Today is the day you must keep your wits about you, as every jerk you know tries to get your hopes up only to send them crashing to the ground. Well, I can 100 percent say that all of the releases here are all real and available for you to stream, no BS. Weezer are back with their latest and sounding fantastic, newcomer Lukas Graham has dropped his stateside debut, and Kanye West’s The Life Of Pablo is now officially streaming everywhere. We’ve also got new stuff from Yeasayer, Bibio, Charles Bradley, Jhene Aiko and Big Sean project Twenty88, Explosions In The Sky, and more. Here are the albums you need to hear this week.
Weezer – Weezer [The White Album]
Every time a new release comes from alt-rock heroes Weezer, at least in the 21st century, it is immediately met with intense scrutiny and judgment. The group’s most die-hard fans compare their perfect power pop debut and formative emo second effort with the rest of their catalog and come away incredibly disappointed. Perhaps the only thing that was going to temper this sentiment was time. Now that both of those seminal records are two decades in the rear-view mirror, we’ve arrived at the familiarly-titled Weezer or The White Album. Proclamations of Weezer being “back” or “good again” are misplaced; simply approaching this record with fresh eyes shows that Rivers is as vibrant as he’s been in a long time. “Do You Wanna Get High?” and “Thank God For Girls” places them among the FIDLAR’s or Wavves’ of today. Will they ever break out from their pioneering past? Probably not. But Weezer is capable of making good, if not great, records. That should always be the biggest impression to take away.
Lukas Graham – Lukas Graham
Denmark has already been enjoying Lukas Graham for about five years now, but the group made its way to the U.S. on the strength of mega-hit “7 Years.” Now, they are finally releasing a full-length effort in America, right when the iron is hot for artists looking to capitalize on Sheeran-core pop-soul. “Mama Said” could border on saccharine with the kids choir singing on the chorus, but it manages to stay on this side of tasteful and “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me” strikes a tone of Songs About Jane-era Maroon 5. For some people, that sounds like a nightmare — it would be dishonest to not acknowledge that. But, for what Lukas Graham set out to do, the group does well.
Yeasayer – Amen & Goodbye
Four long years after Fragrant World, Yeasayer are back with a new round of experimental psych pop. Honestly, that’s just probably the closest way to describe it. Yeasayer are probably one of the hardest bands to classify — it’s all just sort of nebulous weirdness and soulfulness, which frankly sounds pretty appetizing. Amen & Goodbye feels like of those works of art that you stare at up close and it makes no sense, but when you gain perspective, it’s astonishing. Lead single “I Am Chemistry” is a journey that touches on baroque pop, post-punk, and early ’80s synth, and it’s immediately followed up with “Silly Me,” a pop jam with world as well as country influences. You could see how an unprepared listener might get a bit of whiplash here, but it’s best just to open your ears and your minds and let Amen & Goodbye wash over you. It’ll all make sense in the end.
Here are the rest of the week’s releases:
Kanye West – The Life Of Pablo [Wide release]
Charles Bradley – Changes
Bibio – A Mineral Love
Twenty88 [Big Sean & Jhene Aiko] – Twenty88 (TIDAL streaming exclusive; available for purchase elsewhere)
BABYMETAL – Metal Resistance
Explosions In The Sky – The Wilderness
Bleached – Welcome The Worms
Andrew Bird – Are You Serious
The Last Shadow Puppets – Everything You’ve Come To Expect
N.O.R.E. – Drunk Uncle
Com Truise – Silicon Tare EP
dvsn – Sept. 5th
Mogwai – Atomic
Japanese Breakfast – Psychopomp
Black Mountain – IV
Tacocat – Lost Time
Frankie Cosmos – Next Thing
Pet Shop Boys – Super
Willis Earl Beal – Through The Dark
Antwon – Double Ecstasy
Terrace Martin – Velvet Portraits
Autolux – Pussy’s Dead
The Heavy – Hurt & the Merciless
Umphrey’s McGee – Safety In Numbers
Mike & The Melvins – Three Men and a Baby
The Summer Set – Stories for Monday
Shonen Knife – Adventure
The Field – The Follower
Mike Patton & John Kaada – Bacteria Cult
Laura Gibson – Empire Builder
