Music

This Week's Best New Music Releases June 21, 2010 (The Monday edition)

by Josh

Typically, you’d be reading this on a Tuesday morning. For years, the industry standard has seen all new releases hit store shelves on Tuesday. However, this week is a special one. New release day is MONDAY! If you’d like to know why, read the Eminem paragraph.

Stars – The Five Ghosts

Before even listening to the album, you can tell it’s going to be different. For one, they are no longer on heavy-hitter Arts & Crafts, opting instead to release the album under their own imprint, Soft Revolution Records. Secondly, the cover art (can you see all five ghosts?), along with song titles including “Dead Hearts”, “I Died So I Could Haunt You”, and “The Dead Beg For More”, set a less than jovial mood before pressing play. The album itself is rather somber – at least lyrically, compared to their previous works – whether that’s a bad thing is up to you. But for a pop band like Stars, no amount of downer can keep them from producing infectiously danceable synth pop that will leave you smiling, regardless of the whole “death” thing.

Label: Soft Revolution Records

Sarah Harmer – Oh Little Fire

Sarah Harmer is back! After releasing her folksy “I’m A Mountain” almost five years ago (an album dedicated to the preservation of the Niagara escarpment), Harmer has made a return to pop/rock with “Oh Little Fire”. Known as simple, sweet, and lyrically endearing, Harmer has made a place for herself as a member of Canada’s musical elite. Over the years, she has made appearances on the albums of many heavyweights, including Blue Rodeo, the Rheostatics, Bruce Cockburn, Great Big Sea, and The Weakerthans, amongst others. “Oh Little Fire” features some familiar faces, including the omnipresent Julie Fader, and a guest appearance with Neko Case.

Label: Cold Snap Records

Foals – Total Life Forever

The Foals made one hell of a bold statement when they turned down Dave Sitek’s (TV On The Radio) mix of their debut album, “Antidotes” in 2007, claiming “it sounded like it was recorded in the Grand Canyon”. For one, Dave Sitek is a powerful and influential dude, who has bestowed his production skills to the likes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Liars. But that statement really optimizes this band. They do their own thing, and they do it their own way. “Their own way” is a melting pot of indie rock, prog, and dance. It’s indie rock, but with spacey overtones and a snappy bass line. It’s a lot like many other things you’ve heard before, but still refreshing and new. And it might have enough hooks to earn its way to the top of your listening pile.

Label: Transgressive

Eminem – Recovery

In the eyes of many, Eminem has dropped off the radar. He hasn’t released a good album in quite a while, and his generation of rap died out years ago, being replaced by Lil’ Wayne, T-Pain and the vocorder. His antics seem tired, less edgy, and irrelevant. His humorous video stabs at pop culture celebrities are no match for M.I.A.’s extermination of redheads. And yet, he still packs an influential punch. He still sells albums, albeit not as many as he did in the past. But then again, who does? And when Interscope in the U.S. decided to release his album a day earlier – on Monday – almost every other distributor in North America followed suit. In short, you can buy the hip new Stars album a day early because of Eminem. And how many artists of today can do that?

Label – Shady