Music Monday (9/29): This Week's New Albums + Videos
This week's new album releases
Each title listed below will go on sale beginning Tuesday, September 30 unless otherwise indicated.
Sam Amidon
Lily-O
The Vermont-based folk singer-songwriter follows 2013's Bright Sunny South with this second album for label Nonesuch. Valgeir Sigurðsson (Björk, Feist) serves as producer for Lily-O, which was recorded in Iceland and also features contributions from jazz guitarist Bill Frisell.
Electric Youth
. Innerworld
Newly signed to Secretly Canadian, the not-so-secretly Canadian electro-pop duo Electric Youth are best known (to the extent they are known at all) for their memorable Drive soundtrack contribution "A Real Hero," a collaboration with College. That track joins 11 other new and old songs—many with that same cinematic sweep—on their SC debut Innerworld, which was recorded in both Toronto and Los Angeles.
Marianne Faithfull
Give My Love to London
[UK release 29 Sep; US release follows in November] Though Faithfull has been in the press in recent weeks for announcing that her ex-boyfriend "killed" Jim Morrison, the veteran performer is also making news for her new collaboration-heavy album. Give My Love to London features Faithfull lyrics paired to music written by the likes of Roger Waters, Nick Cave, Steve Earle, and Anna Calvi, and the album also features performances by Brian Eno, Portishead's Adrian Utley, Ed Harcourt, and members of the Bad Seeds.
Lady Antebellum
747
Country trio Lady Antebellum has won seven Grammy awards in the past five years, though none for their most recent album, Golden, which also sold fewer copies than past LPs. That album, though, was one of the group's best-reviewed releases to date, and they hope to combine both commercial and critical success with album #5 this week. Described by the band as more urgent and energetic than past releases, 747 was co-produced by Nathan Chapman, working with the band for the first time.
Oasis
(What's The Story) Morning Glory? Remastered
The Britpop band's remastered reissue series continues with the rerelease of their second, and most successful, album. Available in a variety of formats—including a $180, 7-disc box set, a smaller but still deluxe 3-disc set, and a single disc or digital download—the reissue will add B-sides, demos, and previously unheard tracks, as well as some live recordings from the same time period.
Christopher Owens
. A New Testament
Former Girls frontman Christopher Owens returns with his second solo album this week, following 2013's Lysandre. A New Testament actually features some of his former Girls bandmates, including John Anderson, Darren Weiss, and Danny Eisenberg. The Doug Boehm-produced set was intended to be a major step up in sound from the previous album, while while being "inspired by the fundamentals of American music — Gospel, Country, R&B." But critics find the result dull.
Prince
. Art Official Age
Over 35 years into his recording career, Prince doesn't seem to be slowing down, and he returns this week with not one but two new releases. Art Official Age, the first, is his first solo album in four years, and marks a return to his old label home of Warner Bros. for the first time since the mid-1990s. And the early word is that this is the better of the pair, with its focus on modern R&B, funk, rap, and ballads.
Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL
. PLECTRUMELECTRUM
PLECTRUMELECTRUM, Prince's second release of the week, is a rock album. And it finds him backed by his new three-piece, all-female band 3RDEYEGIRL. Both albums share a song (in different versions): "Funk n Roll." Take the best tracks from both albums, and you probably have one of Prince's better albums in quite some time. But as they stand, the two albums are a bit unfocused and contain too much sub-par filler, say critics.
Blake Shelton
Bringing Back the Sunshine
One of several judges from The Voice releasing new albums this fall, country star Blake Shelton returns with his ninth album and first since last year's Based on a True Story.... The new set finds him working once again with longtime producer Scott Hendricks.
Lucinda Williams
. Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone 2xCD
The 61-year-old artist's first new album in four years (and 11th overall) is a big one, with 20 tracks (18 written solely by Williams) spread across two discs. Guests include Bill Frisell, Jakob Dylan, Ian McLagan (Faces), and Elvis Costello's rhythm section of Pete Thomas and Davey Faragaher. The album also features a track with lyrics from Williams' father, poet Miller Williams.
Thom Yorke
. Tomorrow's Modern Boxes
Buy From BitTorrent Buy Vinyl Version
Released last Friday with no advance warning, Thom Yorke's latest—arriving just a few days after he re-convened in the studio with Radiohead to record their next album—is his first solo set since 2006's The Eraser. He's found yet another new trailblazing distribution model, this time making the eight-song album available digitally as a $6 BitTorrent "bundle." It's an experiment to see if the file-sharing service can be used as a legitimate media distribution method. And it appears to be working; the album has already been downloaded more than 400,000 times.
Additional releases
- Bryan Adams Tracks Of My Years LISTEN (Billboard) Covers album
- Lydia Ainsworth Right From Real LISTEN (The FADER)
- Steve Aoki Neon Future I Studio album from the DJ/producer will be followed by a second volume next year; this one features collaborations with Wacka Flocka Flame, will.i.am, Fall Out Boy, Empire of the Sun, and Bonnie McKee
- Ólöf Arnalds Palme
- Ausmuteants Order of Operation
- Baio On & On & On & On EP
- Blood Sister Blood Sister EP
- David Byrne & Fatboy Slim The Remix Collection from Here Lies Love
- Colbie Caillat Gypsy Heart
- Das Rad Radiation
- Kat Edmonson The Big Picture
- Electric Wizard . Time to Die
- Melissa Etheridge This Is M.E.
- Finch . Back to Oblivion
- Flying Colors Second Nature
- Lee Gamble . KOCH
- Genesis R-Kive 3xCD Career-spanning greatest hits set also includes a few solo tracks from each member
- Giant Claw DARK WEB LISTEN (Stereogum)
- Robin Gibb 50 St. Catherine's Drive Final previously unreleased recordings from the late artist
- The History of Apple Pie . Feel Something LISTEN (Pitchfork)
- Hudson Mohawke Chimes EP
- JEFF the Brotherhood Dig the Classics EP Covers of tracks by Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Fanclub, and Beck
- Nicholas Krgovich On Sunset Solo set from former No Kids member
- Tove Lo Queen of the Clouds Debut full-length for the Swedish singer-songwriter
- Seth MacFarlane Holiday for Swing! Christmas standards recorded with a 52-piece orchestra
- Madchild Switched On
- Raul Midón Don't Hesitate
- Nightbringer Ego Dominus Tuus
- Nonpoint The Return
- Erlend Øye Legao [out 3 Oct]
- Puig Destroyer Puig Destroyer
- Steve Reich Radio Rewrite
- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Gone Girl OST LISTEN (NPR) Digital release 9/30; available on CD later this year (tbd)
- Ritual Howls Turkish Leather
- Ruby Fray Grackle
- The Rural Alberta Advantage . Mended With Gold LISTEN (Spotify)
- Sea Oleena Shallow
- Self Defense Family Duets EP
- Joan Shelley Electric Ursa
- Sick of It All The Last Act Of Defiance
- Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Hearts Like Ours
- Slow Magic How to Run Away
- Michael W. Smith & Friends The Spirit of Christmas
- John Southworth Niagara
- Team Spirit Killing Time
- Stiff Little Fingers No Going Back
- Trigger Hippy Trigger Hippy
- Violent Soho Hungry Ghost
- Gerard Way . Hesitant Alien LISTEN (NME) Solo debut for former My Chemical Romance frontman
- Luke Winslow-King Everlasting Arms
- Yelle Complètement Fou
- Yes I'm Leaving Slow Release
Stream upcoming albums and new tracks
- Azealia Banks TRACK "Chasing Time" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Carl Barât And The Jackals TRACK "Glory Days" streaming at YouTube.
- Baths TRACK "Disorderly" streaming at SoundCloud.
- The Charlatans TRACK "Talking in Tones" streaming at YouTube (lyric video).
- Ex Hex ALBUM Rips streaming until its 10/7 release at NPR.
- Bryan Ferry TRACK "Loop De Li" streaming at YouTube.
- Field Report TRACK "Marigolden" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Tim Fite TRACK "Big MAC" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Foxygen ALBUM ...And Star Power streaming until its 10/14 release at NPR.
- Aretha Franklin TRACK "Rolling In The Deep" (Adele cover) streaming at YouTube.
- Godflesh ALBUM A World Lit Only By Fire streaming until its 10/7 release at NPR.
- Steve Gunn ALBUM Way Out Weather streaming until its 10/7 release at NPR.
- Ryan Hemsworth TRACK "Snow In Newark" streaming at SoundCloud.
- His Name Is Alive TRACK "African Violet Casts A Spell" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Hudson Mohawke TRACK "Brainwave" streaming at SoundCloud.
- JEFF the Brotherhood TRACK "Come in Alone" (My Bloody Valentine cover) streaming at Stereogum.
- Joey Bada$$ TRACK "Get Paid" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Kendrick Lamar TRACK "i" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Mark Lanegan Band TRACK "Harvest Home" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Lorde TRACK "Yellow Flicker Beat" (from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 OST) streaming at YouTube.
- Peter Morén TRACK "The Odyssey" streaming at Stereogum.
- Museum of Love TRACK "The Who's Who Of Who Cares" streaming at SoundCloud.
- NehruvianDOOM ALBUM NehruvianDOOM streaming until its 10/7 release at Pitchfork.
- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart TRACK "Summer of Dreams" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Damien Rice TRACK "I Don't Want To Change You" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Röyksopp TRACK "Skulls" streaming at Pitchfork.
- SBTRKT ALBUM Wonder Where We Land (out next week) streaming at the official site.
- Stars TRACK "No One Is Lost" streaming at SoundCloud.
- Tinashe TRACK "Bet" (feat. Devonté Hynes) streaming at YouTube.
- Weezer TRACK "Lonely Girl" streaming at YouTube.
- The Who TRACK "Be Lucky" (first new song in 8 years) streaming at YouTube.
- A Winged Victory For The Sullen ALBUM Atomos streaming until its 10/7 release at NPR.
- YACHT TRACK "Works Like Magic" streaming at Billboard.
- Zola Jesus ALBUM Taiga (out next week) streaming at NME and The New York Times.
On TV this week (new episodes only)
Monday: Tony Bennett (Fallon), Kenny Chesney (Conan), Clean Bandit (Kimmel), Colony House (Meyers), Aretha Franklin (Letterman)
Tuesday: Steve Aoki feat. Waka Flocka Flame and Travis Barker (Kimmel), Bleachers (Letterman), Chrissie Hynde (Conan), Lucinda Williams (Fallon), "Weird Al" Yankovic (Meyers)
Wednesday: Lady Antebellum (Fallon), The Both (Meyers), The Madden Brothers (Kimmel)
Thursday: 5 Seconds of Summer (Fallon), Ryan Adams (Conan), Delta Spirit (Letterman), Disclosure feat. Mary J. Blige (Kimmel)
Friday: Kandace Springs (Letterman)
Saturday: Beck (Austin City Limits), Maroon 5 (Saturday Night Live)
Recent artist and industry news
The winner of the 2014 Polaris Music Prize, given to the top Canadian album of the year, was Animism by Tanya Tagaq, an Inuk throat singer. She beat out better known contenders such as Arcade Fire and Drake.
Dr. Dre is once again the top earner in the world of hip hop, collecting $620 million over the past year—more than the next 24 highest earners combined. Diddy and Jay Z tied for the #2 spot with $60 million apiece. - Forbes
There's a crowdfunded documentary about indie label The Elephant 6 Recording Company in the works. - Pledge Music
We now live in a world where Urban Outfitters is the world's biggest seller of vinyl records. - BuzzFeed ... On second thought, maybe we don't. - Billboard
The latest music videos
Tweedy, "Low Key" (directed by Nick Offerman):
Mayer Hawthorne feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Crime" (directed by Rashida Jones):
Weezer, "Back to the Shack":
The Juan MacLean, "A Simple Design":
Tricky, "Sun Down" (starring Norman Reedus):
Cibo Matto, "Deja Vu":
Volcano Choir, "Tiderays":
JJ, "Dynasti":
The Bug, "Function / Void":
Mastodon, "The Motherload":
In the studio / coming soon
Kanye West has reportedly finished his next album and has played it for a small group of people at a listening party during Paris Fashion Week last week. Still no word on a title or a release date, but the album should hit stores before December. - CoS
After recently reuniting for live performances, The Replacements may now head to the studio to record a new album. - Rolling Stone
Bryan Ferry's new album Avonmore will be out on November 17th. Collaborators on the 10-track set include Johnny Marr, Nile Rogers, Mark Knopfler, Flea, and Ronnie Spector.
Neil Young is expected to release Storytone, an album recorded with a full orchestra, in November. - Pitchfork
Belle and Sebastian have titled their upcoming album Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance; it's out on January 20, 2015 via Matador. Here's a trailer.
Röyksopp will release The Inevitable End on November 11. It will be their final album, though they may continue to release music in other formats. - Pitchfork
AC/DC's Brendan O'Brien-produced Rock or Bust will be out December 2nd. It will be their first album without co-founder Malcolm Young, who is receiving full-time care in a nursing home. - Stereogum
Black Sabbath are planning to record one more album early next year. - Rolling Stone
Calvin Harris has a new album, Motion, arriving on November 4th. - Billboard
Visit Metacritic's Album Release Calendar for a full listing of upcoming release dates, updated daily.
Tours and festivals
Bob Seger's 23-date Ride Out tour begins in November. - Rolling Stone
Weezer have announced some new October dates, during which they will play their new album in its entirety. - Pitchfork