Albums out Nov. 27:

 

Raime – Quarter Turns Over a Living Line

LP $29.98

Dubstep has been an intriguing if polarizing new genre thus far, at some point encompassing artists as disparate as Skrillex and Andy Stott, much in the same way a new, seemingly precise but ultimately nebulous genre like emo or grime ended up describing very different music. If Raime are dubstep, they’re the murky bottom of its pit. Songs like “Soils and Coils” offer little in the way of humanity or respite from the brutality of its funeral-march beats and stark, alien sounds. Which means it’s one of my favorite things from the genre I’ve heard yet. Anyone with a taste for bleakness should check this out.

 

 

Wu-Block – Wu-Block

CD $14.98

Wu-Tang Clan and The Lox team for a hip-hop superstar collaboration, featuring Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, GZA, Masta Killah, Jadakiss and Styles P.

Now in week four of Superstorm Sandy recovery mode New York City takes another major stride in its return to normalcy by making a significant statement this week that things are well on their way to getting back on track with the big 86th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade all set and ready to go this week. Since this past weekend, when I took the photo above from the Herald Square front of the the world's largest department store (well until 2009 when the South Korean chain Shinsegae opened an even larger store) Macy's parade organizers had everything in place - much to the approval of the business minded Mayor Bloomberg who knows the bottom line dollar value of such tourist attractions for his city that will attract an estimated 3 million sightseers along its route.

Expect to hear many references to Sandy and the resilience of its victims during Thursday's big parade TV broadcast that an estimated 50 million will watch. If you are in NYC on Thanksgiving Day the parade starts at 9am in the Upper West Side at 77th Street by Central Park West and heads down to Columbus Circle, then left onto Central Park South, right on Sixth Ave and down to Herald Square by Macy's. This year’s performers and celebrities will include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Trace Adkins, Big Apple Circus, Chica and the crew from Sprout, Colbie Caillat, Rachel Crow Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Flo Rida, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Isaak, Carly Rae Jepsen, Karmin, Kidz Bop, Mannheim Steamroller, Miss USA 2012 – Olivia Culpo; the Muppets and cast of Sesame Street, The Wanted and many more. More guests and general parade info here.

Album Picks:

Tim Hecker, Daniel Lopatin - Instrumental Tourist

CD $9.98

LP $19.98

Tim Hecker and Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never’s Instrumental Tourist brings out the best in two major figures in electronic music, producing a musical endeavor that’s as interested in pleasing its audience as it is turning over new stones. “Uptown Psychedelia’s” mechanical noise ebbs in and out while an eastern-influenced synth line wriggles chaotically. While more glacially paced, “Scene From a French Zoo” eschews the notion that ambient music need be peaceful or serene; its foreboding tone indicates some unstated melancholy. “Vacation for Thomas Mann” grows more ethereal as the pair set their synths skyward. Appropriately titled “Intrusions” tracks back to themes introduced in “Uptown Psychedelia” with industrial noise bursts, though it retains the ethereal feel of “Vacation for Thomas Mann,” until it gradually gets nastier and disintegrates. “Whole Earth Tascam” builds tension with noise and synthesized vocals before breaking apart to the sound of birds chirping, but then it gets even tenser than before. The song’s intriguing push-and-pull makes it the most soundtracky song on the album and definitely a highlight. “GRM Blue II” makes for a quick, strangely melodic respite full of glassy tones, while the more aggressive “GRM Blue III” is full of squelching sounds like an alien response to earthling radio signals, challenging the listener as the song stretches to nearly six minutes. The albums final tracks continue pushing the album’s ethereal and unsettling qualities in seemingly equal measure, particularly on the Eastern touches and wind instruments of “Grey Geisha,” never losing listener attention, though Instrumental Tourist can be a demanding listen. By keeping things unfussy and not overly layered, Hecker and Lopatin create excitement in their interplay. Their union proves not to be a collective patting on the back but rather another notch in the post of excellence for both artists.

The holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s time for some blockbuster releases from the likes of Green Day, who are releasing their second two of three albums this year; pop stars Alicia Keys, Rihanna and Lana Del Rey; and high-profile indie releases from Scott Walker, Brian Eno and Atoms for Peacel. See highlights of albums up for preorder at Amoeba.com below; a full-list of available preorders is here.

Brian Eno – Lux

CD $14.98 available now

LP $25.98 due 12/11

Consisting of four LP-side-length pieces, the latest from the electronic music pioneer (and one-time Roxy Music member) falls into Eno’s ambient canon. Eno also recently developed an iPhone app called Bloom, which allows the average person to construct their own ambient music without knowledge of how to program or play an instrument.

 

 

Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day

Due 11/19

There are not a ton of new releases in December, but there have been a few worth checking out. I have been too busy getting my "best of" lists ready for the end of the year and the end of the decade, so I have not had much time to talk about these new releases, but here is a quick list for you. There's not really much out this week, December 29th, just a couple of DVDs. Come pick up your copy of Paranormal Activity and Jennifer's Body on DVD!

You will have to wait until January for more music new releases. I will get back to my normal new release reviews next year, I promise, and in the next day or so I will be posting my top 100 albums of the decade! It has not been an easy list to compile. It is hard to compare albums from 2001 with albums that just came out last month. But it has been a lot of fun going back and listening to all my old favorites. I only gave myself a couple of rules in compiling the list: I had to really love the album. It had to be an album that I still like or at least look back on fondly. I also only picked one album for each artist, so I didn't let myself pick 3 Radiohead albums and 3 PJ Harvey albums. The list would have been too boring. Or, if I was Rolling Stone, I would have had 2 albums by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, and the White Stripes in my top 25. There are just too many great albums in the decade to let those bigger artists dominate my list, so I picked my favorite album from each artist for the whole decade. I had so much fun making this list that I am also going to go ahead and make a list of my top 100 albums of the 90's. And I also have a list of my top movies of the 90's and the current decade as well! So check out my lists soon! They will be posted any day now....