With St. Patrick's Day over with, it's time to look forward to the next special occasion. At Exclaim!, that means New Release Tuesday, when we round up our reviews of the week's biggest album releases. Take a gander at this week's highlights below, then make sure to keep an eye on our Recently Reviewed section for even more reviews every day.
First off, we have a review of the new Kevin Drew album. Darlings is a much more scaled-down effort, replacing the grandeur of his old band with a more direct, intimate sound. Even with this change, does Drew offer an album that maintains the quality fans of Broken Social Scene have come to expect? You'll have to read the full review to find out.
The new record from Tycho, Awake, hits store shelves today. The new record finds the formerly solo-centric project transformed into a three-piece in an attempt to capture Tycho's live energy, and through their sound isn't totally reinvented by the addition of guitarist Zac Brown and Nitemoves on drums, our reviewer found the record to be a "rewarding, mood-inducing listen that's best digested whole."
Next, we have a review of Say Yes to Love, the debut record from Syracuse, NY noise-pop outfit Perfect Pussy. Coming off the success of their 2013 EP I have lost all desire for feeling, the band are as noisy and ferocious as ever, accented by Meredith Graves' shouts and the band's moody riffs that range from the downtempo to mostly chaotic.
On the more mellow side of things, Philadelphia's War on Drugs' new record, Lost in the Dream, finds the band going, according to our reviewer, "several directions that feature expanded instrumental experiments and a tendency towards bigger, if slightly narcotized, anthems." Similarly, post-hardcore outfit La Dispute's new concept album Rooms of the House finds the band veering into more subtle, controlled territory on several tracks, but still carries plenty of their emo-core sound. Singer-lyricist Jordan Dreyer's performance, meanwhile, is as strong as ever.
Finally, Piñata, the new record from Freddie Gibbs & Madlib is the culmination of a collaboration that started with several EPs over the past three years, but is Piñata full of surprises and goodies, or is it too tough to break into? Our full review has the answers.
Hear some of our favourite songs from these albums and many more in our Rdio Genre Playlists:
Pop & Rock
Dance & Electronic
Metal
Hip-Hop
First off, we have a review of the new Kevin Drew album. Darlings is a much more scaled-down effort, replacing the grandeur of his old band with a more direct, intimate sound. Even with this change, does Drew offer an album that maintains the quality fans of Broken Social Scene have come to expect? You'll have to read the full review to find out.
The new record from Tycho, Awake, hits store shelves today. The new record finds the formerly solo-centric project transformed into a three-piece in an attempt to capture Tycho's live energy, and through their sound isn't totally reinvented by the addition of guitarist Zac Brown and Nitemoves on drums, our reviewer found the record to be a "rewarding, mood-inducing listen that's best digested whole."
Next, we have a review of Say Yes to Love, the debut record from Syracuse, NY noise-pop outfit Perfect Pussy. Coming off the success of their 2013 EP I have lost all desire for feeling, the band are as noisy and ferocious as ever, accented by Meredith Graves' shouts and the band's moody riffs that range from the downtempo to mostly chaotic.
On the more mellow side of things, Philadelphia's War on Drugs' new record, Lost in the Dream, finds the band going, according to our reviewer, "several directions that feature expanded instrumental experiments and a tendency towards bigger, if slightly narcotized, anthems." Similarly, post-hardcore outfit La Dispute's new concept album Rooms of the House finds the band veering into more subtle, controlled territory on several tracks, but still carries plenty of their emo-core sound. Singer-lyricist Jordan Dreyer's performance, meanwhile, is as strong as ever.
Finally, Piñata, the new record from Freddie Gibbs & Madlib is the culmination of a collaboration that started with several EPs over the past three years, but is Piñata full of surprises and goodies, or is it too tough to break into? Our full review has the answers.
Hear some of our favourite songs from these albums and many more in our Rdio Genre Playlists:
Pop & Rock
Dance & Electronic
Metal
Hip-Hop
