There are a ton of album releases today! Here are the ones that might interest you:
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath
From the ashes of At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta releases their fourth album, The Bedlam in Goliath, today.
There's a bunch of "exclusives", so for die-hard fans, you will have a very tough time tracking down all the extra bonus tracks.
I know that Best Buy have an exclusive 2nd live disc and if you got your CD from Japan, it comes with a DVD and a cover song of The Sugarcubes' "Birthday".
Their version is very... er.. very strange. I have to say "good try" though.
Chris Walla - Field Manual
Ceji previously wrote the review for this album, I suggest you read it if you're at all interested in Death Cab for Cutie.
There's not much to add, except that there is a limited edition (with a bonus CD) and as pointed out by Dale, you also get a couple of extra songs for downloads.
Description from Barsuk:
Available in two versions: Standard digipak cd package, or limited-edition deluxe clothbound cd package. Both come with a 32-page booklet featuring Chris' original photography.
SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Order by February 4th and get 3 non-album MP3 bonus tracks!
Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
There's a few country albums released today, but since I don't have Willie Nelson's A Moment of Forever, I'm just going to talk about Grammy-Winner Shelby Lynne's Just a Little Lovin'.
Her 10th album is an all Dusty Springfield cover album. I take it back, there is one original song on here, it's called "Pretend". This song is written by Shelby Lynne and is mostly acoustic... in the same vein as her Dusty covers.
I love the album artwork, I think it may have been inspired by the live album Dusty in Memphis.
If you get the Best Buy digipack version as it comes with a bonus DVD with two live songs.
Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies
The only thing I know about Louis XIV is that all their songs are about drugs and sex. Right?
I'm glad to see that their latest release does not feature old porno images, instead you get darken green pictures of the band (I think).
Anyway, according to wikipedia: There's a Traitor in This Room is the lead single for the album, but I couldn't find evidence of this anywhere. It's not even available on the US iTunes store. By all accounts, it looks like Guilt by Association is the single.
Xiu Xiu - Women As Lovers
You may have remember seeing the disturbing album artwork for A Promise. Trust me, it's an image you cannot unsee.
Their cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" is also equally as disturbing.
Anyway, I haven't listen to Women as Lovers, but I noticed that they did another cover on the new album. This time it's Queen's "Under Pressure".
This version is actually pretty good, I wish it would utilize more of that awesome bass that Vanilla Ice took advantage of.
Joe Jackson - Rain
Don't forget that the CD/DVD combo album Rain by Joe Jackson is released today! It looks like I may have to review the album as Ryan is computerless.
Besides from from the awesome DVD (please see my review), the album is reminiscence of his popular Night and Day album. Joe Jackson returns to his piano-driven music, which I'm calling the Joe Jackson Trio (all jazz trios are named after their pianist).
Listening to the album, I was drawn to "Rush Across The Road", a song about seeing a complete stranger and wanting to rush over to her to get to know her. It's very easy-listening reminds me of a more optimistic version of the very bitter Positively 4th Street.
Jackson's ability to tell stories in short pop/jazz songs can also be heard on "Invisible Man" which I think is about a famous person slowly fading into obscurity.
Like most of his songs, it's open for interpretation.
01/29/2008 17:24:35 vu my♥posts www.weheartmusic.com