The week of May 5th was an important week in the world of music. We are easing up to the height of the Spring season, and it seems like every band has a new album coming out in the next few months. This week was dominated by the Indie scene as well as the Punk scene. There are tons of releases that go unnoticed by a majority of the population. These are the Top 5 albums that came out this week. Every week on Tuesday there are hundreds of releases.
Number Five: “MCIII” by Mikal Cronin.
Mikal Cronin is the guitarist of the semi-popular noise rock/garage rock band Ty Segall. Mikal Cronin released his new album “MCII” on May 4th. This is his third solo album and it does not disappoint. This whole discography is full of loud guitar riffs, powering vocals, and catchy beats. It is pretty much along the same lines as his last album “MCII”. That does not mean it is bad. This album Mikal Cronin decided to add some more orchestral sounds to his music which did seem to work. He is really trying to get the pop sound out of his records. You can pick up this record online at Amazon or Insound records. The record was released on power label, Merge Records.
Number Four: “Peripheral Vision” by Turnover.
Turnover is normally a Pop Punk band but with this new record they did a very similar style idea of what TItle Fight did with “Hyperview”. They seemed to ditch their old sound and pick up the new shoegaze and distant sounding vocals and guitars. I was never personally a fan of Turnover before now but I am really digging the new one. It has a very laid back vibe to it. This record is a perfect sound for going out on a nice day and just exploring. Turnover is no longer talking about old relationships in their music but have moved on to the more complicated themes of life. This record was released on Run For Cover records out of Boston, Massachusetts. If you like this record check out more releases on Run For Cover.
Number Three: “Ours is Chrome” by Superheaven.
Superheaven aka Daylight is a power punk/grunge band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who was recently picked up by Side One Dummy Records. The album opens up with “I’ve Been Bored” which is the best opener for the band they have ever had. It once again features the same grunge sounding guitar backed up by the powerful vocals of Taylor Madison. After the opener the album just seems to dread on and it was climaxed a little too early. “Ours is Chrome” is produced to sound like one big song. It seems like the whole album just blends together which is good but also bad. You can’t tell one song apart from the other.
Number Two: “California Nights” by Best Coast.
“California Nights” is the third LP from the duo of Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno. The lyrics of Cosentino always seem to reflect exactly the essence of California. They have established themselves as a beach vibe and a summer feeling sound to all of their records. They added a very 90’s sound on top of the California vibe they give off. They feel like the Beach Boys meet Smashing Pumpkins. The album from beginning to end seems to have hooks that have me singing them in my head all day it seems. The lyrics are kind of sad compared to their previous records. The record came out on May 5th on Harvest Records. Catch them on tour in support of “California Nights” in North America.
Number One: “Painted Shut” by Hop Along.
Hop Along is an indie/rock/punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “Painted Shut” is the follow up album to “Get Disowned”. “Painted Shut” was defiantly not a sophomore slump which some bands seem to do after having a huge success on their first album. The vocals seem to be the leading force behind the album. Frances Quinlan seems to pour her entire life into this album. You can hear the trauma which she endured in her life. Quinlan seems to be a poet who knows exactly what vibe her words are giving off. The rest of the band seems to know what she wants as well. The punky and rock sounds coming from behind Frances just seem to fit so well with the overall vibe of Hop Along. The record also seemed to be better produced than “Get Disowned” you can hear every string plucked and every percussion instrument hit. The album is out on Saddle Creek records. Hop Along is just starting up their USA cross country tour in support of “Painted Shut”
This week was a very successful week in terms of potentially important music to come out this year. Check every week to see whats coming out that may interest you.
FDRMX Eyes: Luca Dimoon is a multi-talented songwriter and musician from Italy whose work incorporates elements of jazz, funk, soul and poetry. Check out the video for “Nonsense”.
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