While last week's new releases was so deep that it had me paralyzed and unable to complete this regular feature, that's certainly not a problem this week. Meanwhile there's no big release that has me freaking out (like next week's Of Montreal release). That being said, there's a few releases worth looking at, especially with the knowledge that new releases taper off making way for holiday releases and box sets. This week we see new ones from Los Campesinos!, Lucinda Williams, Early Man, Vic Chesnutt (featuring Elf Power,) Ray LaMontagne (covered earlier,) The Mighty Underdogs, Dillinger Four, The Courteneers, Winterpills, Nikka Costa (covered a couple weeks ago,) Francis, Holly Golightly, Nick Jaina, and Windy & Carl.
Playlist: New Releases 10.14.08
Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
It's only been five months since their debut, but if you combine both Los Campesinos! short-but-sweet releases (Hold On Now, Youngster and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed,) it only comes out to an hour anyway, so why not shorten the release schedule. We Are Beautiful is the product of 11 days spent here in Seattle a few months back by the 7-piece from Wales, with producer John Goodmanson (Death Cab for Cutie, Sleater-Kinney,) but it hardly sounds like the album is an afterthought, in fact, there's already growth in songwriting, like the title track with lyrics like "Absence makes the heart grow fonder / Fondness makes the absence longer." The centerpiece of the album, though, is the song "You'll Need Those Fingers for Crossing," the lone long track, 5 minutes in length (nearly epic for the band,) which features the delicous line, "A soft porn version of the end of the world." The album promises to have tons of bonus material (a self-made DVD, 30-page liner notes, poster) and if that isn't enough to get your attention, they're also only running one pressing for it. So after it sells out (and it will,) We Are Beautiful... will immediately join the ranks of the 'out of print.' (So get it.)Early Man - Beware the Circling Fin
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
It's been awhile since we heard from this two-man metal wrecking crew known as Early Man, going back to 2005's Closing In -- surprisingly from Matador. To put it another way, that's three editions of Guitar Hero and a Rock Band video game they've missed out on in the interim. The band has parted ways with Matador, an odd pairing to begin with, and is now on the metal label The End Records. The band is still working on their long-player follow up, so this is just a taste of what's to come, and what a taste it is. Producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Afghan Wigs, Dwarves) is on board for the mixing, giving it a nice basement feel, and the EP's title track features an eco-warrior commentary, following the exploits of the Sea Shephard Conservation Society, which endorses a deliberate policy of sinking or sabotaging vessels they believe have violated international whaling law (see the Metal Sucks interview with frontman Mike Conte). That's bad ass, and if If you're going to mix metal and environmental concerns, logic dictates that it be bad ass.Download: "Sinking the Blade" [mp3]
More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
Vic Chesnutt - Dark Developments
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain / Free album stream from AOL
The Mighty Underdogs - Droppin' Science Fiction / "The Anthem" [mp3]
Dillinger Four - C I V I L W A R
The Courteeners - St. Jude
Winterpills - Central Chambers
Frances - All the While / Free album stream from AOL
Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs - Dirty Don't Hurt
Snow Patrol - Take Back the City (Single)
Nick Jaina - A Narrow Way
Windy and Carl - Songs for the Broken Hearted
Nikka Costa - Pebble to a Pearl
Run On Sentence - Oh When The Wind Comes Down
Secret Machines - Secret Machines / Free album stream from AOL
Brett Dennen - Hope for the Hopeless (in Rhapsody a week early)
I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini (AOL stream)
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall
Army Navy - Army Navy
The Visitations - The Conundrum Tree
Tobacco - F*cked Up Friends
Keane - Perfect Symmetry
Copeland - You Are My Sunshine / Free album stream from AOL
tags: music, album review, lucinda williams, los campesinos, early man, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody
