THIS WEEK’S ELITE:
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Love Their Country (Fat Wreck Chords)
country, pop
These guys could be the best cover band around. This time around the album theme is classic country hits played as always with the bands signature punk-pop delivery.

K.T. Tunstall, K.T. Tunstall’s Acoustic Extravaganza (EMI)
acoustic, folk
Tunstall remains my Grammy recommendation for Best New Artist. Here’s a handful of new material along side some rare cuts from Eye to the Telescope on this all-acoustic album.

WORTH MENTION:
Jeremy Enigk, World Waits (Reincarnat, Lewis Hollow Records)
Badly Drawn Boy, Born in the U.K. (EMI)
Gomez, Five Men in a Hut (Disc 1) (EMI, Virgin)
Gomez, Five Men in a Hut (Disc 2) (EMI, Virgin)
Kevin Devine, Put Your Ghost to Rest (Capitol)

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES (high anticipation, no apparent album stream):
Tanya Donelly, The Hungry Life (Eleven Thirty)
The third solo album from former band member of Throwing Muses, Belly and The Breeders. I’ve always been a big fan and would love to hear an album preview. Keep an eye on her web site and MySpace profile.

Tanya had this to say about the process: “This album was recorded during a heat wave in front of a live, patient audience over two nights in Bellows Falls, VT at the Windham, a hotel closed since the 80s except for its small club. The idea was more ‘album recorded live’ than ‘live album’; there were stops and starts, multiple takes, endless tunings, lots of sweating and a little swearing. Every couple of songs, the whole roomful of us would pour out onto the street to let our clothes dry and to breathe some new air. We were all pretty familiar by the end of the weekend. Recording can be tedious and shows nerve-wracking; this was neither. It was a blast, and I loved every second.” [Eleven Thirty Records]

See our Release Calendar for more.

[all full album streams courtesy of AOL Music unless otherwise noted]

About the author: Tom is a Design Director for Viget Labs currently living in Northern Virginia with his wife and two kids.

Mon, Oct 16, 2006 @ 11:03 pm |