Top Five Most Interesting New Releases 4/3/07

There's not a whole lot of indie rock or indie pop this week, but still stuff for the southern rock, brit pop, anthem rock, electronica, ambient, hip-hop and funk fans.


Top Five Most Interesting New Releases:
Jarvis Cocker: Jarvis (Rough Trade) – Mostly good reviews for the first solo album from Pulp’s lead singer. Well crafted pop songs but maybe nothing as catchy as “Common People.” See him at Coachella on 4/27.

Timbaland: Timbaland Presents Shock Value (Interscope) – Jay-Z, the Hives, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg, Fall Out Boy, She Wants Revenge make guest appearance. Pitchfork ripped it yesterday, giving it a 4.1/10.

Kings of Leon: Because of the Times (RCA) – Southern rockers put out a more mature third album. Appearing at Coachella on 4/28. I haven’t heard it yet.

The Twilight Sad: Fourteen Autumns Fifteen Winters (Fat Cat/Caroline) – These guys have some damn thick Scottish accents. I’d say their music is about 50% Mogwai and 50% Snow Patrol. Pitchfork compared their EP to U2. If you like big anthem rock, check it out. Scott over at Little Radio gave it a really good review. At the Knitting Factory on 4/18. Letter Grade: B-

Various Artists: Florida Funk 1968-1975 (Now Again) – I’m kind of a sucker for these compilations of old obscure music. This is the third in a series of obscure funk compilations and it’s a very enjoyable listen. DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist have already sampled stuff off of these tracks. Letter Grade: B


Other Noteworthy New Releases:
DJ Babu: The Beat Tape Vol. 1 (Nature Sounds/Caroline) – DJ for Dilated Peoples and Beat Junkies.
DJ Vadim: Sound Catcher (BBE/Caroline) – Russian DJ.
The Field: From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt Germany) – Pitchfork gave this one a 9.0/10. It sounds a bit too techno-y for my taste.
Fountains of Wayne: Traffic and Weather (Virgin) – I think we can all agree that “Stacy’s Mom” was pretty awful. Predictably, this record gets bad reviews from the hip magazines and decent reviews from the mainstream mags. Appearing at Coachella on 4/28.
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly: Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager (Atlantic) – Well hyped British emo-folk, singer-songwriter.
Matthew Herbert: Score (!K7 Records/Caroline)
Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs: You Can’t Buy a Gun When You’re Crying (Damaged Goods)Idlewild: Make Another World (Sanctuary) – Fifth album from the Scottish band that often gets compared to R.E.M. I’ve got their first few albums and I like them alright.
Yoko Ono: Open Your Box (Astralwerks) – Basement Jaxx, Pet Shop Boys, etc. take Yoko’s vocals and make tracks for the dancefloor.
Ozomatli: Don’t Mess with the Dragon (Concord) – Local salsa/hip-hop dudes. Appearing at Amoeba tonight and Coachella on 4/28.
Paper Airplanes: Boyhood (54 40 or Fight) – An indie rock band from Wichita, Kansas. You don’t see that everyday.
Soundtrack: Grindhouse – Planet Terror (Varese Sarabande) – New soundtrack from Robert Rodriguez’s portion of the film
Soundtrack: Death Proof (Maverick) – New soundtrack from Quentin Tarantino’s portin of the film.
Stars of the Lid: And Their Refinement of the Decline (Kranky) – Spaced out ambient music. Pitchfork gave this a very respectable 8.6/10 today.

Box Set/Reissues:
The Knife: Silent Shout Deluxe Edition (Mute) – Pitchfork’s album of the year with a live disc, DVD with all their videos.
Pentangle: The Time Has Come (Castle) – Expensive Box Set from Bert Jansch's folk-rock band.
Stiff Little Fingers: Anthology (Caroline)

Import Seven Inch Vinyl:
Arcade Fire: Keep the Car Running
The Good, The Bad and the Queen: Green Fields Part 1
The Good, the Bad and the Queen: Green Fields Part 2