New Release Tuesday - 4/16/13

April 16, 2013

MUSIC RELEASES

Charli XCX – True Romance (Atlantic)
Whether she's singing on the tracks of her debut album or singles like Icona Pop's "I Love It," England's Charli Aitchison (aka Charli XCX) brings fierce energy and edgy attitude paired with heartbreaking honesty. From the pensive "You (Ha Ha Ha)" and "You're the One" to the incredibly catchy "What I Like," you'll be singing along to every song on True Romance. Charli XCX swings through Los Angeles May 11 at the Shrine in support of Marina & the Diamonds.

Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll (Island)
It's hard to avoid Fall Out Boy's black posters emblazoned with 'Save Rock and Roll' in huge white letters hung all over town, just as it's impossible to escape their music as your walking through a mall or scanning radio stations in your car. After a four-year hiatus, the foursome is back with more of the same high-energy, sing-along pop punk that has so endeared them to their legions of fans. If they haven't already invaded your subconscious, new tracks like "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" and "Young Volcanoes" are sure to permeate your brainwaves soon. FOB performs Sept. 20 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

The Laurels – Plains (Rice Is Nice)
This debut from the quartet of Australians washes over you with a sonic "Tidal Wave" of psychedelic shoegaze lushness. Taking its name from a novel by Aussie author Gerald Murnane, Plains envelopes listeners in a blanket of fuzzy guitars, driving baselines, unwavering drums and dual vocals from Piers Cornelius and Luke O'Farrell. Don't miss the band unveiling their live show on Angelenos for the first time with a trio of shows in the near future at Family April 24, Origami Vinyl April 25 and the Satellite May 11.

The Thermals – Desperate Ground (Saddle Creek)
Desperate Ground marks the Portland, Ore. trio's sixth album and debut on Saddle Creek and was recorded with John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth) in New Jersey just hours before Hurricane Sandy ravaged the area. With songs bursting with raw energy, like lead single "Born to Kill" and "I Don't Believe You," the album boasts dark yet joyous theme that simultaneously makes you contemplative and bouncing off the walls. See the new songs performed live June 14 at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana.

Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin (Castle Face)
Each of Thee Oh Sees' 12-plus albums has its own distinct personality, and frontman John Dwyer calls their latest, Floating Coffin, "pretty dark, and much heavier than our other albums," which isn't so surprising considering the multiplicity of horrors witnessed over the past year since the release of their last effort. There are moments of optimism to be found within the layers of songs like "Minotaur." The San Francisco quintet play this Sunday at Coachella.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito (Interscope)
While conducting interviews with musicians, I am often asked to name my favorite bands. Over the course of my 10-plus years being a music journalist, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have consistently been a top pick. It's no secret that I have been eager for the release of their first album in four years, and Mosquito is no disappointment. Incorporating new sounds – such as a gospel choir on lead track/first single "Sacrilege," a train running along an underground track on "Subway," roots-reggae elements on "Under the Earth" and a screeching flock of birds on "Wedding Song" – with their uniquely ferocious brand of art-punk, disco-sleaze rock on songs like "Slave" and "Area 52." The trio performs tonight at Ventura Theater and this Friday at Coachella.

Also available – ADR's Chunky Monkey; Andrew Wyatt's Descender; Andy Mineo's Heroes for Sale; Art Brut's Top of the Pops; Arts & Crafts: 2003-2013; Dead Can Dance's In Concert; Echopark's Trees; Folly and the Hunter's Tragic Care; Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge's Twelve Reasons to Die; Groenland's The Chase; Illogic & Blockhead's Capture the Sun; Iron & Wine's Ghost on Ghost; Jessie Ware's Devotion; Kid Cudi's Indicud; The Leisure Society's Alone Aboard the Ark; Meat Puppets' Rat Farm; Metal Mother's Ionika; Nametag & Nameless' For Namesake; N.O.R.E.'s (aka P.A.P.I) Student of the Game; Oleander's Something Beautiful; Olly Murs' Right Place, Right Time; Shellshag's Shellshag Forever; The Shouting Matches' Grownass Man; Slaine's The Boston Project; Steve Earle's The Low Highway; The Summer Set's Legendary; Tera Melos' X'ed Out; Turnover's Magnolia; Willie Nelson's Let's Face the Music and Dance

DVD RELEASES

Film – Jamie Foxx stars as a slave who joins forces with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz in an Oscar turn) in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, which also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson; Save the Date features Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr and Mark Webber.

TV – Counting Cars: Season 1; Flash Gordon – The Complete Series; Ethel; French Chef: Julia Child's Dinner Part Favorites; In the Heat of the Night Complete Season 8 (The Final Season); Parade's End

Also available – 4some; Angels of Sex; Attack of the Herbals; A Bottle in the Gaza Sea; The Colombian Connection; Crazy Enough; Disneynature: Wings of Life; Dragon; Escapee; Future Weather; Going by the Book; The Great Divide; The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia; HP Lovecraft's The Dark Sleep; Jacob; Makers: Women Who Make America; Message from Space; A Monster in Paris; Not Suitable for Children; Pedal-Driven; Reincarnated; Repo Man (Criterion Collection); Spies of Warsaw; State of Emergency; Sugartown; This Is Our Time; A Whisper to a Roar; WWE: For All Mankind – The Life and Career of Mick Foley (Mr. Socko Sock Puppet)

New Release Tuesday - 1/15/13

JAN. 15, 2013

MUSIC

First off, a couple of my favorites unveiled new material over the past few days:

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs debuted new songs, including "Earth" and the title track, from their Mosquito album (releasing April 16) at the Glass House in Pomona on Friday. Vocalist Karen O says, "We would love for this music to make our fans feeeeel something, for it to stir some shit up inside of them, whatever that may be. SO much feeling went into this record, it was the rope ladder thrown down into the ditch for us to climb up and dust ourselves off. I hope others can climb up it too; we're excited to share the good vibes." Watch the teaser video for Mosquito here.

Justin Timberlake's first single "Suit & Tie," from his forthcoming The 20/20 Experience (due later this year), features Jay-Z and became available on iTunes yesterday. Have a listen at countdown.justintimberlake.com/.

A$AP Rocky – Long.Live.A$AP (RCA)
The NYC rapper (aka Rakim Mayers), who was named after hip-hop legend Rakim, drops his debut full-length that features the likes of Drake, Skrillex, 2 Chainz and Santigold. The deluxe version includes "I Come Apart" with soaring vocals courtesy of Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine).

Christopher Owens – Lysandre (Fat Possum)
The former Girls frontman enlisted a seven-piece band for the recording of his solo debut, and he'll have them in tow for a tour in support of Lysandre that hits Los Angeles March 22. Owens says the album was inspired by events surrounding Girls' first tour in the summer of 2008, so expect coming-of-age, road-trip tales.

Sean Lennon – Alter Egos (Chimera) 
Mystical Weapons – Self-Titled (Chimera)
Sean Lennon has two new releases out today. The first is his score for the Jordan Galland-directed film Alter Egos, which features Danny Masterson and Lennon. Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori (the first Gorillaz Noodle) lends her voice to some of the tracks as well. Lennon's other release is the result of an improvisational project with Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, known as Mystical Weapons.

Various Artists – West of Memphis: Voices for Justice (Sony Legacy)
The soundtrack for director Amy Berg's documentary about the wrongful prosecution and imprisonment of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley for the 1993 murders of three boys in Arkansas features music by Band of Horses, Eddie Vedder, Lucinda Williams, Marilyn Manson, Nick Cave, Patti Smith and Bob Dylan.

Yo La Tengo – Fade (Matador)
The indie rockers have been together for nearly 30 years and release their 13th full-length, a pulsating, infectious album. Full of honest reflection and not the least bit pretentious, the trio take you on a musical journey that simultaneously gets your head bopping and tugs at your heartstrings.

Also available: Criminal Hygiene's CRMNL HYGNE; Dawn Richard's Goldenheart; Erin McKeown's Manifestra; Free Energy's Love Sign; Half Hearted Hero's Whatever; Holopaw's Academy Songs, Volume 1; Jamie Woolford's A Framed Life in Charming Light; Midnight Spin's Don't Let Me Sleep; Pantha du Prince's Elements of Light; Rice Cultivation Society's Sky Burial; Seth Glier's Things I Should Let You Know; Teena Marie's Beautiful; The Plot in You's Could You Watch Your Children Burn

DVDS

Film – Liam Neeson reprises his role as ex-CIA operative Bryan Mills in Taken 2; Woody Allen directs a cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Ellen Page and Penélope Cruz in To Rome with Love; About Cherry stars James Franco and Heather Graham; Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal star as two mothers who take on their local school system in Won't Back Down.

TV – Being Human: Season 4; Men of a Certain Age: Season Two; Merlin: The Complete Fourth Season

Also available – 17 Girls; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity with the Devil Inside the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Branded; China Heavyweight;  I Am Bruce Lee; The Other Dream Team; The Possession

REMEMBER WHEN: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

 

YEAH YEAH YEAHS

June 10, 2004 @ SOMA (San Diego)

SOMA is such a strange venue. Originally located at an old warehouse in downtown San Diego, just south of Market Street (hence, its moniker), the venue eventually settled into its current home in a former movie theater in 2002. Shows take place in the old screening areas. Projection rooms are now band dressing areas. The snack bar also acts as a merch counter. Since the audience stands where theater seats once stood, your legs can get a bit tired from being in a slanted position all night, but at least you can see pretty well even if you're in the very back. The only bad thing is that there are no windows, so it gets real stuffy during packed shows.

Even after moving to Los Angeles from Orange County, I would still make the trek down to SOMA for particularly good lineups, and even though this was a radio show (91X's X-Fest), nothing could keep me away from a chance to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for the very first time in such an intimate setting. Besides, I knew a band that had won an opening slot on the bill and had just seen the Killers and stellastarr* perform great sets at Coachella, so it would be a trip well worth it.

And, I should mention that I absolutely love Karen Lee Orzolek. "Y Control" is one of my all-time favorite songs. The YYYs performed most of the other songs from their 2003 debut full-length, Fever to Tell, that night as well. Guitarist Nick Zinner looked so cool during the intro to "Pin," and Brian Chase had the crowd jumping up and down in time to his drumbeats in "Tick." The entire audience sang along to their massive hit "Maps." With the lack of ventilation in the SOMA main-stage area and the inability of my friends and I to stop dancing from the moment the YYYs began, I was totally drenched in sweat before their third song ended. But we all kept moving.

Simultaneously, I was mesmerized as Karen O strutted around the stage with her continual attempts at swallowing the microphone head and wrapping its long black cord around her arms and legs. It was like someone had set a firecracker off on stage, yet her flame never sputtered out. As she pranced and tumbled in her seemingly homemade, craft-project costume, she was quirky yet completely relatable in her simultaneously vulnerable and warrior-woman moments during songs. This is why I so admire her. She isn't afraid of shedding all pretenses and performing with utter abandon. She is definitely one of my favorite frontwomen in all of rock 'n' roll today. And if she ever performs Stop the Virgens in Los Angeles, it will be the first (and probably only) time I would ever go to an opera.