Something tells me that the weeks of no noteworthy releases are a thing of the past-at least until the end of the year. The 4th quarter buying season is almost upon us, and although there aren’t any mega-superstar releases coming out this week, there are a couple of albums that should challenge Eminem and Katy Perry for the #1 spot on the Billboard charts next week in addition to several albums that might not have #1 potential but will definitely […]
Posts tagged "Pause and Play"
New Release Report 8/17/10: Sensitivity
Those of you who like your singer/songwriters sensitive are in for a treat today, because the overwhelming majority of albums coming out today (at least those worth mentioning) feature in that little sub-genre! I promise I will not say another word about how Ray LaMontagne makes me swoon. All I will say is that his fourth album, “God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise” is at the top of my new release list for various reasons. I will also say […]
New Release Report 7/27/10: Not Like You’re Missing Anything…
In the words of the immortal Sly Stone: “heard ya missed me, well I’m back!”. Of course, I wasn’t intending to take so much time off, but New York was just too much damn fun to spend my time writing. Anyway, the new release column is a day late, but the way I see things, there’s nothing worth running out to your local ‘wrecka sto’ for, anyway. Here’s a couple of highlights. I must admit that I snickered when I […]
New Release Report 7/6/10: Big Boi is Finally Set Free
Remember when there was the big hubbub about Big Boi’s “Something’s Gotta Give” video? It was pretty much a 4-minute campaign ad for Barack Obama, and despite the fact that the song was kinda “eh”, folks were hopeful that Big’s debut solo album was gonna bring the goods-especially after OutKast’s somewhat odd “Idlewild” soundtrack. Well, that Big Boi album-“Sir Lucious Leftfoot-The Son of Chico Dusty”-is finally arriving…damn near halfway into President Obama’s first term. Leaks and label drama have derailed […]
New Release Report 6/21/10: Shady Monday
Is it me, or has almost every single Eminem album wound up being released early? Breaking from the tradition of having new music come out on Tuesday (I wonder why that started), “Recovery”, along with a healthy bunch of other new albums, arrives a day early. Most people who have gotten the chance to sample Em’s latest say that it’s a return to form. It’s certainly Eminem’s most contemporary sounding albums, with production from the likes of Just Blaze and […]
New Release Report 6/1/10: You Don't Know Jack
OK. I lie. If you’ve heard even one Jack Johnson record, you probably know him pretty well. The mellow Hawaiian surfer dude has very quietly become probably the most popular male pop/rock singer in the country not named John Mayer. And he’s done it without dating any celebrities, making an ass of himself in print media, or even having a hit song at radio. He definitely has a certain appeal. A lot of folks-myself included-occasionally need to hear music that […]
New Release Report 5/4/10: Nineties Redux & An Indie Rock Extravaganza!
I knew which titles I wanted to spotlight today, then I took a look at the list of this week’s releases and realized that there’s, like, 3 million albums coming out today. Then my head exploded. Fortunately, a crack team of scientists was able to locate the part of my brain that retains musical knowledge and typing skills, and I am miraculously able to type up this column for you today. Let’s start with what’s a huge day in the […]
New Release Report 4/13/10: MGMT Clocks in for Their Shift
You don’t have to be a pretentious hipster to like MGMT. I found “Oracular Spectacular”, the duo’s 2008 debut, quite charming. However, a lot of the buzz around their new album, “Congratulations” (which is out today), has been kinda off-putting. Not the reviews of the album itself, but the way the band’s been attempting to distance themselves from their debut just smacks of pretension. I’m probably not being fair. I’m sure the album is at least worth a listen. Maybe […]
The Bird & the Bee's Tribute to the Masters of Blue-Eyed Soul
I generally turn my nose at covers albums. I can’t even remember the last one that I actually liked. The new project from the Bird & the Bee, though, is interesting enough that I’m willing to temporarily lift my ban on entire albums of remakes. The dream-pop duo from Los Angeles is releasing “Interpreting the Masters; A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates” today. Yes, you read that correctly. Not too many years after H2O’s own somewhat ill-advised covers […]
The "Pursuit" of Jamie Cullum
Let’s give a hand to the guys and girls out there who are trying to prove that jazz isn’t just for old folks, dentist offices and elevators anymore. And I’m not talking about folks like Michael Buble-although by recording with artists like Sharon Jones and injecting some contemporary flavor into his music, he’s trying-bless his heart. I’m talking about artists like Marco Benevento and resident cheeky Brit Jamie Cullum, who releases his new album, “The Pursuit”, today. Well, actually-it gets […]
Konfusion & K-os!
Despite the fact that I pretty much despise everything MTV stands for these days, I’ve gotta give props to the network formerly known as “music television” for introducing me to a handful of artists over time. One such artist is K-os. I was watching the Sucker Free countdown on MTV2 a few years back when I saw the video for “Superstarr Pt. Zero”. Struck by how much the track reminded me of the true-school hip-hop that I love, I purchased […]