This week's new releases
Each title listed below will go on sale beginning Tuesday, July 31 unless otherwise indicated. Click on any LISTEN link to listen to a free, streaming version of the entire album (typically, available only during the week of release); streaming links go to AOL Music unless otherwise indicated. The week's most noteworthy releases are starred.
- The Alchemist Russian Roulette
- Anchor & Braille The Quiet Life LISTEN
Blur
Blur 21 Box set- What's inside this limited edition, $150+ box? How about 18 CDs, 3 DVDs, and a hardcover book, for starters. In addition to all seven studio albums (five of them remastered), 21 includes 65 previously unreleased tracks ... in other words, if Blur ever recorded it, started to record it but then gave up, or released it on video, it's here.
- Neil Diamond Hot August Night 2xCD
- 40th anniversary deluxe reissue of 1972 double live album
- Gaelic Storm Chicken Boxer
- Gloriana A Thousand Miles Left Behind
- Jesse Harris Sub Rosa
- Ice Choir Afar LISTEN
- Side project for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart's Kurt Feldman
- Jackyl Best in Show
- Joey + Rory His and Hers
- Junk Culture Wild Quiet LISTEN
- The Locust Molecular Genetics from the Gold Standard Labs
- Phish Chicago '94 6xCD
- Ponderosa Pool Party LISTEN
- Joshua Radin Underwater LISTEN
- Reel Big Fish Candy Coated Fury LISTEN
- River City Tanlines Coast to Coast LISTEN
- Rick Ross God Forgives, I Don't
- Christian Scott Christian aTunde Adjuah
- Serengeti C.A.R.
- Shovels & Rope O' Be Joyful
- Joss Stone The Soul Sessions Volume 2
- Covers of tracks by Broken Bells, the Rolling Stones, and more
- Testament Dark Roots of Earth
- thenewno2 thefearofmissingout
- Toadies Play.Rock.Music LISTEN
- Various Out of Many: 50 Years of Reggae Music 3xCD
- Box set includes one reggae track for every year from 1962-2012; see the tracklist at Spin.
- Various Sparkle OST LISTEN
- Film soundtrack features the final recorded performances by the late Whitney Houston, as well as tracks featuring Jordin Sparks, Cee-Lo Green, and Goapele
- Frank Zappa [Various reissues]
- The first dozen of what should eventually be 60 Zappa album reissues arrive this week: Freak Out (1966), Absolutely Free (1967), Lumpy Gravy (1968), We're Only In It For the Money (1968), Cruising With Ruben & The Jets (1968), Uncle Meat (1969), Hot Rats (1969), Brunt Weeny Sandwich (1970), Weasels Ripped My Flesh (1970), Chunga's Revenge (1970), Filmore East, June 1971 (1971), and Just Another Band From L.A. (1972)
More streaming and downloadable new music
- 2 Chainz feat. Kanye West
- TRACK "Birthday Song" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Animal Collective
- TRACK "Today's Supernatural" streaming at YouTube (audio only).
- Antibalas
- ALBUM Antibalas (out 8/7) streaming at Rolling Stone.
- A$AP Mob
- TRACK "Bath Salt," feat. Flatbush Zombies, streaming at Soundcloud.
- Beak>
- TRACK "0898," one of 10 bonus tracks from the special edition of their new album >>, streaming at Soundcloud.
- Black Moth Super Rainbow
- TRACK "Windshield Smasher" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Bloc Party
- TRACK "Day Four" streaming at Soundcloud.
- David Byrne and St. Vincent
- TRACK "Weekend in the Dust" streaming at the duo's official site.
- Calexico
- TRACK "Splitter" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Chelsea Light Moving [new Thurston Moore band]
- TRACK "Frank O'Hara Hit" downloadable from Matador.
- Crystal Castles
- TRACK "Plague" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Delta Spirit
- TRACK "Tear It Up" downloadable from Rolling Stone.
- Dirty Projectors
- TRACK "Buckle Up" (from a new tour-only 7-inch single) streaming at Soundcloud.
- Cee Lo Green
- TRACK "I'm a Man," from the Sparkle soundtrack, streaming at Soundcloud.
- Tim Heidecker
- TRACK "Bob Dylan's Titanic" streaming at Stereogum.
- JJ Doom
- TRACK "Guv'nor" streaming at YouTube (audio only).
- Lianne La Havas
- ALBUM Is Your Love Big Enough? streaming until its 8/7 release at NPR.
- Sondre Lerche
- TRACK "Boxing Day" downloadable from Rolling Stone.
- Jason Lytle
- TRACK "Tomorrow Started" (Talk Talk cover) downloadable from Stereogum.
TRACK "Dept. of Disappearance," the title track from his forthcoming LP, streaming at Soundcloud. - The Mountain Goats
- TRACK "Cry for Judas" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Redd Kross
- ALBUM Researching the Blues streaming until its 8/7 release at NPR.
- Rick Ross
- TRACK "Diced Pineapples," feat. Wale and Drake, streaming at Soundcloud.
TRACK "911" streaming at Soundcloud. - The Sea and Cake
- TRACK "Harps" downloadable from Stereogum.
- Sebadoh
- ALBUM Secret EP now streaming (and available for purchase) at Bandcamp.
- Sole
- TRACK "No Presidents" streaming at Soundcloud.
- Swans
- TRACK "The Apostate [Edit]" downloadable from Stereogum.
- Tame Impala
- TRACK "Elephant," from the forthcoming album Lonerism, streaming at YouTube (audio only).
- Various
- ALBUM Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute To Fleetwood Mac streaming until 8/14 at NPR.
- Vitalic
- TRACK "No More Sleep" downloadable from Stereogum.
On TV this week (new episodes only)
- Monday: thenewno2 (Conan)
- Tuesday: The Fray (Conan)
- Wednesday: Jason Mraz (Conan)
- Thursday: Tenacious D (Conan)
Recent artist and industry news
- Swedish act The Soundtrack of Our Lives has broken up after 16 years; a final album and some farewell shows are on tap for September. - NME
- Do you think that present day pop music is loud and boring? Science agrees with you. - The Quietus
- The recently sold Spin Magazine has laid off a portion of its staff, including the magazine's editor-in-chief, reports Billboard. Those layoffs now appear to be a precursor to the inevitable end of publication of the magazine's print edition; so far, the November/December issue has been canceled (Vulture), with no official word on what, if anything, might follow.
The latest music videos
Bat for Lashes, "Laura":
Hot Chip, "How Do You Do?":
Liars, "Brats":
Andrew Bird, "Give It Away":
Daphni, "Ye Ye":
The Killers, "Runaway":
Torche, "Kicking":
Slug Guts, "Scum":
Black Lips, "Noc-A-Homa":
Pink, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)":
Django Django, "Hail Bop":
Taken by Trees, "Dreams":
Kreayshawn, "Go Hard (La.La.La)":
Schoolboy Q, "There He Go":
Frankie Rose, "Know Me":
In the studio / coming soon
- Daphni, a fairly new side project for Dan Snaith of Caribou/Manitoba fame, will release its full-length debut, JIAOLONG, on October 16th via Merge.
- The Sea and Cake return with a new Thrill Jockey release, Runner, on September 18.
- Sebadoh have recorded their first new music in 14 years. Out now via Bandcamp is the five-song Secret EP, to be followed by a full-length album in 2013.
- French producer Vitalic has a new album called Rave Age due October 22nd.
- Depeche Mode's next album, possibly arriving in the spring of 2013, will be a bit more "bluesy," singer Dave Gahan tells Clash.
- Happy Mondays have been prepping a new album, which would be the first to feature the band's original lineup in over 20 years. - NME
- Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle has a new solo album, Dept. Of Disappearance, due October 16th.
- The Velvet Underground's 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico will get a re-release this fall ... as a 6-disc set, as it was no doubt always meant to be heard. Pitchfork has the tracklist.
- A third Crystal Castles album is expected to arrive in September, and, no, it doesn't have a title. - NME
- October 16 will bring Information Retrieved, the first album from Pinback since 2007.
Visit Metacritic's Album Release Calendar for a full listing of upcoming release dates, updated daily.
Tours and festivals
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band have added dates late in 2012; Pollstar has the new schedule.
- The Railroad Revival Tour will unite Band of Horses, John C. Reilly, Jamey Johnson, and Willie Nelson on the rails this fall; Pitchfork has the schedule.
- A similar train tour is taking place in Britain this fall; there, the Africa Express will feature acts such as Damon Albarn and Amadou & Mariam. - The Quietus
- Find fall dates for The Sea & Cake at Pitchfork.
- Prefix has the fall schedule for SBTRKT.
- AC Newman will hit the road this fall in support of a new album (date/title tbd). - Matador
- Find new September dates for The Antlers at Pitchfork.
- Catch Crystal Castles and HEALTH on the road together this fall. - Pitchfork
- A$AP Rocky's "LONGLIVEA$AP Tour" will run from mid-September up until Thanksgiving and feature openers such as Schoolboy Q and Danny Brown. - Billboard
- Silversun Pickups have announced new dates for the fall. - Prefix
- Rolling Stone has fall North American dates for Bassnectar.
- Get new fall dates for Bowerbirds at Dead Oceans.
