If It's Too Loud...

Yes, I listened to 20 new releases over the course of the weekend. No, it's not going to be possible for me to do a detailed post for all of them, so we're gonna do some quick hits: Great Albums Worth Your Time This Week : * Tei Shi - Crawl Space : Probably my favorite of the week. Complex and compelling. * Goldfrapp - Silver Eye : A great electronic record this week from a group with a great track record. * British Sea Power - Let the Dancers Inherit the Party : Solid return to form for the British rock act. * Aimee Mann - Mental Illness : Her best release in well over a decade. * Lydia Ainsworth - Darling of the Afterglow : Gorgeous singer-songwriter music, deserves your attention. * Saltland - A Common Truth Solid Listens in a Busy Week : * Erin McKeown - Mirrors Break Back * Dave Davies and Russ Davies - Open Road * Sono Oto - Inheritance * Richard Edwards - Lemon Cotton Candy Sunset * Whereswilder - Hotshot * Dead Leaf Echo - Strawberry Skin * The Mave...

After a few epic weeks, a slower burn, this time with one high-profile release and some interesting pieces on top of that: Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady : Musically, I love pretty much everything about Janelle Monae. She's got a really unique aesthetic for R&B that plays into my love of sci-fi and over-the-top storytelling, she knows how to cultivate a musical image that compliments the pop sensibilities of having a clear physical one, and, most importantly, the music is great . While I've found I like some rap music over the last few years, more straightforward R&B hasn't always worked for me, but Monae does. The Electric Lady doesn't quite meet the heights of The ArchAndroid , but I'm pretty sure that would have been impossible. The new album is definitely one of the better things to come about this year, its only flaw being a little too produced. Definitely worth your listen. Emiliana Torrini - Tookah : Emiliana Torrini is an artist that I...