The Rapture, the Drums, Oregon Bike Trails [week's Top Releases]

It’s Tuesday which means that here in the United States, we are treated to a slew of great new album releases.  With this edition of ’Week’s Top Releases’, we’re particularly excited as The Drums moved up their release date by a week.  Christmas has come early folks!

Sail Away – The Rapture

It’s seems like we’ve been waiting forever for a new The Rapture album, right? Not to mention, now that LCD Soundsystem have called it quits, the craving for new “kings of dance punk” is greater than ever. The Rapture certainly could take up the helm. The fact that The Grace Of Your Love, the band’s 4th studio full-length, is being released via DFA makes that possibility even more feasible. The only hurdle standing in the way is overcoming the absence of their original bassist, the irreplaceable Mattie Safer.

Money – The Drums

Brooklyn-based The Drums are releasing Portamento a full week early, in order to coincide with a bunch of album release shows in London. The beach boys promise a completely new, more mature and autobiographical sound on their second full-length. Changes can also be attributed to the departure of original guitarist Adam Kessler and a tumultuous recording process (apparently the band almost broke up). Thankfully, they are still together (for now) and this album is definitely one of the most highly anticipated this year.

Watch their webisode series which is coinciding with the album’s release here.

Oregon Bike Trails also deserves some spotlight this week. The man behind the band, Zach Yudin, doesn’t have plans to release an album until later this fall, but the single “High School Lover” is exceedingly perfect for this time of year. The first few days of school are always a bit exciting and sometimes used as an opportunity to start over with a clean slate. Yudin also reminds us that our first experiences with heartbreak and regret usually begin in high school. Love the 60s vibe and the sentiment, but I’m definitely glad I’ve graduated.