There”s plenty of nice stuff out Tuesday, April 26, but, quite honestly, it feels a little like a warm-up for next week”s Super Tuesday. On May 3, we”ll get new albums from Beastie Boys, Jennifer Lopez, Stevie Nicks, and Fleet Foxes, among others. The big names this week include The Airborne Toxic Event, who may crack the top 10 on the Billboard 200, as well as new sets from Steve Earle and Of Montreal.
The Airborne Toxic Event, “All At Once” (Island): Alternative music darlings best known for breakthrough single “Sometime Around Midnight” pairs with producer Dave Sardy (Oasis, Band of Horses) for second Island set.
Augustana, “Augustana” (Epic): Rootsy rockers return with third album produced by Jacquire King, best known for his work with Kings of Leon and Norah Jones.
Bootsy Collins, “The Funk Capitol of the World” (Mascot): And where might that capitol be? That”s easy, it”s anywhere Bootsy it. He takes it with him wherever he goes. Along for the ride this time are fellow Parlimentar-ians George Clinton and Bernie Warrell, as well as Snoop Dogg, Chuck D, Ice Cube, Bela Fleck and, no kidding, Samuel L. Jackson.
Steve Earle, “I”ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive” (New West): None of us are getting out alive, Steve, but few of us have a great an ability to sum up the world around us as you do. Trenchant singer/songwriter pairs with producer T Bone Burnett for his latest collection.
Emmylou Harris, “Hard Bargain” (Nonesuch): National treasure Harris returns with her first album in three years, visiting such terrain as love (including her relationship with Gram Parsons), a well as socio-political on “The Ballad of Emmett Till,” about a black teenager who was killed in 1955 for speaking to a white woman.
Of Montreal, “Thecontrollersphere” (Polyvinyl): Five-song EP produced by Of Montreal”s frontman Kevin Barnes.
Poly Styrene, “Generation Indigo” (Future Noise Music): Cult hero Poly Styrene, best known as front woman for British punk band X-Ray Spex, sets forth with a new solo album.
Todd Rundgren, “Todd Rungren”s Johnson” (MPCA): Okay, we really are writing about this one mainly because the title makes us laugh every time like Beavis and Butthead. But seriously folks, the album is a cover of tunes made famous by bluesman Robert Johnson.