Woo-doggies, this week we get Time on Earth, the first new Crowded House album in a decade. I haven’t heard this yet, but Neil Finn created the greatest song John Lennon never wrote. Indeed, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” will go head to head even with anything Lennon did write.
The problem is that Neil Finn just ain’t much of a rock star. Sure, he’s one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, but where’s the controversy? He’s never been hooked on heroin, or picked up DUIs, got arrested with underaged girls nor committed suicide. He’s not even gay. Some rock star!
They Might Be Giants have a new album The Else, with production by the famous Dust Brothers. Having listened to this a dozen times, I don’t hear that much of a difference for their presence.
The album’s pretty good overall, perhaps a little above They Might Be Giants fairly high average. The first two songs in particular are real sharp, obvious candidates for a future box set. Overall though, the album seems relatively homogenized or normal. That’s not a compliment. These songs have some good hooks and choruses, and good orchestration, but they nearly entirely lack the unique quirky geekdom that really makes the band special.
Billy Corgan is putting out a nominal Smashing Pumpkins record called Zeitgeist, some years after it had passed him by. Still, his album is #2 currently at Amazon, so he’s obviously still got some juice.
Here’s the complete list of this week’s major new releases, courtesy AMG:
Crowded House Time on Earth ATO
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Interpol Our Love to Admire Capitol
Indie Rock
Mark Ronson Version RCA
Alternative Dance, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Urban, Hip-Hop
The Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist Reprise / Wea
Alternative Pop/Rock
Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Merge
Indie Rock
They Might Be Giants The Else Zoe
Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Against Me! New Wave Sire
Punk Revival
Aly & AJ Insomniatic Hollywood
Teen Pop, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop
B-Side Players Fire in the Youth Concord Picante
Latin Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Bad Religion New Maps of Hell Epitaph
Punk
Beatallica Sgt. Hetfield’s Motorbreath Pub Band Oglio
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Emmanuelle Bertrand Saint-SaГ«ns: Sonate No. 1; Suite, Op. 16 Harmonia Mundi France
Post-Romantic Chamber Music
Blossom Toes If Only for a Moment [Bonus Tracks] Sunbeam
British Psychedelia, Psychedelic
Blossom Toes We Are Ever So Clean [Bonus Tracks] Sunbeam
British Psychedelia, Psychedelic
Buffalo Tom Three Easy Pieces New West
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Dance Club Massacre Feast of the Blood Monsters Metal Blade
Math Rock, Heavy Metal, Thrash
Danzig The Lost Tracks of Danzig Evilive
Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Darkest Hour Deliver Us Victory
Heavy Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal, Thrash
Cole Deggs & the Lonesome Cole Deggs & The Lonesome SBMG Nashville
Contemporary Country, Country-Rock
Nick Drake Family Tree Tsunami Label Group
British Folk-Rock, Progressive Folk, British Folk, Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Roky Erickson You’re Gonna Miss Me [Original Soundtrack] Palm Pictures
Garage Rock, Psychedelic, Rock & Roll, Proto-Punk
The For Carnation Promised Works Touch & Go
Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental
Gogol Bordello Super Taranta! Side One Dummy
Gypsy, Punk Revival, Alternative Pop/Rock, Obscuro
Gothic Voices The Garden of Zephirus Hyperion
Renaissance Vocal and Choral Music
The Gourds Noble Creatures Yep Roc
Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Great Lakes Myth Society Compass Rose Bouquet Quack!
Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Folk-Rock
Jesse Harris Feel Velour
Singer/Songwriter, Americana
Icarus Line Black Line at the Golden Coast Dim Mak
Punk Metal, Indie Rock, Punk Revival, Hardcore Punk
Jason Isbell Sirens of the Ditch New West
Alternative Country-Rock, Roots Rock, Southern Rock, Hard Rock
Kool & the Gang Still Kool New Door
Funk, Urban
Tracy Lawrence The Very Best of Tracy Lawrence Atlantic/Rhino
New Traditionalist, Honky Tonk
Lez Zeppelin Lez Zeppelin Emanation
American Trad Rock
Ministry Rio Grande Dub Megaforce/13th Planet
Industrial Metal, Industrial Dance, Alternative Metal
The Monkees Headquarters [Deluxe Edition] Rhino
Sunshine Pop, Pop/Rock, Pop, Psychedelic Pop, Bubblegum
The Monkees Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. [Deluxe Edition] Rhino
Sunshine Pop, Psychedelic Pop, Pop/Rock, Pop, Bubblegum
Viktoria Mullova Bach: Sonatas Onyx
Baroque Chamber Music
Oh No! Oh My! Between the Devil and the Sea Dim Mak
Indie Pop, Twee Pop
Luciana Souza Osvaldo Golijov: Oceana Deutsche Grammophon
Contemporary Choral and Orchestral Music
Tallis Scholars English Madrigals Gimell
Renaissance Choral Music
Original Soundtrack Hairspray [2007 Original Soundtrack] New Line
Soundtracks, Musicals
Original Soundtrack Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix Warner Bros.
Original Score
Bobby Osborne Bluegrass Melodies Rounder
Traditional Bluegrass
Patton Oswalt Werewolves and Lollipops [CD/DVD] Sub Pop
Standup Comedy, Observational Humor
Lee Perry & The Upsetters Ape-ology [Bonus Tracks] Sanctuary Trojan Us
Roots Reggae, Dub, Political Reggae
John Phillips Jack of Diamonds Varese Sarabande
Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock, Country-Rock, Pop/Rock
Kim Richey Chinese Boxes Vanguard
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Chris & Rich Robinson Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy Eagle
Rock & Roll, American Trad Rock, Roots Rock
St. Vincent Marry Me Beggar’s Banquet
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Stephen Stills Just Roll Tape: April 26th, 1968 Rhino
Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Us3 Say What!? V2
Jazz-Rap, Club/Dance, Hip-Hop
Various Artists Healing the Divide Anti
Asian Folk, African Folk, Throat Singing, Spiritual, Indian Classical, Worldbeat, Singer/Songwriter, Neo-Classical
M. Ward Duet for Guitars #2 [Bonus Tracks] Merge
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
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