May 30, 2011 - 9:35am
Seven all-over-the-place releases for the last week of classes
BY EMMA GASE
It’s a busy week in the world of finals and papers, but also pretty busy in the music world. So busy, in fact, that's all I’m going to say about that.
Atmosphere — The Family Sign — Ryhmesayers
The veteran Minneapolis hip-hop duo returns with its first full-length LP in three years. As with When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, Slug continues to have an affinity for chronicling (often amusingly) the lives of others.
Brett Dennen — Loverboy — Columbia
It’s also been more than three years since he’s released an album, and this West Coast ginger is servin’ em up hot and juicy, just in time for summer. Notoriously breezy and always catchy, Loverboy promises to function just as well as the best beach read.
TV on the Radio — Nine Types of Light — Interscope
Always forward-thinking, never bland, and very, very Brooklyn-y, TV on the Radio returns after 2008’s Dear Science, changing the game yet again. Nine Types of Light has Tunde Adebimpe and co. trying their hand at acoustic instruments and a somewhat mellower sound.
Paul Simon — So Beautiful Or So What — Concord Music Group
The Simon of Simon & Garfunkel fame produces what he calls his “best work in 20 years.” The bluegrass-influenced record is a brief ten tracks, and finds the troubadour at the top of his storytelling game.
Panda Bear — Tomboy — Paw Tracks
Pandar Bear, aka Noah Lennox, aka founding member of indie-worshipped Animal Collective, drops his second solo album, after 2007’s much-lauded Person Pitch. Somewhat abandoning his Syd Barrett-esque precoccupation with psychedelia, Tomboy instead draws more focus on rhythm and guitars.
Low — C’mon — Sub Pop
The slow-core Duluth (sorry, Michigan hockey team) married couple proves once again that their droney, melancholic lyrical formula works like a charm. Like classic gems The Great Destroyer and Drums and Guns, the band has a seldom-matched ear for melody, as well as supreme atmospheric prowess.
Jessie J — Who You Are — Lava
Probably best known for her kinda-hit, “Price Tag,” which features B.O.B., this Brit pop star is already famous across the pond for her obnoxiously catchy vapid pop, but can she make it in America? Based on this record, let’s hope not.
