabriel to Mumford & Sons, not to mention Jamies - both Foxx and Cullum.

Greg Gallant - Copy Chief

Cure your winter blues...

Greetings, darlings!

I hope you aren’t all too terribly snowbound, knee deep in winter doldrums and rabid with cabin fever. Such conditions can trigger a quick descent into madness, which may manifest itself in excessive napping, antisocial tendencies, unnatural fur growth and the substitution of guttural grunts for actual speech. Personally, I’ve been trying to outmaneuver that cantankerous old man winter by blasting Pet Sounds on repeat, screwing up my face and growling at the snow laden tree outside my bedroom window.

See? Madness.

But fear not, loyal readers! I’m here to advise. While my first suggestion for battling winter blues might be a stiff bourbon, my second is to keep those speakers up at full volume. While the Beach Boys are always a fabulous asset in cold weather combat, you don’t necessarily have to reach for something so super summery. Any enjoyable beat will help de-stress your shriveled brain and crack a grin on your pale face. If you’re brave enough to venture out to your local record store, check out some of the new releases dropping this week:

Prolific Seattle label Sub Pop recently garnered a few new darlings, Dum Dum Girls, who adopted their moniker from the seminal Iggy Pop song Dum Dum Boys (insta-points in my book). These four beautiful women produce exceptionally pleasing pop music edged with distortion and just the tiniest bit of tough – think flowery sundress meets studded leather jacket. Their debut album, I Will Be, drops today, so pick it up and dig it -- Dum Dum Girls will be coming through Ohio in early April, and it’s never too early to start prepping for a riotous gig.

If you’re an Epitaph kind of guy-or-gal, get yourself down to the record store and pick up the newest release from St. Louis based rockers Story of the Year. The new album is called The Constant, and you can check out a full review by lovely lobster Cassie here. If you’re a Guided By Voices kind of guy-or-gal, check out We All Got Out of the Army, the newest album from legendary Dayton native / GbV vet Robert Pollard.

If you’d prefer not entirely original content – well, treats are in store. Former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel has dropped a cover album entitled Scratch My Back, wherein one can hear Peter covering the likes of Arcade Fire, Paul Simon, and the Magnetic Fields. But that’s not all! The second half of the project, another cover album called (I’ll Scratch Yours) is due out later this year. There, the artists covered on Peter’s portion will cover a few of his songs in turn. To check out a full review by our Senior Critic Kevin, click here.

Well, there you have it, my dears – highlights for the week. A bit of a slow one, yes, but there’s plenty to keep you company as you stare listlessly out of your window into the whirling wet white. Stay warm, stay sane, come back!

-Jen Kessler, Managing Editor

Another week of great music...

Bonjour mes homards!

It’s time for another roundup of all the exciting albums set to drop this week.

One of Bristol, U.K.’s electronic mainstays, Massive Attack, is back with their fifth regular studio album Heligoland. Hailing from the likes (and city) of fellow trip hop acts like Portishead and The Wild Bunch, this album promises to serve the same “Bristol sound” that it has given before.

Fellow British electropop group Hot Chip will formally release their fourth studio album One Life Stand this Tuesday as well. It’s predicted by both critics and insiders alike to be a pretty damn good album, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

Another band back on the scene is HIM with Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice. This proves to be an exciting release for many, and is set to fill a void left since 2007’s Venus Doom.

Metal staples Fear Factory are on their way to the crest of another highly anticipated release Mechanize. Despite some inner struggles and legal issues, Fear Factory is full speed ahead with Tuesday as their prospected release date.

For more releases this week, check ACRN.com’s album reviews and see if we talk about your favorite new album. There will be more where that came from next week, so stay tuned!

-Matthew Anderson

Relevant releases for the week of January 24

Hey lobstaz!

The last time I blogged about upcoming releases, Aqua, Backstreet Boys, Everclear and KISS were on the calendar. It’s safe to assume that this entry will be more, say, relevant to most readers and music fans in general.

There are three release teases this week that have got me all but curious and anxious. Much-loved veteran rap group Three 6 Mafia was supposed to release its latest, Laws of Power, on November 10. Now, some sites are saying that the album will be released Tuesday while others are claiming a mid-March release. Quit playing games with my heart! (Ha, sorry. I promise I’m not hung up on that last entry.)

The other tease involves Jennifer Lopez’s new album, Love?, which was intended to be released this week. Sources are now claiming that we’ll have to wait until mid-April to hear more tracks like this fairly new single. Although, in my opinion, let’s just hope the rest aren’t quite as terrible and reliant on popular designer brands like Christian Louboutin to get them through the day.

Wrapping up the teases is American Idol fourth-place finisher Jason Castro, who was supposed to release his debut self-titled album this week. This, too, is apparently pushed back until mid-April. However, Castro did release The Love Uncompromised EP earlier this month. After listening to a bit of it here on Lala, I have concluded that the upcoming full-length will be sappy, generic and embarrassingly catchy, just as I’d expect any Idol contestant release to be.

Dream-like duo Beach House will release its third album, Teen Dream, this Tuesday. I tend to think Beach House is a bit too cinnamon applesauce for me – that is, mushy and sweet – but I actually enjoyed listening to this album. It’s a bit off the beaten path for them, carrying stronger beat and melody than previous albums. Check it out here on NPR.

I really wouldn’t consider myself a country music fan, but it’s worth noting that Grammy-nominated group Lady Antebellum is another mark on this week’s release calendar. Need You Now, the Lady’s second album, is highly anticipated by fans and critics alike due to the smashing breakout nature of their self-titled debut album, released in 2008.

British soul-pop sweetheart Corinne Bailey Rae continues with her soothing, saccharine balladry on upcoming release The Sea. This is her first album since the tragic 2008 death of her musician husband, the late Jason Rae. The Sea is available for a listen here on NPR. But be warned: The lyrics and general nature of the album refer to her struggle with the loss and ensuing emotions. If you’re in a mood to cry, go for it. If not, I’d hold off until you are.

This week also brings Romance Is Boring, the latest from indie poppers Los Campesinos! Again, I’m not the most avid Los Campesinos! fan, but I’m finding the snippets I’ve heard to be more likable than past songs. Unsurprisingly, the album can be heard in its entirety on YouTube. Have a listen to the title track and anticipated hit here.

Metal veterans Fozzy are finally releasing their first album in a few years, Chasing the Grail, this Tuesday. I have a tough time referring to Fozzy as “metal” after hearing some of the new album. A bit too catchy and mild for most metalheads’ taste, I’m sure, and disappointingly so. Again, YouTube contains just about all of the songs on the album. One of which is riiiight here.

The enchanting Charlotte Gainsbourg is technically releasing her third album, IRM, this week, though it leaked ages ago. A dark, eerie, soft indie album with its fair share of Gainsbourg whispers is lovely, of course, but not altogether surprising. Check it out here on NPR.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you this week. Enjoy, and be sure to keep an eye out for ACRN album reviews - we’ll definitely be covering some of those releases.

-Courtney Baldasare, Reviews Editor

New Year - New Music

Hey Lobsters,

So, we know it's been a long, cold, lonely winter without Drop It Like It's Hot, but we hope ya'll were still finding some good new music to throw into the mix.

Anyway, we figured we'd just pick up where we left off. There was a fair amount of clamoring at the end of the year about 2009 being a bit of a down year in terms of stellar albums, but there is certainly a lot to look forward to in 2010.

Perhaps the most anticipated disc to drop this week is Spoon's Transference. The indie rockers have gone about two and a half years without an album, but early indications of the new record are mostly positive. Feel free to sample the new songs here, here, and here.

Another intriguing release for indie fans this week is the Behave Yourself EP from Cold War Kids. After their much-lauded Robbers and Cowards, they laid a bit of an egg with Loyalty to Loyalty. The new release has been pretty well kept under wraps, but one teaser has fans hoping for a return to the quality of the band's debut.

On the more electronic front, RJD2 will be releasing The Colossus, a new full-length album. It seems like the Columbus-based DJ will continue to stray away from the instrumental, beat-based tunes from his early album, to the dismay of some long-time fans.

As far as more mainstream hip-hop, Missy Elliot returns this week with her first new album in a half-decade. The new album, Block Party, will feature collaborations with Amy Winehouse, T-Pain, and Lil Wayne, to name a few.

In other genres, the aging acoustic-rockers of Eels release End Times, their eighth album in 15 years. The new album will apparently center around the recent divorce of front-man Mark Oliver Everett.

Lastly, the pop-punk outfit Motion City Soundtrack makes their major-label debut with My Dinosaur Life. According to Spin, the new album "strikes a radio-ready balance between mayhem and melody." If MCS is trying to get a little more experimental while maintaining their catchy, emo roots, it sounds like they just might succeed.

Damn, it feels good to be dropping things as if they were hot again.

-Greg Gallant, Copy Editor

Christmastime is here! ...well, musically anyway

It’s the week after Halloween here at OU and while most of us are hung over ‘til Wednesday and irritated until that next beer’s in our hand, there is surely something to be happy about: new music!

Everybody knows that Christmas season starts today, November 1, so how appropriate that a new Andrea Bocelli Christmas album is dropping, My Christmas (he would). But seriously, if ANYONE is going to make a Christmas album who makes the angels cry, it’s this guy.

Taking a step in the other direction is up-and-coming shoegaze duo Lymbyc Systym and their newest album entitled Shutter Release. The album is promising as a metaphorical musical transition into winter— melancholic synths and dreary melodies, shoegaze, shoegaze, shoegaze, etc., etc., etc.

Everyone knows that the Halloween-to-Thanksgiving timeframe is awkward anyway, so hopefully Shutter Release will do it’s job and get you through this pointless month called “November.”

And let’s not forget Morrissey and his upcoming B-side compilation Swords. There has already been much buzz around the release, especially after the singer was rushed to the hospital last month after collapsing on stage. And although Swords was already released October 26 in the U.K., there’s still reason to look forward to a great mix of tracks from such a renowned artist.

And then there’s Carrie Underwood, who I will proudly say is one of the only country (some of you laugh) artists that I can stand to listen to. It’s doesn’t hurt that she’s a peach too… y’all…

Anyway, her third studio album, Play On, drops November 3, and I’m sure it will be nothing short than a sugary stick of sticky sweetness (candy canes, anyone?) that any horse -- or teenage girl -- would love to sink their teeth into.

Another interesting release comes from indie rock band Swimmers. Their album title, People Are Soft, is a little creepy to me for some reason, but I’ll let it slide because what I’ve heard so far sounds pretty good.

Rounding out this week’s releases includes the new Weezer drop Raditude and Vagina Panther's self titled Vagina Panther. I’ll start with Weezer because I want to finish with Vagina Panther. Just being honest.

It’s a little disappointing that Weezer would name its album Raditude, but then again maybe it’s just one of those things that I don’t understand. The album definitely deserves a listen regardless, because it’s Weezer. And because Jill Mapes told you so.

As for Vagina Panther, all I can say is venture out and enjoy yourself and do whatever YOU need to do. It looks to be a pretty fun album for another upcoming miserable winter season.

So don’t be sad—enjoy the week after Halloween and accept all the headaches that ensue. Enjoy the warmth while we have it because before you know it, it will all be GONE FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

--Matt Anderson, Editorial Assistant

Between the Buried and... Creed?

Greetings Lobsters a la Rock, I hope you have picked out your costumes and are prepped for an awesome Halloween '09 this weekend. But if there is still a little something missing as you prepare to get dressed up and messed up, perhaps it is some new licks worth rocking out to while you rage on through week 8 stress (just so you can make it to the weekend, of course).

If so, you are in luck, there are some pretty good metal releases this week, including the latest Between The Buried And Me album, The Great Misdirect. Taking cues from 2007's Colors, this album also goes off into a few odd spirals with musical style (remember that ode to polka on Colors? Yeah, there's a similar thing going on in the new one that almost sounds Vaudevillian) and off-handed lyricism, but certainly for the better.

Another anticipated metal release is the new Pelican, What We All Come To Need, as well as a brand-spankin' new album from the hard rock band Creed. Yeah, I said it. Creed. It is called Full Circle and let's hope it comes full circle from their past music or it may not fare very well...

There are also a few classic artists releasing albums this week, including the recently deceased Michael Jackson with the soundtrack for his documentary, "This Is It," which is guaranteed to garner some decent sales as MJ fans new and old add it to their collections. You can also look for releases from Carly Simon with her album Never Been Gone as well as R.E.M.'s new live album, Live At The Olympia. Sting is another artist not leaving On A Winter's Night.

Speaking of the winter, it is getting to be that time of year when the air gets cold and music heats up... even music with a classical tone. Yes, I'm talking about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They too are releasing a new album this week that is sure to be as promising as those of the past, entitled Night Castle.

But if you are looking for something a little less intense, there are some good indie rock releases too, especially Devendra Banhart with What Will We Be, Wolfmother's Cosmic Egg and Tegan And Sara with Sainthood. If that album is anywhere near as good as The Con, they certainly qualify for sainthood, in my opinion. The song of the same name still gives me chills every time I listen to it.

But last (and okay, kind of least) are releases by the good old '90s motowner Brian Mcknight as he croons out The Evolution of A Man and former '80s hair metallers Winger also crooning, but in a different, slightly more white trashy kind of way with their latest disc, Karma. But Winger is not the only band that will be affected by karma...we'll be able to see by next week's stats what karma does for all of these bands and their new albums, good or bad.

Well folks, time for me to sign off. But have a good weekend as you eat, drink, and be scary.

-Kelly Kettering, Features and Concerts Editor