After a month of car radio top 40, when you thought you’d die if you ever had to listen to Hoobastank again, our favorite bands are back with new releases for ’09.
NASA’s The Spirit of Apollo is overflowing with guest appearances. Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon wrangled up just about everyone we love to sing over their frantic electronic beats from David Byrne to MIA to Karen O. It’s fun to imagine all the guest stars hanging out with each other, but mostly just to figure out how Tom Waits/Kanye West small talk would go.
Maybe Kanye would be bragging about his production work on the upcoming Jay-Z album, The Blueprint 3. It’s remained under a cloud of secrecy since it was announced last year. It’s rumored to come out next month. So far, Hov’s Blueprints have followed suit with the Brady girls. The first was classic, mature, and popular (Marcia) and the second was forgettable (Jan). Fortunately, his third one looks like it won’t be naive or precocious and he probably won’t rock a lisp. If “Brooklyn (Go Hard),” which features Santogold, is any indication, Jay-Z has a rediscovered intensity, and is out to show Lil Wayne who is truly the “best rapper alive.”
2008 left us arguing over who did “bearded troubadour” the best, as Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes released stunning, haunting debuts. But the original king of whispering beautiful lyrics through a beard, Will Oldham aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy, hopes to put debate to a rest with Beware, a collection of lush, challenging folk, set for release on March 17.
In addition to those albums, look out for new offerings from Portland political-punkers The Thermals (4/7), The Decemberists (3/24), New Pornographer Neko Case (3/3) and The Boy Least Likely To (3/3), whose indie-pop toes the line between cute and cringe-worthy.
