January 29 Releases, 2013

By: Carolyn Menyes, Managing Editor

Typically for the movie industry, January is the month when… how do I say this?… not very good movies are released. Or straight-up bad (example: Movie 43).

For the music industry, however, it seems like January is the month where a whole lotta nothin’ comes out. January 29 is a slightly paltry day for album releases, but the world has some stuff going on. Let’s have a look-see, shall we?

Now, this is where it gets a little embarrassing and a little personal. This summer, I missed seeing Justin Bieber at the famous Apollo Theater by, like, three people. His manager came out to tell my roommate and me (as well as a few other straggling fans) that we were just a little too late.  

At that show, the power went out and Bieber had to perform some songs acoustic with the audience. After hearing about what a legendary show this was, I was even more bummed. This was the low point of my June.

But, my disappointment was a little lifted when Bieber announced Believe Acoustic, a stipped-down version of his now well-loved songs and three brand spankin’ new tracks (including the Selena Gomez breakup track, "Nothing Like Us"). Now, call me whatever what you want, but I’m convinced this scrappy lil’ Canadian has a good bit of talent. He can pluck his guitar with the rest of them and his voice has developed into a solid one for his pop. If nothing else, this is what all the youngins are listening to, so strip away the pretension and give this a spin.

If I may attempt to restore some of my indie cred, Local Natives' Hummingbird is another release I’m stoked on. The band's last album, Gorilla Manor, is the kind of record I forgot about until I stumbled across it on shuffle, then I instantly remembered its wonderfulness. I’m hopeful about the follow-up, though if the few tracks I sampled (including lead single “Breakers”) are any indication, it’s a little on the dull side. Atmospheric! But dull.

Sister singing team Tegan and Sara dropped their first studio album in nearly four years, Heartthrob. I’m not going to pretend to know anything about them except for their sexuality and their relation to one another. So, I can’t make claims about whether or not fans will be pleased. Just being honest! However, opening track/lead single “Closer” is a poppy, blippy little number. I got some Gwen Stefani, L.A.M.B.-era vibes, as well as some mid-‘90s girly pop. Worth a listen or two, I’d say.

In other releases, Destiny’s Child put out a greatest-hits compilation, Love Songs. Juuuust in time for Beyoncé’s turn at the Super Bowl. Well played. The lone new track (their first in eight years), "Nuclear," is some smooth-ass R&B with a serious mid-‘90s, En Vogue vibe, and thus, it feels a little dated. Certainly more dated than “Say My Name,” and that song’s actually old. It’s more adult than anything they’ve ever done, which I guess is a solid reflection of this point in their lives. And, you know, good for Kelly and Michelle.

January 22 Releases, 2013

By: Chris Dobstaff, Editorial Director

Ahhh. Here we are in the wonderful year of 2013. The Mayans didn't kill us, and now we can get back to caring about the things that really matter: new album releases. With ACRN now up and running for the spring semester at Ohio University, we're back to actively seeking out albums to listen to each and every week.

Let's start with Ra Ra Riot, a band that I have a couple of gripes with. The Syracuse-based group's first album, The Rhumb Line, was incredible. There were fantastic string arrangements from Alexandra Lawn and cello and violinist Rebecca Zeller. It came out around the same time Vampire Weekend released its first effort, and honestly, I liked Ra Ra Riot's better. Now, with its third album, I've given up hope. Beta Love largely ignores the gorgeous strings that made me love the band in the first place (in part because of Lawn's departure last year). Still, Ra Ra Riot has shifted to more of a synth-driven band, and it's just not working out.

The Joy Formidable is releasing its second album this week, a follow-up to 2011's The Big Roar. The alt-rock band has returned for more guitar-driven rock, with lead singer Ritzy Bryan's voice sounding both delicate and badass. She's really good at that. I have yet to hear the entire album, but from the few songs I have heard, I'd say that The Joy Formidable is continuing to do what it does best. Though I don't know if the group will ever write a song as great as "Whirring."

There's also the release of Hilly Eye's debut, Reasons to Live. The psychedelic noise pop duo includes Amy Klein, the former guitarist for Titus Andronicus on its tour for The Monitor. I have to admit, Klein was one of the best parts of a Titus live show. She jumped up and down for the concert's entirety, a feat that required great physical endurance. Endurance that I sure don't have. Regardless, it will be exciting to see what she and drummer Katherine Tung have done with their first record. Check out my review on ACRN later this week!

Other records coming out this week include Esben and the Witch's Wash the Sins Not Only the Face, Bad Religion's True North and Hung at Heart by The Growlers. It seems to me that this is a week to try something new. So go out, pick up something you've never heard of before and see if it can capture you. If not, well, we'll just have to try again next week won't we?  

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!

November 6 Releases, 2012

By: Kristen Spicker, Copy Chief 

Unless you live under a rock and next to a pineapple under the sea, I’m sure it’s been brought to your attention that it’s Election Day. And if you’re anything like me, you’re dreading the onslaught of “Did you vote yet?”s and political ads that run like clockwork when all you want to do is watch a YouTube video. So instead, lie in your bed, turn off the TV and listen to some new music.

Always fighting to stay relevant, Aerosmith released its 15th studio album, Music From Another Dimension, which is approximately the median number of DUIs the band’s fans have. Following the election theme, the album starts off with “LUV XXX,” which has a creepy, futuristic intro that basically tells listeners that they have absolutely no control and brings up repressed nightmares of that creepy tunnel scene from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Although that first minute alone gives people enough reasons to immediately turn the album off, if anyone tries to trudge through the 18-track album (coincidentally, the median number of failed marriages Aerosmith fans have) they’ll only discover Aerosmith sounding exactly like what the band is: a group from the '70s who think that it still has a place in modern music. Buy this album for your dad…if you want him to have a midlife crisis.

Speaking of irrelevant, Kylie Minogue also released an album: The Abbey Road Sessions, which is clearly named after the studio where the Aussie recorded the tracks. The album is a reworking of previous songs, and considering the only one I recognized was “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” I had pretty low standards for the album. Thankfully, the album is actually good. Minogue slows things down, uses real instruments and acts more like a lounge singer than a third-rate pop star. Unfortunately, nothing can make the “la la”s in “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” acceptable.

Also look for the score for the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. But please note the word "score," which means the Adele song is not on this album. Ne-Yo (the R&B guy that didn’t beat up Rihanna) released R.E.D. today, as well as Prince Rama’s Top Ten Hits of the End of the World, which, based off the album cover, should never have been created. Metal groups ISIS and All That Remains also put out albums. If you want to actually listen to something good, maybe try Andy Stott’s electronic Luxury Problems, which ACRN writer Ross Lockhart adored (if it sucks blame him).

So sorry, I was wrong. You probably should go out and brave the poll bullies instead of subjecting yourself to this week’s lackluster new music.

October 30 Releases, 2012

By: Colin Roose, News Editor

Christmas and folk. This is the music we get the day before Halloween. No Rob Zombie, no Alice Cooper, but chestnuts roasting on an open fire and a man with a violin.

Alright, well, Neil Young can make some pretty good sweater music. But Christmas albums? Seriously? Who decided that October 30 was a good time to start singing about marshmallows for toasting and caroling out in the snow and scary ghost stories…oh.

Anyway, let's start with the man still searching for a heart of gold. Neil Young's newest album Psychedelic Pill is the first album of new material with his backing band Crazy Horse since 2003's Greendale, and accordingly is a rougher, more jam-centric album than the other six solo albums he's done since then. And if that seems like a lot of work for a 66-year-old man in eight years, consider that this is his 35th record overall. That's not even counting his various collaborations with Crosby, Stills and Nash or Buffalo Springfield. The man has been a slave to you, people. If nothing else, he deserves the opportunity to reminisce about the first time he heard "Like a Rolling Stone."

The other workhorse this year is Andrew Bird, for whom it did not suffice to release just the hour-long Break It Yourself earlier this year. The companion EP Hands of Glory adds an additional 35 minutes of re-recordings and strum-strummy covers of old singer-songwriter music. If the whole laid-back group-chorus old-time sleepy violin sound appeals to you, you've probably already known what Andrew Bird is up to and I'm talking to myself now. Actually, I must confess that I am not familiar with Mr. Bird's considerable output, despite his appearance at the Nelsonville Music Festival this year. Maybe I'd better not admit I listened to Mumford & Sons for the first time this past weekend before the folk community beats me with mandolins.

And so, the Christmas albums. I'd like to direct your attention to the left to take a look at the miracle of Photoshop that is Cee-Lo's Magic Moment. The Gnarls Barkley singer has now apparently taken the place of Santa Claus, flying through the night with his sports car pulled by a majestic array of steeds. Or maybe this is his way of telling us he's a brony? But anyway, he duets with such varied talent as Christina Aguilera, B.o.B. and The Muppets.

If flamboyant Vegas style rap does not immediately spring to mind when you think of the holidays, there is also Rod Stewart, who has taken a break from his copious renditions of the Great American Songbook to make an even more friendly album for Mom and Dad called Merry Christmas, Baby. On the other hand, there is an innovative Yuletide-indie crossover by Everything But the Girl vocalist Tracey Thorn. It may be called Tinsel and Lights and have song titles like "Maybe This Christmas" and "Snow," but it's actually mostly original songs and has a paranoid post-punk sound. Really. Well, I think it's about damn time someone tried to unseat "Same Old Lang Syne" as the newest Christmas song to be played on every FM station.

There's also Flyleaf this week, who are releasing their last album with singer Lacey Mosley, and Lulu Gainsbourg, the son of French popmeister Serge Gainsbourg. Other than that, well…if you like Toby Keith…

Ok, I'm going to end this before the folkies start shouting "Judas!" at me.

October 16 Releases, 2012

By: Colin Roose, News Editor

Well, it looks like the well of monster releases in September and October is finally running dry. Green Day, The Killers and Muse have all played their cards, and this week's list languishes in the obscurity of side projects and bands with names like "Police Teeth." But there is still an oasis or two in this desert of fringe albums (sadly, none of the Gallagher variety). So, let's hit on the big ones.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor will be expounding upon their affinity for exclamation points this week with the release of Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!. With their first album since Yanqui U.X.O. ten years ago, they have managed to reform almost their entire original lineup. No mean feat for eight members. Dissonant, distant post-rock weirdness is what you'll find here, with two of the songs actually written before their long hiatus. I really can't say I understand song titles like "Strung Like Lights at Thee Printemps Erable," but all signs point to them still being the latest and greatest in post-post-modern rock-as-art.

And next, we'll be getting Sunken Condos from the venerable Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, a band that has seemingly been forgotten by everyone except classic rock radio. Although he may be "Reelin' In The Years," he's still going to "Do It Again" and put out something that will get him on "F.M." again, heh heh…okay, I'll stop. It sounds like it's just about the closest thing to another album from the Dan that can be expected, with the same brand of neurotic jazz-pop. A dusky, driving-through-the-city kind of sound. Poppy and unpretentious while still having a sophisticated flair. Those last two sentences didn't really mean much, did they? Anyway, this guy is way too talented to be as obscure as he is. Roll over Peg, tell Josie the news: Donald Fagen is back.

In other news, Ben Gibbard certainly seems rather depressed. Take a look at that there gloomy cover. And with song titles like "Teardrop Windows" and "Oh, Woe?" Watch out everyone, I think we have a high-profile breakup album on our hands. I can't help but feel he should have cut the cryptic symbolism of Former Lives' name and just subtitled it Specifically, The One Before I Split Up With Zooey Deschanel. But I digress. From what I hear, the record goes to show that Death Cab for Cutie does not necessarily equal Ben Gibbard. There's less of an indie band sound here and more experimentation, like on the twee "Something's Rattling (Cowpoke)." It's also nice for a fan like myself to hear that he can still craft melodies and still sings like he's about 11 years old. But then again, his band just released a new album last year. I hope this solo venture won't mean we'l have to wait even longer for another Death Cab album.

And if you're into Phish, there is a new Trey Anastasio album out called Traveler. Which is good news considering that his home band is quickly becoming the new Grateful Dead, putting out millions of live releases instead of new studio material. This one is everywhere though, jumping between drum n' bass experiments, straightforward country-flavored rock and the jam band sound for which he's known. Such a work ethic, too--he's put out almost as many bands in the last decade as Phish has in 20 years. He's also covering "Clint Eastwood" by the Gorillaz, making it somewhat less intoxicated-sounding than the original. That song has special meaning for me, being one of the first pop songs I was exposed to long before I understood the meaning of "sunshine in a bag."

But that's pretty much it in terms of high-profile stuff. Unless you would like to hear about More Lullbaby Renditions of U2 or Piano Tribute to KISS. But looming large on the horizon for next week is the new Taylor Swift album. Inevitably, everyone and their teenybopper little sister will help it to break all the sales records, but you, the discriminating music aficionado, know better, don't you? Drop It Like It's Hot will cover the real noteworthy stuff just for you. Stay tuned.

October 9 Releases, 2012

By: Rachel Haas, Features Editor

Wow, kids! Can you believe it’s already the second week of October? Pretty soon it’ll be Halloween, Thanksgiving and then *gasp* Christmas! But for now, let’s focus on the tracks released this week before we get too ahead of ourselves as there are a few exciting releases worth a shout-out.

First up, the release I am MOST stoked about for this week is II from the Bad Books, which is comprised of Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull and lovely singer-songwriter/personal favorite Kevin Devine. Their self-titled debut was a delightful mix of soft acoustic and alternative rock tracks--or a blend of the in-between--with Hull and Devine's voices complimenting each other to near perfection. This album is more of the same, but in the absolute best way possible. The songs are just as enjoyable and both artists shine. It's so cool to listen to them meld into one insane, super musical identity instead of just being those two dudes from those two bands. Also, the song "Forest Whitaker" is so infectious you won't be able to pass up listening to the entire album. Yeah, that's a challenge.

Tame Impala released their second album Lonerism and, if this recommendation isn’t enough, maybe Pitchfork’s 9/10 review will convince you to take a listen. The band has kept up with the psychedelic sounds featured on their debut Innerspeaker, but have seemed to cultivate a fuller, more developed atmosphere. Enjoy this richly layered time machine, break out those groovy bell bottom pants and get ready to dance around a little when you put it on.

Jakob Dylan—yep, son of harmonica-wielder Bob—is back. The Wallflowers haven’t released an album since 2005 (that’s 7 years ago for those of you, like me, that are mathematically impaired). But finally, Wallflowers fans can get their fix with Glad All Over, the sometimes funky, usually catchy sixth studio release. It doesn’t sound like a bad album per se but, let’s be honest, we really all just want to go listen to “One Headlight” (or maybe that’s just me). However, former Clash guitarist Mike Jones appears on two of the tracks, which is pretty damn cool.  

Also, Ellie Goulding, the girl who sings that “Lights” song and is dating Skrillex, dropped Halcyon this week. The first track, “Don’t Say A Word,” softly opens the album, slowly building and building until reaching a predictable burst of peppy beats and high-pitched girlish vocals. The song teeters between dance-y and epic Robyn-meets-Florence ballad—kind of weird, I know, but it works. Actually, that pretty much sums up the album. I don’t think it’ll disappoint for those searching for that sort of thing. Plus she is super adorbs.

Fitz & the Tantrums, Freelance Whales, The Script and KISS (yes, Gene-Simmons-face-paint-I-wanna-rock-n-roll-all-night KISS) also dropped some tunes this week. Want to know who else dropped an album? Rick Springfield. RICK SPRINGFIELD. His album Songs for the End of the World is now out if you’re so inclined to have a Springfield listening party.

Speaking of which, brb, going to listen to “Jessie’s Girl” now.