The Albums You Need to Know About Every Week
Welcome back to Week’s Top Releases! Our first week since the new year, we’ve got everything from hip hop’s A$AP Rocky to garage rock’s Criminal Hygiene; from ex-Girls member Christopher Owens’ debut solo album to Yo La Tengo’s 13th LP.
A$AP ROCKY – LONG.LIVE.A$AP
24-year-old Rakim Mayers, better known as A$AP Rocky, released his debut studio album, LONG.LIVE.A$AP, this week after gaining attention with his 2011 mixtape, Live. Love. A$AP. LONG.LIVE.A$AP features some amazing artists, including Santigold, Drake, Yelawolf and Florence Welch. Check out the album’s first single, “Goldie,” below.
YO LA TENGO – FADE
Hoboken’s Yo La Tengo, a band that’s been around for going on thirty years, released their thirteenth LP this week, entitled Fade. The band changed up producers for the first time since the nineties, and I really dig the resulting sound — more lo-fi and a little dreamier than the Yo La Tengo norm. Check out their single, “Ohm”, below and snatch the album for eight bucks on iTunes.
CRIMINAL HYGIENE – CRIMINAL HYGIENE LP
If you’re looking for a garage punk fix (because who isn’t), Criminal Hygiene released their first “LP” this week (it’s actually two songs). For a band who spends so much time thinking about sandwiches and beer, they sure do know how to make good music.
CHRISTOPHER OWENS – LYSANDRE
After announcing in July that Girls was disbanding, the band’s lead singer and songwriter Christopher Owens has now released his debut solo album, Lysandre. Owens’ solo work takes on a much more soft, introspective tone than Girls’ music. Listen to the album’s single, “Here We Go,” below.