upcoming releases

Here's a track from each of the four upcoming albums I noted in my last post plus one more. They are uploaded on yousendit so they will expire in a week. I hope you enjoy these tracks as much as I do and buy the albums when they release.

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (4/21)

Everyone is waiting for this... After TVOTR's debut Desperate Youth Bloodthirsty Babes exceeding all expectation established by the equally dazzlling first EP Young Liars, virtually everyone who lists "Indie" as one of the genres they listen to hold TVOTR in high regard. Within Indie, it is extremely hard to put a finger on what genre their music is ... it's almost as if they have created a whole new niche of their own. The New Heath Rock EP only added to the anxiousness to hear a new full length as it continued to expand the sound of TVOTR, but still leave so much more to be desired. Other than the leak itself, there isn't much info on Return to Cookie Mountain and it's been hard to determine just how many versions of the leak there have been and what state of mastering each one is in. All complications aside, the new album in any state is what we've all been waiting for - brilliant, soaring, dark, atmospheric, and heavy, the songs are a new, more mature, better than ever TV on the Radio.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones (3/28)

Personally, I didn't care for a lot of the tracks on Fever to Tell. But if the last three tracks had been released by themselves I would venture to say it would be the most brilliant EP to be released in the past few years. I loved Maps, Y-Control, and Modern Romance and hoped that newer YYY material would lean in the direction of those 3 songs. Luckily Show Your Bones does just that. Karen O remains more subdued through a lot of the material where I think her voice is showcases so much better. Zinner's pen has matured and moved away from a lot of the gritty, loud songs of Fever to Tell and has created a better album throughout. If you loved the gritty and loud sound of the last album, the new album is not for you, but if you long to hear Karen O and Nick Zinner use their talents in the way most suited to what they have to offer, Show Your Bones will probably be one of your top albums of the year.

The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine (today - 3/21)

Deep Elm to Tiger Style and now Militia Group. Their new home may not seem in character for Appleseed Cast, but it may be able to provide them with the exposure they need to get their amazing talent noticed. It worked for Lovedrug who re-released their debut Pretend You're Alive on Columbia in January. Hopefully, Militia can do the same sort of wonders for Appleseed Cast. As far as the album goes, it is still the Appleseed Cast we know and love. The sound draws from their entire catalogue and continues beyond it with the maturing you can only expect from album to album with a band of this calibre. It seems more polished and up front than their earlier recordings, but it still manages to completely immerse you in sound like the Low Level Owl's managed to do so well.

The Flaming Lips - At War with Mystics (4/4)

There was a lot of accusations floating around when the first single (The WAND) was released that it was a vast departure from their whole previous catalogue. I don't buy it. The album is great and picks up right where Yoshimi left off, in my opinion. There's no soaring anthem like "Do You Realize?" or dramatic first track like "Fight Test," but overall, I like the new album a lot.

The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops (4/18)

I'm still not sure how I feel about this album after absolutely adoring both Now Here is Nowhere and The Road Leads Where It's Led EP. The sound hasn't changed much, but I still haven't made a verdict on whether the songwriting has improved or not. It's going to take a couple more concentrated listens.

[mp3] TV on the Radio - Playhouses (yousendit - valid until 3/28)
[mp3] Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cheated Hearts (yousendit - valid until 3/28)
[mp3] The Appleseed Cast - Song 3 (yousendit - valid until 3/28)
[mp3] The Flaming Lips - It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small... Do I Stand A Chance? (yousendit - valid until 3/28)
[mp3] The Secret Machines - Lightning Blue Eyes (yousendit - valid until 3/28)