Music Monday (8/4): This Week's New Albums + Videos
This week's new album releases
Each title listed below will go on sale beginning Tuesday, August 5 unless otherwise indicated.
Spoon
They Want My Soul
Spoon's last album, way back in 2010, was a critical disaster, by the band's own elite standards: Transference scored a "mere" 80. That release came after four straight albums of 84 or higher, making the Britt Daniel-led indie rock outfit one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the century. After taking time off to pursue side projects (such as Daniel's Divine Fits), Spoon have reunited, turning to outside producers (Joe Chiccarelli and the ubiquitous Dave Fridmann) for the first time to record They Want My Soul. Spoon's eighth studio album also features new keyboardist/guitarist Alex Fischel (another Divine Fits member), and sees the band moving from longtime home Merge to a larger label, Loma Vista. You won't hear too many of those changes on the record however; instead, you'll find ten tightly constructed, immaculately produced pop-rock songs that would be welcome on any of the band's recent albums. It would be hailed as a return to form were it not for the fact that Spoon have never departed from form.
Additional releases
- Adult Jazz Gist Is LISTEN (NPR) Debut from Leeds band is available as an import in the U.S. [4 Aug]
- Alestorm Sunset On The Golden Age
- Willis Earl Beal Experiments in Time LISTEN (Pitchfork) Beal is self-releasing his latest album, which means he can do crazy things like release it on a Friday (8/8)
- Bear in Heaven Time Is Over One Day Old LISTEN (NPR)
- Blues Pills Blues Pills
- Etienne Charry Mood Indigo OST
- Chrome Feel It Like A Scientist LISTEN (CoS)
- Cold World How The Gods Chill LISTEN (Stereogum)
- Counterpunch Bruises
- Darkest Hour Darkest Hour
- Christopher Denny If the Roses Don't Kill Us
- Divorcee Divorcee EP
- The Due Diligence Are You Down
- The Empty Hearts The Empty Hearts New band features members of Blondie, The Cars, The Romantics, and Chesterfield Kings
- John Garcia John Garcia
- Paul Gilbert Stone Pushing Uphill Man
- Godsmack 1000HP
- Andy Grammer Magazines or Novels
- Devonte Hynes Palo Alto OST This is the score from the film (a previously released soundtrack contains other songs heard in the film)
- The Icarus Line Avowed Slavery EP
- The Interrupters The Interrupters
- Al Jarreau My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke
- Shooter Jennings Don't Wait Up (For George)
- Katie Kate Nation LISTEN (Stereogum)
- David Kilgour & The Heavy 8's End Times Undone
- Kix Rock Your Face Off
- Ladada Ladada
- Nils Lofgren Face the Music 9xCD+DVD Career retrospective box set features 169 tracks, including some rarities and concert videos
- Lusine Arterial
- Ben Miller Band Any Way, Shape or Form
- Mogwai Come On Die Young 2xCD US release of double-disc reissue of band's second album
- Mozart's Sister Being LISTEN (Pitchfork)
- Naomi Punk Television Man LISTEN (Pitchfork)
- The Once Departures
- Operators EP1 EP New band from Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits)
- Owl John Owl John Solo debut from Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison
- The Rosebuds Sand + Silence LISTEN (Pitchfork) Justin Vernon produces and guests
- Roses Dreamlover EP
- Billy Joe Shaver Long in the Tooth
- Spider Bags Frozen Letter
- Angus & Julia Stone Angus & Julia Stone Rick Rubin-produced third album from the Australian sibling duo
- Sunny Sweeney Provoked
- Tuatara Underworld
- Twin Peaks Wild Onion
- Andreas Varady Andreas Varady
- Various Now 51: That's What I Call Music
- Various Now That's What I Call Party Anthems 2
- Wovenwar Wovenwar
Stream upcoming albums and new tracks
- Damon Albarn TRACK "Sister Rust" (from the Lucy OST) streaming at YouTube.
- Avi Buffalo TRACK "Memories of You" streaming at YouTube.
- Chance The Rapper & The Social Experiment TRACK "Wonderful Everyday: Arthur" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Delta Spirit TRACK "Live On" streaming at YouTube.
- FKA twigs TRACK "Pendulum" streaming at YouTube.
- Fucked Up TRACKS "Blink" b/w "The Way We Did" (new single) streaming at Stereogum.
- Sarah Jaffe ALBUM Don't Disconnect streaming until its 8/19 release at NPR.
- JJ ALBUM V streaming until its 8/19 release at NPR.
- Lucero ALBUM Live From Atlanta (out 8/12) streaming at Spin.
- J Mascis TRACK "Wide Awake" (feat. Cat Power) streaming at Soundcloud.
- Nicki Minaj TRACK "Anaconda" streaming at Spotify.
- Sinead O'Connor ALBUM I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss streaming until its 8/12 release at NPR.
- Purling Hiss TRACK "Learning Slowly" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Porter Robinson ALBUM Worlds streaming until its 8/12 release at NPR.
- Simian Mobile Disco TRACK "Dervish" streaming at YouTube.
- A Sunny Day in Glasgow TRACK "Almost Like Emotion (The Drop)" streaming at Pitchfork.
- Tweedy TRACK "Low Key" streaming at Soundcloud.
- The Underachievers ALBUM Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium streaming until its 8/12 release at NPR.
- Dustin Wong & Takako Minekawa TRACK "She He See Feel" streaming at Soundcloud.
On TV this week (new episodes only)
Monday: Disclosure (Kimmel), Nikki Lane (Conan), Rixton (Meyers), Spoon (Fallon)
Tuesday: The Head and The Heart (Fallon), Jake Owen (Kimmel), Jamie Scott (Conan)
Wednesday: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Kimmel), Chase Rice (Meyers), Wiz Khalifa (Fallon), Wu-Tang Clan (Daily Show)
Thursday: Banks (Kimmel), Echo & The Bunnymen (Yahoo! Screen, 12:45am ET), T.I. (Fallon)
Saturday: David Gray (Yahoo! Screen, 10pm ET)
Sunday: OneRepublic (Yahoo! Screen, 10pm ET)
Recent artist and industry news
Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley, Postal Service) doesn't just have a new solo album out; she also has a new wine. Grab Broc Cellars' "The Voyager" Red Blend from excellent L.A. wine shop DomaineLA.
The latest music videos
Beck, "Heart Is a Drum":
Lana Del Rey, "Ultraviolence":
BANKS, "Beggin For Thread":
Janelle Monáe, "Electric Lady":
Franz Ferdinand, "Stand On The Horizon":
Sam Smith, "I'm Not The Only One":
Real Estate, "Had to Hear":
Mac DeMarco, "Chamber Of Reflection":
Bill Callahan, "Javelin Unlanding":
Philip Selway, "Coming Up For Air":
Foxygen, "How Can You Really":
The Gaslight Anthem, "Rollin' And Tumblin'":
In the studio / coming soon
TV on the Radio will release Seeds, their first album in three years, this fall. It's their first for new label Harvest. Watch an album trailer.
Jessie Ware's upcoming album Tough Love how has an official release date: October 21st in North America. UK fans will get the album a bit earlier, on October 6th.
Muse will release their next album in summer 2015. - NME
Foxygen's overstuffed next album, ...And Star Power, is out October 14th. It clocks in at 82 minutes and 24 tracks. - Jagjaguwar
Canada's Stars return on October 14 with No One Is Lost.
The Flaming Lips' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band track-for-track covers album (titled With a Little Help From My Fwends) drops October 28th. The full roster of "fwends" includes Phantogram, My Morning Jacket, Miley Cyrus, Moby, MGMT, Foxygen, J Mascis, Juliana Barwick, Maynard James Keenan, Grace Potter, and more.
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett will release their duets album Cheek to Cheek—featuring covers of standards such as "Sophisticated Lady" and "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"—on September 23rd. - Billboard
October 14 brings a new Pharmakon album, Bestial Burden. - Pitchfork
Chris Brown has set yet another release date for his sixth album, X. This time, it is set to come out on September 16th.
Don't expect another Blur album anytime soon. - NME
Visit Metacritic's Album Release Calendar for a full listing of upcoming release dates, updated daily.
