Thom Yorke – Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes
Surprise! We got a new Thom Yorke record and like his main
band, Radiohead, Yorke found a creative way to release his latest offering,
this time, via BitTorrent. Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes is officially the second
solo album from Yorke, and he has confirmed with this record that Atoms For
Peace are now their own separate entity. Working with longtime producer Nigel
Goodrich, Yorke released a record that showcases his musical thumbprint with
some of his most introspective and straightforward lyrics to date.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Death From Above 1979 – The Physical World
Ten years after their landmark debut, Canadian post-hardcore
thrashers DFA 1979 regrouped and released their sophomore record. The Physical
World is a bit more polished then their debut, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine,
and it is also much more political than ever before. Still this band made us
all wait to hear them again and this proves it was worth the wait.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Statik Selektah - What Goes Around
One of the hottest indie producers in hip-hop looks to really show the world what his craft is and why he is one of the most important people in the business right now when it comes to controlling the decks. Statik Selektah hones all of that in on What Goes Around, his later offering that features a slew of guests that reads like a "whose who" of hip-hop. Featuring the likes of Action Bronson, Joey Badass, Styles P, Talib Kweli, Snoop Dogg, B-Real, Black Thought, NORE, Sheek Louch, Dilated Peoples, and many more.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Hozier
The Irish singer / songwriting rising sensation is not
afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and his brilliant debut is a showcase of
emotion, creativity, and passion.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Foxygen - …And Star Power
Foxygen bursted onto the scene last year with their
incredible album, We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and
Magic, and return with another incredible dive into the musical
sonicsphere. …And Star Power is
the third album from this ambitious California duo and clocking in at over 80 minutes,
the venture further into physcadelica that fans of Tame Impala, Flaming Lips,
and Frank Zappa would love.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Kele – Trick
For the Bloc Party frontman’s second solo album, he dabbles
more into ambient and personal territory but also sticks to his love of
electronic and rock in the same retrospective collection of new tracks. Trick
is a treat for fans of Kele and Bloc Party around the world and while this
record won’t be getting a party started like his main band’s albums or his solo
debut would, it still brings enough emotion and attention to his craft.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Robert Plant – Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar
The iconic voice of Led Zeppelin returns in a much more
stripped down fashion with his new band, The Sensational Space Shifters and
brings forth another dimension to a career that could have ended a long time
ago, yet, Plant still forges ahead making new music and sounds to challenge
himself and keep busy.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Julian Casablancas and the Voidz – Tyranny
The second solo album from The Strokes front man hears
Casablancas do his typical garage rock meets 80’s new wave vibe. He also
ventures off into punk, funk, and space rock on a record that has the singer
showcasing nearly every type of music he likes and throwing it into one record.
FINAL GRADE: B
Black Map
Members of dredg, Far, and The Trophy Fire team up for a
post-hardcore showdown and their debut does not disappoint. Combining
thunderous rhythm sections and heavy riffs, this is a band to look out for.
FINAL GRADE: B
Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems
The legendary poet and singer returns to celebrate his 80th
birthday and to show that he still has it and still has something to say.
FINAL GRADE: B
The Drums – Encyclopedia
The fun in the sun New York City surf rockers return with
their third record and following the pattern of their first two albums, they
still bring heartfelt lyrics to a very pop-friendly sound.
FINAL GRADE: B
Stars – No One Is Lost
The Canadian rock ensemble return with more joy, fun, and
dance anthems than one could imagine. No One Is Lost is Stars at their usual
greatness and still loving what they are doing.
FINAL GRADE: B
SBTRKT – Wonder Where We Land
The second album from British producer SBTRKT hears the
electronic guru making sharp turns in his sonic scope of musical landscape.
With special guests Ezra Koenig, Jessie Ware, A$AP Ferg, Sampha, Wonder Where
We Land plays like an event rather than a record.
FINAL GRADE: B
John Mellencamp – Plain Spoken
Twenty-two albums in, John Mellencamp still has so much to
say about the world around him and while his roots rock, folk influences shine
through, we are glad he still has something to get off his chest.
FINAL GRADE: B
Melvins – Hold It In
The second Melvins record to be released this year and
features a totally different line-up than previous records, in fact, this is a
classic Melvins record line-up and still making classic Melvins noise.
FINAL GRADE: B
Tennis – Ritual in Repeat
The third album from the husband and wife duo hears them
still making fun in the sun surf pop that is playfully romantic, cute, and
charming.
FINAL GRADE: B-
Michael Cera – true that
Scott Pilgrim himself, Michael Cera, surprised fans last
month with the release of his lo-fi solo debut, true that, and what is even
more surprising is that the actor actually has pretty good chops holding his
own on a full record.
FINAL GRADE: B-
The Flaming Lips – With a Little Help From My Fwends
Like they did with Dark Side of the Moon a few years back,
The Flaming Lips call in their friends Miley Cyrus, Moby, Phantogram, My
Morning Jacket and more to cover The Beatles’ masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely
Hearts Club Band. While the idea of having this mixture of music together to
cover the greatest album of all time sounds amusing and entertaining, the record
should not be touched, even by the biggest of Beatles fans.
FINAL GRADE: D
