The Pulse is the Uproxx Music guide to the best new albums, mixtapes, and other music releases that matter this week.
Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened yet, so you know what that means: It’s time to start thinking about Christmas. Sia is already with a new Christmas album (and it’s better than you’d probably expect). Meanwhile, an Australian psychedelic rock group just released their fourth album of the year, and there’s a ton of new hip-hop.
Sia — Everyday Is Christmas
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Christmas albums have been done to death, but we’ll accept them if they contain ten new and original songs by Sia, like this one does. So really, it’s a Sia album, maybe just with more sleigh bells and talk of Santa Clause — and the jaunty album opener “Santa’s Coming For Us” is an instant holiday classic.
Morrissey — Low In High School
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It looks like it wasn’t cold enough for Morrissey to put off releasing his eleventh studio album, so here it is, and it’s packed full of classic Morrissey song titles, like “Home Is A Question Mark,” “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up On The Stage,” and “The Girl From Tel-Aviv Who Wouldn’t Kneel.”
T-Pain — Oblivion
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It’s been six years since T-Pain’s last album, so the timing of his comeback is perfect, especially for fans who miss the old T-Pain, as he previously called this album a return to his roots: “People like familiarity. People like to know what is happening. It was only right that I go back to what made me the T-Pain I am today.”
Tove Lo — Blue Lips
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The infectiously sexy single “Disco Tits” made some noise for Tove Lo, and now she’s back with a full album of similarly propulsive pop, but also with plenty of slower ballads and sensual grooves. Maybe we’ll even get some more overtly sexual puppets soon.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — Polygondwanaland
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At the end of last year, the psychedelic Australia group announced their plans to release FIVE albums in 2017, and they’ve made good on those ambitions so far: Their fourth album of the year, Polygondwanaland, is available as a free download now, and it’s led by the driving and far-out 10-minute single “Crumbling Castle.”
Talib Kweli — Radio Silence
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“I might have the tenth Jay Electronica feature ever,” Kweli joked about his new album. “I just had to catch [him]. He’s like a Pokémon.” He also got a Kaytranada-produced collaboration with Anderson .Paak, “Traveling Light,” a frenetic, horn-laden track that’s a strong way to kick an album off.
Tame Impala — Currents B-Sides & Remixes
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Kevin Parker decided he wasn’t quite done with Tame Impala’s 2015 album Currents, so he just dropped an EP of unreleased tracks and remixes (as part of a collectors edition of the album), and it has all the hazy psychedelia you’d expect (as well as a nine-minute Soulwax remix of “Let It Happen” that draws the song out in the most head-bobbing way).
Cyhi The Prynce — No Dope On Sundays
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The Kanye West collaborator is out here trying to make a name for himself, and shows that a lot of big people have big faith in the rising rapper, since his debut album includes collaborations with Schoolboy Q, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, and of course, Kanye.
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings — Soul Of A Woman
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The world lost soul and funk singer Sharon Jones late last year at 60 years old, but now, the legend has gifted the world one last treat: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings have released Soul Of A Woman, featuring the powerful single “Matter Of Time.” The Dap-Kings are also performing a tribute to Jones on The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon tonight, so that’s bound to be a special moment.
Sharon Van Etten — (It Was) Because I Was In Love
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It’s been nearly a decade since Sharon Van Etten released her debut album Because I Was In Love, and the record still holds a place in her heart so special that she decided to put a lot of care into re-releasing it (with two new bonus tracks): “These songs still ring true to me and they still come from an honest place,” she says. “I’m just older now, with more perspective, but that’s the only real difference. It became something more beautiful than I could have imagined.”
