Welcome to another Tuesday everybody! Things are heating up in Chicago and it’s not just the weather – it’s the art installations, too. Just look at what they’re putting in next to my office building. I will now feel like a pervert as I enter and exit my place of employment.
Anywho, here are some of the new releases you’ll be able to find at your local record shop or online today.
The top spot this week goes to indie rocker and Fiery Furnaces singer Eleanor Friedberger. She does a lot of speak/singing and her songs are packed with storytelling so vivid in my mind that I feel as though she’s right next to me in her in jorts (jean shorts) and a button-down plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. This one is for the hipsters and you can stream the album in its entirety over at NPR right now.
A few notes into this album and it doesn’t surprise me that Stroup’s music has been featured all over primetime TV shows like Private Practice and One Tree Hill. Emotional singer/songwriter ballads with some fantastic string accompaniments (listen to “Hold Onto Hope Love”). This is a great album to listen to when you’re in need of letting some feelings out.
The lead track on this album, “Brighter Than The Sun,” is exactly what I think of when I think of Caillat’s music: filled with sunshine, perfect for warm days and happy thoughts. I picture Ryan Seacrest spending his mornings whitening his teeth and preparing himself for the day ahead to this album.
Pop country with some ’90s angst added to the mix. It’s so hard for me to talk about albums like this only because I’m so unfamiliar with these artists and I don’t want to sound like a d-bag when trying to describe them. She’s got twang and she looks good in a cowboy hat on the cover of her album.
Comedian and gay icon Julie Brown has put together a Weird Al-lite comedy/song spoof album that gave me some LOLs but also reminded me of those karaoke parlors you sometimes go to that don’t have the right versions of the songs you want to sing. I’m pretty 50/50 on this one.
Honorable Mentions: Ashton Shepherd, Sepultura, Grooms, Brian McKnight, Locksley, Cali Swag District, Incubus, The Middle East, DJ Tiesto, Blake Shelton, Matt Redman, Alkaline Trio, Theory of a Deadman, Yes and Sublime with Rome.
That’s all for this week but don’t forget to check in tomorrow when I post five more fantastic female-fronted acts to listen to.
