Ever wanted a best-of collection by masked metallers Slipknot? Not like you can’t just create your own mix these days, but for those that would like to be spoon-fed, you’re in luck? The most famous Iowans in…history (maybe??) are releasing an anthology entitled Antennas To Hell, and I’m gonna leave the editorializing to y’all…’cause, quite frankly, I have never heard a Slipknot song in my life, and I’d like to keep it that way. Those masks scare me.
I’m infinitely more familiar with Jennifer Lopez‘s music-which isn’t really a good thing. Sure, the actress/pitchwoman/dancer has had a few memorable hit singles, but her career has been maybe 3 parts miss to 1 part hit, and let’s not forget about the whole “she can’t really sing” thing. At any rate, 13 years (!!) since she first appeared on the charts, J. Lo is releasing Dance Again-The Hits. The album contains all of her big radio singles, almost all of which seem to feature a rapper. To wit, the list of guest emcees on this anthology includes LL Cool J, Pitbull, Fabolous, Ja Rule, Fat Joe, Big Pun, Jadakiss, Styles P and Lil Wayne. Put all those guys in a room together and someone’s getting shot.
This week’s pretty hits-heavy, with no major releases gracing store shelves. The Gaslight Anthem have become beloved amongst a certain subset of music fans for their mix of punk and straight-up American rock. They’re beloved enough that some guy named Springsteen jumped on stage with them not too long ago. Let’s see if an endorsement from The Boss translates into sales for their latest album, Handwritten.
There was a very interesting piece on Pitchfork (a site I otherwise abhor) recently about Passion Pit singer Michael Angelakos’s struggle with mental illness. I already liked the band, but if anyone on the fence about them read that article, it probably guilted them into at least giving a cursory listen to their second full-length release, Gossamer. I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with most of the band members on a couple of occasions, and they’re pretty pleasant dudes, so even if I didn’t like their music, I’d wish them the best. Fortunately, I do like their music, and you should too.
And…that’s pretty much it, folks. Those of you into Bob Mould (whose book I’m still rifling through) will dig the deluxe reissues of his band Sugar’s warmly-regarded Nineties albums Beaster, File Under: Easy Listening (which, in my record store days, many clerks actually did…despite the fact that Sugar isn’t a particularly easy listen) and Copper Blue. Those of you into the Red Hot Chili Peppers might dig the latest EP by former guitarist John Frusciante (who releases more music than any human on Earth,) and those of you into Golden Age Hip-Hop might dig on the expanded reissues of GZA’s Liquid Swords and The Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, with extra tracks, instrumentals, and pretty packaging (the GZA set is packaged inside a Chess box! That’s the Wu!!)
Get your full list of this week’s releases right chea!!