New This Week: Depeche Mode, Conor Oberst, Spoon, Gary Clark Jr., and More

Wendy Geller
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment

Searching for something to listen to this weekend? Yahoo Music has you covered with a rundown of some of this week’s biggest and buzzing releases, including Depeche Mode, Spoon, Conor Oberst, and more. Check back every Friday for a fresh list of albums to help fuel your weekend playlists.

Depeche Mode: Spirit (Columbia). The iconic ‘80s synth-rockers are on their 14th release, and, while the band has never been a stranger to gloom, this record is especially soaked in darkness. While some may feel the set is a direct response to post-Trump America, most of the songs were written prior to the election, making the overall vibe a pessimistic lens on the state of the world in general.

Conor Oberst: Salutations (Nonesuch). Oberst, after shuttering his project Bright Eyes and surviving a particularly challenging period in his personal life, emerged in 2016 with a collection of emotional demos called Ruminations. This is a companion piece to that work, featuring a full band fleshing out the extraordinarily personal compositions.

Spoon: Hot Thoughts (Matador). Lush, exploratory, adventurous, and in places quite raw, Spoon’s ninth album might be the quintet’s most realized work to date. In short, the record does exactly what a good ninth (or eighth, or 10th) album should do – both hook fans in with its signature vibe, but still manage to break career ground.

Gary Clark Jr.: Live/North America 2016 (Warner). Guitarist Clark is known for his chops, which means a live album devoid of studio trickery – something that not everyone can pull off — is a natural fit for his immense talent. Leon Bridges and saxophonist Jeff Dazey make guest appearances.

Greg Kihn Band: Rekihndled (Riot). This album title is an almost groan-worthy pun, but it has been more than two decades since we’ve heard anything from power-pop icon Greg Kihn – who was known in the ‘80s for his smashes “Jeopardy” and “The Break-Up Song.”

ADULT.: Detroit House Guests (Mute). The latest from husband-and-wife team Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller is a true artistic collaborative effort, featuring guest contributions from a startling range of fellow experimental artists. Sonically, it’s as unique as this would suggest.

Paul Shaffer & the World’s Most Dangerous Band (Sire). A star-studded cast of cameos from Dion, Jenny Lewis, Bill Murray, Darius Rucker, Shaggy, and Valerie Simpson round out this collection of thoughtfully chosen cover songs from former David Letterman bandleader Shaffer.

Obituary: Obituary (Relapse). In the mood for some good ol’ fashioned, old-school death metal? Obituary will handle that nicely for you, having engineered several decades in the genre, as well as a successful comeback in 2005. If you like it heavy and loud, you’re in luck.