Bored out of your skull from the lack of releases that made it onto record store shelves last week? Me too. However, never fear: this week brings a veritable cornucopia of new music, including four albums that could all vie for the top spot on the charts.
Do you like Colbie Caillat? I don’t. Even her name annoys me. There’s something about the whole cutesy vibe she has that drives me up a tree. She’s just too…perky. And happy. But it’s not like she gives a golden crap what I think. She’s had two hit albums and even picked up a Grammy for that borderline-icky Jason Mraz duet she had. Her new album is called All of You, and it features a guest appearance from…Common? I’m gonna have to listen to this one just to find out how craptastic the Colbie/Common collaboration is (and let’s hear it for alliteration, y’all.)
Six months ago, Blake Shelton was best known outside country music circles as the dude who’s married to Miranda Lambert. Now that “The Voice” has turned into something of a television phenomenon, the country star is ready to come into his own. with his new album, Red River Blue. I’d say this album probably has the best bet to debut at the top of the chart.
Incubus is a band that’s no stranger to topping the chart, having done so with their last album, 2006’s Light Grenades. Five years later, they’re back with If Not Now, When?, as appropriate a question as one could be asked after a five-year absence. Brandon Boyd is still a very pretty man, and the band is still catnip to radio, as first single “Adolescents” has already become a huge radio hit.
This week’s dark horse comes from Sublime…with Rome. I don’t know about you, but I find the whole “we’ll replace our dead lead singer with some dude who sounds exactly like our dead lead singer” thing kind of tasteless. So I don’t know what Bud and Eric are doing replacing Brad Nowell. I mean, the self-titled Sublime album (released after Brad’s death) sold something like a gazillion copies. They probably don’t need money. Why couldn’t they have just toured endlessly as Long Beach Dub All-Stars? At any rate, something tells me that the general public isn’t as offended by the replacing of Nowell as I am, so their Yours Truly could turn out to be a surprise hit.
Much like Frank Stallone, the list of releases this week is far from over. Deborah Harry and Blondie make their return after a few years off (from recording, not touring) with an album called Panic of Girls (not to be confused with the recent-and awesome-Duran Duran tune entitled “Girl Panic”.) They are joined on the release docket by “Teach Me How to Dougie” rappers Cali Swag District and Odd Future spinoff Mellowhype. Eleanor Friedberger AKA one half of indie darlings The Fiery Furnaces unleashes her solo effort, called Last Summer onto the world, and the week also brings new releases from prog-rock legends Yes, a blues-soul tribute album by George Thorogood and the Destroyers, a new one from Latino heavy metal favorites Sepultura (damn, these cats have been making records since I was in high school!), and a new effort from R&B smoothie Brian McKnight (who has also been making records since I was in high school-his debut album came out in my senior year-and he has released 11 records since. Oh my God, I’m a fossil.)
Y’all know the routine. Make sure you check out Pause and Play for a complete list of this week’s releases, and also make sure you take a gander at The Second Disc for a more in-depth look at this week’s reissues.
3 comments
Drew says:
Jul 12, 2011
I’ll be reviewing a few of these in these pages… let’s just say that, given what I’ve heard of the new incarnation of Sublime, I get the sinking feeling I didn’t need to buy that LMFAO album to have something to pan.
Yes, Colbie Callait is awful.
And there’s ANOTHER Odd Future spinoff record? Are these guys blowing up or something?
Drew says:
Jul 12, 2011
Also, Sublime With Rome may be the name of a band, but Subrome With Lime sounds like a delicious adult beverage.
blerd says:
Jul 12, 2011
Yep, they’re pretty much the new Wu-Tang. Crossed with the Insane Clown Posse.