So, did you find out if you’re going to On The Mountain yet?! If so, congratulations! If not, there’s nothing to be sad about — there are a bunch of really good new albums coming out this week to look forward to.
On to the new albums! So this week is a big one for older alternative and indie bands to release new albums. First, Against Me! is releasing their much-anticipated album Transgender Dysphoria Blues. This is the first album the band is putting out since lead singer Laura Jane Grace (born Tom Gabel) completed her transition to living as a woman, so no matter what it sounds like, it will be a cornerstone album for the band and probably for punk music in general. Against Me! has always been decidedly political, but the new album is the first to address gender issues directly, and the way the band marries the thematic content with their traditional style makes for some really interesting, great music.
Next up, everyone’s favorite Scottish post-rockers Mogwai are releasing their album Rave Tapes this week. 17 years since the band’s debut, Rave Tapes is their eighth studio album outside of soundtrack and remixes, and it holds true to their style: a little shoegaze influence from bands like The Pixies and My Bloody Valentine, a little art rock and math rock a la Slint.
Finally in the legends-releasing-albums-this-week bucket, indie rockers Warpaint are releasing their much-anticipated self-titled album Warpaint this week. Indie it-girls since the release of their 2010 debut album The Fool, Warpaint’s sophomore album lives up to all the hype. Warpaint sounds a bit more produced than The Fool, which is typical of any sophomore release, but it’s not a bad thing. The melodic choruses and arrangements layered over the hazy, atmospheric background guitar and drum accompaniment makes for music that is uniquely catchy.
Also from the shoegaze/dream-pop world, Swedish indie rockers I Break Horses are releasing their sophomore album Chiaroscuro this week. “Chiaroscuro” is a fine art term originating from the Italian masters of the mid-16th century, and it refers to the way light contrast in a painting can make objects look three-dimensional. Translated to the album, it means highlighting the contrasts between the different genres I Break Horses explores on the album — more electronic than their previous work, but still holding on to elements of their indie and shoegaze sound – uniting everything seamlessly.
Following in the symphonic indie pop vein, The Hidden Cameras are releasing Age this week. The eighth studio album from the political band known for grandiose shows a la Sufjan Stevens’ in The Age of Adz era, The Hidden Cameras are leading their album’s release with the single “Gay Goth Scene”. The band’s mix of darker symphonic pop with eerie string arrangements and vocals kind of sounds like Lana Del Rey and Dead Man’s Bones had a love-child, in the best way possible.
Mellowing things out a little bit, we’ve got Dog Bite‘s new album Tranquilizers for you. Dog Bite is the brainchild of singer-songwriter and former Washed Out keyboardist Phil Jones, so those kind of sweepingly epic soundscapes with 80′s undertones a key defining element of his music as well, but the sound is altogether a bit darker than the sunny Washed Out. Tranquilizers has the kind of murkiness or depth that makes it interesting listen after listen.
Similar indie rockers in the chillwave vein Shy Boys are releasing their self-titled debut album this week. The Kansas City 3-piece incorporates surf rock vibes into their hazy, dream-pop sound, which makes them a bit more original than a lot of other bands doing similar things right now.
Next we’ve got L.A. rockers together PANGEA are releasing their second album Badillac this week. The album is about young love, specifically the on-and-off relationship lead singer William Keegan had over the four years leading up to the record. Perhaps due to the sensitive nature of the songs, Badillac has more influence from West Coast folk rockers of the late 70′s than the band’s previously garage-rock centered work. The lead single even features harmonica work, which Keegan says is a tribute to one of the band’s biggest influences – Neil Young.
Last but not least, Damien Jurado is releasing his thirteenth (!) studio album Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son this week. Jurado built up a strong local following in Seattle in the late 90′s and has been recording and touring ever since. His use of “found sound” from things like thrift store cassettes and field recordings makes his brand of acoustic pop a little bit more interesting and Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son is no exception – this album will be one to remember in 2014.
