Get Reviews of Sam Roberts Band, Sun Kil Moon, Thumpers and More in Our New Release Roundup

BY Peter SanfilippoPublished Feb 11, 2014

It is, once again, a glorious new release Tuesday, and for the sake of keeping you up to date on new music, we've got another shiny set of new reviews. Below, we preview a handful of this week's highlights, but if you're still looking for more, take a gander at our Recently Reviewed section for even more reviews every day.

First off, we've got a new album from the Sam Roberts Band. Lo-Fantasy, the Canadian crew's fifth studio album, finds the band trading in their usual FM rock radio sound and taking on a new, more danceable style. Is this trade a dream come true, or should it have been left just a fantasy? Read the full review to find out.

Next, we've got Benji, the new album from American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon. The morbid album finds Kozelek at his most vivid, tying every song together with documentary details and holding nothing back lyrically. Those willing to brave the extremely personal storytelling will find the tales sad, surprising, funny and rewarding.

UK duo Thumpers dropped their debut record, Galore, today, but there's something missing; even with drummer John Hamson Jr's experience with Noah and the Whale and Friendly Fires and a successful string of early cuts from the duo, our reviewer found that the "choruses fail to stick, gang vocals fail to soar and songs build without resolution."

Saharan eight-piece Tinariwen celebrate their 35th year as a collective with Emmaar, their sixth LP and their first album recorded in California. The album finds the band at their most commercial, with guest appearances by Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Klinghoffer, Saul Williams and Matt Sweeney of Chavez, but also features their most textural and delicate music to date. Back on the home front, Canadian R&B/soul artist JRDN released an "R&B-minded, pop-friendly" self-titled EP on which, according to our reviewer, "his vocals have gotten stronger."

Finally, less than a year after the release of the 2013 EP Misogyny Drop Dead, Planningtorock has returned with her third studio album, All Love's Legal. The new album carries with it some serious discussions on topics like trans awareness and gender equality, but juxtaposes the socially-charged subject matter with levity. It is, says our reviewer, the "perfect marriage of thought-provoking and hip-shaking."

Hear some of our favourite songs from these albums and many more in our Rdio Genre Playlists:

Pop & Rock
Soul, Funk & World
Dance & Electronic

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