Music Monday (9/8): This Week's New Albums + Videos

Metacritic
Updated

This week's new album releases

Each title listed below will go on sale beginning Tuesday, September 9 unless otherwise indicated.

Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams LISTEN (NPR)

This self-titled, self-produced effort is Adams' first LP since 2011's Ashes & Fire—a rare multi-year break from the one-time ultra-prolific artist. (Not that he hasn't been working; the "time off" has seen Adams working as a producer for other artists, as well as forming a new punk band, Pornography.)

Banks
Goddess

On seemingly every new-artist-to-watch list heading into 2014, 26-year-old L.A.-born, London-based artist Jillian Banks finally releases her full-length debut this week with Goddess, which follows a pair of 2013 EPs. Banks has toured with fellow modern R&B artist The Weeknd, and has also drawn comparisons to Lana Del Rey and Frank Ocean, while she cites Fiona Apple as a major influence. Though the album isn't perfect, critics have many good things to say about it so far.

Death From Above 1979
The Physical World

A decade ago, Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 released its first album, the well-reviewed You're A Woman, I'm A Machine. It was also the band's final album ... until now. After reuniting a few years ago to perform live, DFA1979 have returned to the studio with Oasis/LCD Soundsystem producer Dave Sardy to record their sophomore LP, The Physical World. Rather than move in a new direction, World finds the band sounding very much like they did a decade ago.

Interpol
El Pintor LISTEN (NPR)

It has been a case of declining returns for New York's Interpol, whose 2002 debut Turn On The Bright Lights shone brightly, indeed—but so much so that the band has spent the ensuing years trying to escape its shadow. But this week brings a chance for rebirth with what critics are calling a strong return to form. Their fifth album (and first release in four years) finds Interpol down to a trio; the highly visible Carlos Dengler has departed the group, and lead singer Paul Banks has assumed Dengler's bass duties as well. The self-produced El Pintor (Spanish for "the painter") also features contributions from Brandon Curtis of The Secret Machines, while veteran producer Alan Moulder handles the mixing.

Karen O
Crush Songs LISTEN (The Guardian)

While Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O has dabbled with soundtrack work on the side (including an Oscar-nominated track for last year's Her as well as Where the Wild Things Are), this week's Crush Songs marks her first official full-length album as a solo artist. The music here actually dates back to 2006 and 2007, and has a lo-fi, home-recorded feel. Perhaps too much so: critics are calling this a "for fans only" set filled with incomplete sketches, though Karen O's voice still elevates the material into something worth hearing.

Robert Plant
Lullaby and…The Ceaseless Roar LISTEN (NPR)

While Led Zeppelin's reissue campaign got off to a strong start earlier this year (and continues later this fall), the band's members aren't merely stuck in the past. Singer Robert Plant will release his 10th solo album (and first for new label Nonesuch) tomorrow. Lullaby finds Plant backed by The Sensational Space Shifters (some of whom played on Plant's 2005 effort Mighty Rearranger), and the singer describes the new record, intriguingly, as "a celebratory record, but it's very crunchy and gritty, very West African and very Massive Attack-y." Appreciative critics, meanwhile, are describing it as "stunning" and "riveting."

Simian Mobile Disco
Whorl LISTEN (NY Times)

In their decade since leaving the band Simian, the duo of James Ford and Jas Shaw have shuffled through various electronic dance music genres, recently (on 2012's Unpatterns) leaving their vocal-oriented earlier tracks behind to focus on more minimalist techno music. They continue that minimalist bent on their latest, Whorl, but with an added level of difficulty: the entire album was recorded live, in real time, in the California desert community of Joshua Tree, in a computer-free performance that saw each member limited to a synth and a sequencer.

Additional releases

Jhené Aiko Souled Out
American Hi-Fi Blood & Lemonade
Avi Buffalo At Best Cuckold LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Ballet School The Dew Lasts an Hour LISTEN (Hype Machine)
Marco Beltrami The Giver OST
Better Than Ezra All Together Now LISTEN (YouTube)
Lee Brice I Don't Dance
Busdriver Perfect Hair
Cayetana Nervous Like Me
Billy Childs Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro
Delta Spirit Into the Wide LISTEN (CoS)
Duologue Never Get Lost LISTEN (SoundCloud)
Justin Townes Earle Single Mothers
Esben & The Witch A New Nature LISTEN (SoundCloud)
Flowers Do What You Want To, It's What You Should Do
Valery Gore Idols in the Dark Heart LISTEN (SoundCloud)
Grateful Dead Wake Up To Find Out: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 3/29/1990 3xCD
Greensky Bluegrass If Sorrows Swim
Herbert Part 7 EP
Hiss Golden Messenger Lateness of Dancers LISTEN (Pitchfork)
First album for new label Merge; William Tyler and Megafaun are among the guests
In Flames Siren Charms
Ital Endgame
Vance Joy Dream Your Life Away
Lecrae Anomaly
Lemonade Minus Tide
Love Inks Exi
Dustin Lynch Where It's At
David Mayfield Strangers
Mazes Wooden Aquarium
A.C. Newman What If OST
Niagara Don't Take it Personally LISTEN (CoS)
PC Worship Social Rust
Pere Ubu Carnival of Souls LISTEN (3voor12)
Queen Live at the Rainbow '74 2xCD
Previously unreleased London concert
Rittz Next To Nothing
Sean Rowe Madman LISTEN (3voor12)
Salt Cathedral OOM VELT EP
Slimkid3 & DJ Numark Slimkid3 & DJ Numark
Sloan Commonwealth LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Tennis Ritual in Repeat LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Producers include Spoon's Jim Eno, The Black Keys' Patrick Carney, and The Shins' Richard Swift
Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer Bass & Mandolin
Tricky Adrian Thaws LISTEN (Stereogum)
Ukiah Drag In the Reaper's Quarters LISTEN (Pitchfork)
Various Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For OST
Various Take Me to the River OST
Loudon Wainwright III Haven't Got the Blues (Yet)
Wave Sleep Wave Never Notice
Michelle Williams Journey to Freedom

Stream upcoming albums and new tracks

Aphex Twin
TRACK "minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]" streaming at YouTube.
Baio
TRACK "ON&ON&ON&ON" streaming at SoundCloud.
Mary J. Blige
TRACK "Right Now" streaming at YouTube.
The Bug
TRACK "Black Wasp" (feat. Liz Harris) streaming at YouTube.
Vashti Bunyan
TRACK "Holy Smoke" streaming at SoundCloud.
Julian Casablancas + The Voidz
TRACK "Human Sadness" streaming at YouTube.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
TRACK "Give Us A Kiss" (previously unreleased) streaming at YouTube (lyric video).
Cobra Starship
TRACK "Never Been In Love" (feat. Icona Pop) streaming at YouTube (lyric video).
Cold War Kids
TRACK "First" streaming at SoundCloud.
Ex Cops
TRACK "Tragically Alright" (feat. Ariel Pink) streaming at SoundCloud.
Flying Lotus
TRACK "Never Catch Me" (feat. Kendrick Lamar) streaming at YouTube.
Foxygen
TRACK "Cosmic Vibrations" streaming at YouTube.
Lia Ices
ALBUM Ices streaming until its 9/16 release at NPR.
King Tuff
TRACK "Danger in the Dark" streaming at SoundCloud.
Mark Lanegan Band
TRACK "Floor of the Ocean" streaming at SoundCloud.
Sondre Lerche
TRACK "Sentimentalist" streaming at SoundCloud.
Locust
TRACK "I'll Be There" streaming at SoundCloud.
Mastodon feat. Gibby Haynes
TRACK "Atlanta" streaming at SoundCloud.
Cass McCombs
TRACK "Night Of The World" streaming at SoundCloud.
Modest Mouse
TRACK "White Lies, Yellow Teeth" (previously unreleased 1997 track) streaming at SoundCloud.
MONO
TRACK "Where We Begin" streaming at SoundCloud.
My Brightest Diamond
ALBUM This Is My Hand streaming until its 9/16 release at NPR.
Stevie Nicks
TRACK "Lady" streaming at YouTube (lyric video).
Christopher Owens
TRACK "Never Wanna See That Look Again" streaming at SoundCloud.
Prince
TRACK "U Know" streaming at SoundCloud.
TRACK "Whitecaps" streaming at SoundCloud.
Robyn
TRACK "Tell You (Today)" streaming at YouTube.
SBTRKT
TRACK "Higher" (feat. Raury) streaming at YouTube.
Philip Selway
TRACK "It Will End In Tears" streaming at SoundCloud.
She Keeps Bees
TRACK "Radiance" streaming at SoundCloud.
SOHN
TRACK "The Chase" streaming at SoundCloud.
Stars
TRACK "Turn It Up" streaming at SoundCloud.
TV on the Radio
TRACK "Happy Idiot" streaming at YouTube (lyric video).
Jessie Ware
TRACK "Want Your Feeling" streaming at SoundCloud.
We Were Promised Jetpacks
TRACK "I Keep It Composed" streaming at SoundCloud.
Lucinda Williams
TRACK "Stowaway In Your Heart" streaming at NPR.

On TV this week (new episodes only)

  • Monday: Alt-J (Conan), Banks (Meyers), Alicia Keys (Fallon), MisterWives (Kimmel), Spoon (Letterman)

  • Tuesday: Jhene Aiko (Kimmel), Interpol (Letterman), Wiz Khalifa (Conan), The Replacements (Fallon)

  • Wednesday: Luke Bryan (Fallon), Death from Above 1979 (Letterman), Panama Wedding (Kimmel), Sturgill Simpson (Conan)

  • Thursday: Ryan Adams (Letterman), Chris Brown (Fallon), Ingrid Michaelson (Kimmel)

  • Friday: Maddie & Tae (Letterman)

  • Saturday: Lily Allen (Yahoo! Screen, 10p ET)

Recent artist and industry news

  • Miranda Lambert tied a record with 9 nominations for this year's Country Music Awards, leading all nominees. Winners will be revealed on November 5. - Billboard

  • Garth Brooks has launched his own digital music store, GhostTunes, which will feature his own music (which is not available in digital form anywhere else) as well as albums from a small selection of well known pop and rock artists. Purchases can be streamed on any device (as well as downloaded).

The latest music videos

Fucked Up, "The Art of Patrons":

Parquet Courts, "Bodies Made of":

clipping., "Inside Out":

Ty Segall, "Manipulator" [interactive version available here]:


Bob Mould, "The War":

Iceage, "Forever":

Peaking Lights, "Breakdown":

La Roux, "Kiss And Not Tell":

My Brightest Diamond, "Pressure":

Conor Oberst, "Common Knowledge":

Alt-J, "Every Other Freckle [Girl version]" [watch alternate Boy version here]:

In the studio / coming soon

  • TV on the Radio's previously announced album Seeds now has a release date: November 18. Their first album for new label Harvest was produced by the band's own David Sitek.

  • The London Sessions, a new album by Mary J. Blige that's due this fall, will be co-produced by Disclosure and feature collaborations with that duo as well as Sam Smith.

  • New Order (still sans Peter Hook) has signed to Mute, and the result could be new music (either an EP or LP) as soon as next spring. - Billboard

  • A third album from Iceage, Plowing Into the Field of Love, arrives October 7th via Matador.

  • Faith No More are recording a new album—their first in 18 years—for an April release, reports Rolling Stone.

  • Originally due this fall, Usher's new album UR is now delayed indefinitely. - Billboard

  • Modest Mouse will reissue their first two albums, This Is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About (coming 10/28) and The Lonesome Crowded West (out 11/4), on vinyl with extra (previously unreleased) tracks that were recorded at the same time as the albums. - Stereogum

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

Tours and festivals

  • Chance the Rapper launches a tour of college campuses at the end of the month. - Pitchfork

  • Maroon 5 kick off a world tour in February. - Billboard

  • Johnny Marr will tour late this fall in support of his upcoming solo album. - Billboard

  • Ne-Yo has lined up some October dates. - Pollstar

  • Placebo will mount a rare North American tour next month. - CoS

  • Run the Jewels begin a tour in October to support their upcoming album. - Pitchfork

  • Usher's fall UR Experience tour begins in November. - Billboard