Tomorrow’s release-date schedule is pretty glutted with albums that—gasp!—might get people to actually spend money on music, from Madonna’s latest greatest-hits collection to new albums by the spunky likes of Miranda Lambert and Paramore. In order to help you navigate through this week, might I suggest a friendly game of Buy/Download/Kill, in which each album receives one of the three fates outlined by the game’s title? My personal preferences after the jump.
BUY
Mariah Carey, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. Hey, it’s only $5.99 at Amazon, so why not?
Miranda Lambert, Revolution. My favorite Nashville spitfire comes back, slightly bruised, still brazen.
Paramore, Brand New Eyes. My personal affection for them aside, you have to admit that in the ever-more-male world of rock and roll it’s nice that there’s a female-fronted band out there that can completely blaze.
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions, Through The Devil Softly. Because we should still be giving thanks to her rich, velvety voice.
DOWNLOAD
Alice In Chains, Black Gives Way To Blue. As someone who owns all of the Staley-era back catalog, I pretty much have to at least check out this first album with new lead singer William DuVal. If he can nail those harmonies with Jerry Cantrell, he’s golden.
Ghostface, The Wizard Of Poetry. Many are skeptical of the Wu-Tang member’s foray into R & B, but Christopher R. Weingarten says that a decent rap album is lurking within, so…
Madonna, Celebration. Just to be sure that you didn’t miss out on having crucial second-tier hits like “Frozen” and “Beautiful Stranger.”
Barbra Streisand, Love Is The Answer. Never too early to load up the “music you can discuss with your extended family at the holidays” arsenal.
V/A, More Than A Game. Upgrade to “buy” if you own any LeBron James-related paraphernalia.
V/A, Whip It!. The soundtrack to Drew Barrymore’s roller-derby film is not unlike a pretty decent mixtape, what with the Breeders, “Jolene,” the Go! Team, and “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” all on its track listing.
KILL
Karen O And The Kids, Where The Wild Things Are. Just what we needed: More indie types obsessing over their stunted emotional growth.
La Roux. Downgraded from “download” thanks to her “shut up, college” persona.
On The CD Front [Pause & Play]
Earlier: Week Of Nov. 21, 2008
buy download kill
Navigating Your Way Through This Week’s New Releases, From Madonna To Miranda
3:00 PM on Mon Sep 28 2009
By Maura
12 Comments
And re that second-to-last entry: See also.
HIPSTER FURRIES. THANKS DAVE EGGERS.
Mariah Carey, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. Hey, it’s only $5.99 at Amazon, so why not?
But if you buy the $5.99 MP3 download, instead of the $9.99 double-CD, you’ll miss out on the two versions of the video for “Obsessed” and “a 36 page Elle mini-magazine that’s an inside look at Mariah”.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DSM8UC/ref=dm_dp_cdp?ie=UTF8&s=music
What about AFI and Breaking Benjamin?
@2ironic4u: What about them? Do they have new albums coming out? What’s lower than Kill?
I was thinking of buying “Celebration” but apparently it’s so poorly mastered even non-fans notice the errors… I guess I’ll be saving my dollars then.
The La Roux album really is very good. I could care less what Elly Jackson says, and even when I do read her interviews I can’t quite understand what makes everyone else hate her so much- I just end up feeling bad for her.
I’d throw Seven Worlds Collide - “The Sun Came Out” into the Buy category just because proceeds go to a good cause (Oxfam) and there are a ton of talented people involved (Jeff Tweedy, Neil Finn, Phil Selway, Johnny Marr to name a few)
Aaaaaannnd once again, metal (one of the few genres that still actually sells CDs) doesn’t exist in Idolator-world.
Out this week:
Austrian Death Machine, Double Brutal. Schwarzenegger-themed joke-thrash.
Dethklok, Dethalbum II. Second volume of Metalocalypse-related tunes.
Doomriders, Darkness Comes Alive. Converge side project.
The Gates Of Slumber, Hymns of Blood and Thunder. Excellent stoner/doom/power metal from Indianapolis.
Hatebreed, s/t. The kings of knuckle-dragging hardcore-metal crossover return.
Om, God is Good. Spiritual stoner-art bass-drums duo; first album on Drag City after several on Southern Lord.
Plus about a half dozen others.
@NunyaB: What kind(s) of mastering errors are you talking about? I was also planning to buy it, so I’d like to know what I’m in for. :)
@pdfreeman: In all fairness, metal doesn’t really sell CDs in the numbers of pop/rap/modern rock…how many metal albums are going to be in the billboard top 20?
And I’m sure there are at least that many albums in every other genre coming out this week, that Idolator also “excluded.”
As for La Roux - from what I’ve heard the album is pretty fantastic. But it should only be at Download because their frontwoman is an idiot, per that article you linked to. Don’t front like “Bulletproof” couldn’t have been a GaGa track, girl!
I will have to respectfully disagree that metal albums don’t sell as well as other genres. Especially first week sells. I look at the current Top 20 albums and the only modern rock I see is Muse. I also see Megadeth in the Top 10. Hatebreed and Dethklok both have a good chance at debuting at a decent position. Alice In Chains will debut high and they definitely come from a metal background. Metal radio in the early 90’s is where every “grunge” success story started(Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc…).
@pdfreeman: Sure, metal sells, with the bigger artists moving about as many units as your highish-profile indie acts. But I don’t feel comfortable passing judgment on things that I don’t know all that much about! Which is why I’m glad you chimed in.
(Also I am still of the opinion that Home Movies > Dethklok. YMMV, of course.)
@NunyaB: Nevermind, I Googled it and found a good deal of info. Looks to be quite a sad situation! :(
http://requiem4adream.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/celebration-a-retardation/
Between this and the “glue” problems with Neil Young’s Archives box, I’m starting to wonder about Warner’s QC division. (As in, do they have one?!)