Music Monday (8/18): This Week's New Albums + Videos

Metacritic
Updated

This week's new album releases

Each title listed below will go on sale beginning Tuesday, August 19 unless otherwise indicated.

JJ
V

Change happens. Based on a well-established formula, this fifth release from the Swedish duo should have been called jj n° 5; instead, the band's name has been capitalized, and we seem to have switched to Roman numerals. What other changes are in store for the group's first full-length since 2010's jj n° 3? Actually, not much; the band still works in the realm of woozy, experimental dream-pop with a heavy hip-hop/R&B influence.

Kimbra
The Golden Echo LISTEN (NPR)

Though she has been upstaged a bit in the past year by fellow Kiwi vocalist Lorde, 24-year-old Kimbra Lee Johnson is still one of only a handful of New Zealand-born artists ever to win a Grammy award, which she earned for her 2013 collaboration with Gotye, "Somebody that I Used to Know." Kimbra follows her 2012 debut Vows with a second full-length, The Golden Echo, this week. Flying Lotus, John Legend, Bilal, Mark Foster (Foster the People), Dave Longstreth (Dirty Projectors), Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, and Matt Bellamy (Muse) are among the guests on this Rich Costey-produced album that was co-written with Daniel Johns (Silverchair).

Wire
Document and Eyewitness 1979-1980 2xCD

In 1980, after releasing three of the better albums ever recorded, punk/post-punk/alt-rock legends Wire were on the verge of falling apart. But before they would break up for the first time, they opted to take out their aggressions on live audiences. Rather than play their hits, the band chose to perform almost entirely new (and rather incomplete) material in a surreal, dadaist performance that involved props, costumes, a number of performance artists, a goose, and an understandably hostile reaction from audiences. Their infamous Electric Ballroom show, along with a few other live tracks, and spoken commentary from fans in attendance, were captured on the double-live album Document and Eyewitness, which has long been out of print. This week's new reissue features remastered versions of the original album's tracks, plus additional material from the same time period (mainly rehearsal performances, but also a few studio cuts). Wire would eventually record studio versions of some of the new tracks performed at these shows, but not until last year, with the album Change Becomes Us.

Additional releases

Accept Blind Rage
Ryan Adams 1984 EP
10-song, 7-inch vinyl release
AroarA In the Pines LISTEN (Stereogum)
Bahamas Bahamas Is Afie
Baked Debt LISTEN (Stereogum)
Beach Day Native Echoes
Better Than Ezra Surprise
Remastered 25th anniversary reissue
Bishop Allen Lights Out LISTEN (NPR)
Benjamin Booker Benjamin Booker LISTEN (NPR)
Coachwhips Get Yer Body Next Ta Mine LISTEN (CoS)
Remastered reissue
Cory Branan The No-Hit Wonder
Chuck Brown & The Chuck Brown Band Beautiful Life
Buckcherry Fuck
Castanets Decimation Blues LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Celebration Albumin LISTEN (Stereogum)
Connections Into Sixes
Courteeners Concrete Love
UK only: 18 Aug
Darkness Divided Written In Blood
Dirty Loops Loopified LISTEN (Billboard)
Dr. John Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit Of Satch LISTEN (NY Times)
DragonForce Maximum Overload
DZ Deathrays Black Rat LISTEN (3voor12)
UK only: 18 Aug
Egypt Central Murder In The French Quarter
Electric Würms Musik, Die Shwer Zu Twerk
Six-song album from side project for Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) You Will Eventually Be Forgotten LISTEN (Stereogum)
The Fat White Family Champagne Holocaust LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Orenda Fink Blue Dream LISTEN (NPR)
Ace Frehley Space Invader
Bebel Gilberto Tudo
Christian Gregory Count on You
He Is Legend Heavy Fruit
Imogen Heap Sparks LISTEN (NPR)
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas Secret Evil
Jenny Hval and Susanna Meshes of Voices
Jason Feathers De Oro LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Debut album for the mysterious new project featuring Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and S. Carey, plus rapper Astronautilus; digital only today (CD will be out September tbd)
Wiz Khalifa Blacc Hollywood
Literature Chorus LISTEN (Hype Machine)
Cliff Martinez The Knick OST LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Digital release this week; CD version coming in September
Music Go Music Impressions LISTEN (A.V. Club)
Nicholas Nicholas Wrong LISTEN (Hype Machine)
Pallbearer Foundations of Burden LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Chase Rice Ignite The Night
Roadkill Ghost Choir In Tongues LISTEN (CoS)
Smokey Robinson Smokey & Friends
William Shatner Live
First CD release of 1977 live album
Sleeping Giant Finished People
Statik Selektah What Goes Around
Paul Thorn Too Blessed to Be Stressed LISTEN (Rolling Stone)
Randy Travis Influence: The Man I Am, Volume 2 LISTEN (Rolling Stone)
Twin Atlantic The Great Divide LISTEN (3voor12)
Midge Ure Fragile LISTEN (Billboard)
First new solo album in a decade
Various If I Stay OST
Various Look Again To The Wind: Johnny Cash's Bitter Tears Revisited
Various Nashville Outlaws - A Tribute to Motley Crue
Gretchen Wilson Snapshot
James Yorkston The Cellardyke Recording And Wassailing Society
Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor produces
Zero 7 Simple Science EP

Stream upcoming albums and new tracks

Ryan Adams
TRACK "My Wrecking Ball" streaming at Spotify.
Allo Darlin'
TRACK "Romance And Adventure" streaming at Soundcloud.
Alt-J
TRACK "Every Other Freckle" streaming at Soundcloud.
Basement Jaxx
ALBUM Junto (out 8/25) streaming at Stereogum.
Blonde Redhead
TRACK "The One I Love" streaming at Soundcloud.
The Bug
ALBUM Angels & Devils (out 8/25) streaming at FACT.
Caribou
TRACK "Our Love" streaming at Soundcloud.
Cameron Carpenter
ALBUM If You Could Read My Mind streaming until its 8/26 release at NPR.
Charli XCX
TRACK "Break the Rules" streaming at Buzzfeed.
Cold Specks
TRACK "Exit Plan" (feat. Michael Gira) streaming at Soundcloud.
Darkside
TRACK "Gone Too Soon" streaming at Soundcloud.
TRACK "What They Say" streaming at Soundcloud.
Death From Above 1979
TRACK "Government Trash" streaming at YouTube.
Dirty Beaches
TRACK "Displaced" streaming at Soundcloud.
DJ Shadow
ALBUM The Liquid Amber EP (with 2 new songs and a remix) streaming at Soundcloud.
Electric Würms
TRACK "Transform" streaming at YouTube.
Engineers
ALBUM Always Returning (out 9/16 in the U.S.) streaming at Soundcloud.
Field Report
TRACK "Home (Leave The Lights On)" streaming at Soundcloud.
Ariana Grande
TRACK "Best Mistake" streaming at Audiomack.
Half Japanese
TRACK "Our Love" streaming at Stereogum.
Herbert
TRACK "Bumps" streaming at Soundcloud.
Hot Chip
TRACK "Go Bang" (Arthur Russell cover) streaming at YouTube.
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
TRACK "Faust" streaming at Soundcloud.
Interpol
TRACK "Ancient Ways" streaming at YouTube.
Jeezy
TRACK "Beautiful" (feat. The Game & Rick Ross) streaming at Soundcloud.
Wiz Khalifa
TRACK "True Colors" (feat. Nicki Minaj) streaming at YouTube.
J Mascis
ALBUM Tied to a Star streaming until its 8/26 release at NPR.
John Mellencamp
TRACK "Troubled Man" streaming at YouTube.
Merchandise
ALBUM After the End streaming until its 8/26 release at NPR.
Nicki Minaj
TRACK "Anaconda" streaming at YouTube (lyric video).
My Brightest Diamond
TRACK "Lover/Killer" streaming at Soundcloud.
Peaking Lights
TRACK "Breakdown" streaming at Soundcloud.
Pharmakon
TRACK "Body Betrays Itself" streaming at Soundcloud.
Saint Pepsi
TRACK "Fall Harder" streaming at Soundcloud.
Ty Segall
ALBUM Manipulator streaming until its 8/26 release at NPR.
She Keeps Bees
TRACK "Owl" (feat. Sharon Van Etten) streaming at Soundcloud.
Shovels & Rope
ALBUM Swimmin' Time streaming until its 8/26 release at NPR.
Sinkane
TRACK "New Name" streaming at Stereogum.
Stars
TRACK "From the Night" streaming at Soundcloud.
Tennis
TRACK "I'm Callin'" streaming at Soundcloud.
The Wytches
ALBUM Annabel Dream Reader streaming until its 8/26 release at NPR.

On TV this week (new episodes only)

  • Monday: The Gaslight Anthem (Letterman), Jenny Lewis (Conan), Röyksopp & Robyn (Fallon), Taylor Swift (Yahoo! Screen, 5p ET)

  • Tuesday: Robby Johnson (Letterman), Tove Lo (Conan), The Madden Brothers (Fallon)

  • Wednesday: 30 Seconds to Mars (Fallon), Jeremy Messersmith (Letterman)

  • Thursday: Echo & The Bunnymen (Letterman), John Legend (Yahoo! Screen, 12:10a ET)

  • Friday: The Secret Sisters (Fallon)

  • Saturday: Guided by Voices (Yahoo! Screen, 9:30p ET)

  • Sunday: Justin Timberlake (Yahoo! Screen, 5p ET)

Recent artist and industry news

  • Albums have traditionally been released on Tuesdays in North America and on Mondays in the UK. But that could change as soon as next year, if some in the industry get their way. Are you ready for new album Fridays? - Billboard

  • The Bjork concert documentary Björk: Biophilia Live may be heading to a theater near you this fall; here's a trailer for the film.

  • Duran Duran's 2011 concert film directed by David Lynch has been re-edited and will screen in theaters on one night only: September 10th. Here's a trailer.

The latest music videos

Arcade Fire, "You Already Know":

The Black Keys, "Weight of Love" [NSFW]:

Basement Jaxx, "Galactical":

Röyksopp & Robyn, "Monument":

Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora, "Black Widow":

Ariana Grande feat. Zedd, "Break Free":

Ryan Adams, "Gimme Something Good" [starring Elvira]:

Michael Jackson, "A Place With No Name":

Johnny Marr, "Easy Money":

The 2 Bears feat. Stylo G, "Money Man":

Woman's Hour, "In Stillness We Remain":

Atmosphere, "Southsiders":

In the studio / coming soon

  • What appears to be a viral marketing campaign for a new Aphex Twin release kicked into high gear today with the release of what appears to be a tracklist for an album titled SYRO. - Stereogum

  • Charli XCX will release her sophomore album, Sucker, on October 21st.

  • Guitarist Chris Walla is departing Death Cab for Cutie, the band he co-founded, after 17 years, but early next year Death Cab will release one final album (the band's eighth) with Walla as a member. - Brooklyn Vegan

  • Lil Wayne's "final" Carter album, Tha Carter V, will drop October 28th. Drake and Nicki Minaj guest.

  • Cosmic Logic, the third album from duo Peaking Lights, arrives on October 7.

  • Austin's I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness return with Dust, their first album in eight years, on October 28th via Secretly Canadian. Ministry's Paul Barker produces.

  • IX is the appropriately titled ninth LP from ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead; it's out 11/11.

  • Dirty Beaches will release an instrumental album, Stateless, on November 4th. - Pitchfork

  • A new Grouper album, Ruins, will be out on October 31st. - Pitchfork

  • Allo Darlin' will release their third album, We Come From the Same Place, on October 7th via Slumberland.

  • Culture Club has reunited and will release their first album in 16 years in 2015. - Billboard

Visit Metacritic's Album Release Calendar for a full listing of upcoming release dates, updated daily.

Tours and festivals

  • Atmosphere have extended their tour through November. - Pollstar

  • The Bug has a dozen dates on tap in support of his new album. - Pitchfork

  • Capital Cities have new dates in October and November. - Pollstar

  • FKA twigs has booked a worldwide tour for this fall, including North American dates in November. - Pitchfork

  • Cass McCombs and Meat Puppets have a co-headlining tour set for October and beyond. - Pitchfork

  • Kacey Musgraves will also be on the road this fall. - Pollstar

  • Nas has a brief fall tour planned in which he'll perform Illmatic in its entirety, in conjunction with screenings of a new documentary, Nas: Time Is Illmatic. - CoS

  • Neon Trees are spending the fall months on the road. - Pollstar

  • Stars hit the road in November in support of their upcoming album. - CoS

  • Tweedy will take its father and son show on the road after a few Wilco dates in early September. - Billboard