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New Tunes Tuesday #17
Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar.
Standouts:
1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend: We've been spouting praise about Vampire Weekend's newest release since early December, when we heard their album for the first time. Since then, we've seen them live at The Independent, put them on our "Albums We're Looking Forward To in 2008" list and finally featured them (once again) in "This Week in Le Rock". (They are performing this Thursday night at popscene and then on Friday at Amoeba Music.) If you haven't noticed, we are in love with this New York indie-pop-afro-punk band. Finally, you can legally own their album. Enjoy! We love it.
2. Shelby Lynne - Just A Little Lovin': If you are looking for some music to accompany your romantic evening on Valentine's Day, then look no further. Shelby Lynne's newest release, "Just A Little Lovin'" is exactly what the title entails. Lynne has created a new (somewhat jazzy) twist on several older romantic standards such as, "I Only Want to Be With You" and "The Look of Love." The results are: sexy, sublime and sometimes even a bit steamy. It's the perfect album to accompany any romantic evening, not just Valentine's Day. To watch a livecast of her performance at Amoeba Records in L.A., then watch here, tonight, January 29th, at 7pm. Start your Valentine's Day early - there's no reason to put off a little lovin'.
Take the jump to see what other CD's are coming out today...
Other Standouts:
1. Chris Walla - Field Manual: "Known both as the guitarist/producer in Death Cab for Cutie and as an in-demand producer of other independent-minded artists (Tegan & Sara, The Decemberists), Chris Walla brings a refined aesthetic and melodic ear to everything he involves himself in." Yes, yes, yes. We were able to preview the album and we love it. In this record, you can hear why Walla has made Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists so much money. For his first solo record, Walla enlisted the help of (Midnight Oil) Warne Livesey to help produce it. A perfect match, they've created an indie gem. Download the first single, "Sing Again," for free.
Other CD's being released today:
1. Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
2. Kills - URA Fever
3. Pat Metheny - Day Trip
4. Radar Bros. - Auditorium
5. Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers
6. Future of the Left - Curses
7. Jeffrey Lewis - 12 Crass Songs
8. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
9. Joe Jackson - Rain (w/ bonus DVD)
10. Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies
11. Sarah Brightman - Symphony
12. Barton Carroll - The Lost One
Guilty Pleasure:
1. Idina Menzel - Stand:
We're a sucker for musicals, especially ones with green witches. Idina Menzel, the Tony Award-winning star from Rent and Wicked, has just released her third solo album, I Stand. We haven't heard the entire thing yet but because we love all things Broadway, we're buying it. We already purchased the first single, "Brave" off of iTunes. Judging the album purely off of this single, we can confidently say that it's not like anything she's previously released. (This is a good thing.) She's trying something new and marketing her music a bit differently this time; we hope it works.
Check out Menzel singing, "As Long As Your Mine" with her husband, Taye Diggs, from the musical Wicked.
All images courtesy of amazon.com