February 20
The Magic Numbers | Those the Brokes | Capitol | Now here’s the big release for all you Anglophiles out there. The disc’s already received a warm reception in the UK, where it came out in November. And with no Coldplay to compete with, maybe two will turn out to be this Britpop band’s magic number.
February 27
Jesse Malin | Glitter in the Gutter | Adeline/Warner Bros. | Not only is Jesse Malin’s new disc coming out on Billie Joe Armstrong’s new Warner Bros. imprint, but it’s got a guest list that boggles the mind: Ryan Adams, Jakob Dylan, Josh Homme. And there’s even a cameo by Bruce Springsteen.
FEEDING THE BEAST: An EP will have to hold Bright Eyes fans until April. |
March 6Air | Pocket Symphony | Astralwerks | This cooler-than-thou French duo don’t have to worry about radio play or even record sales: they always come up with at least one tune that a big car company wants to license. This time they brought two guys, Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon, on board to handle the vocals.Bright Eyes | Four Winds EP | Saddle Creek | No, Conor Oberst didn’t have a big enough burst of songwriting to fill a full album. But he coughed up an EP’s worth of material as a holdover until his next full-length, Cassadaga, due in April.
!!! | Myth Takes | Warp | This Brooklyn electronic pop outfit may have an annoying name (it’s pronounced “Chick, Chick, Chick”), but they make up for it with some fine song titles: “All My Heroes Are Weirdos” and “Bend Over Beethoven” are two of the best.
Guns N’ Roses | Chinese Democracy | Geffen | Here it is. Couldn’t they have at least changed the name?
March 13
The Arcade Fire | Neon Bible | Merge | And here’s Axl’s competition . . .
March 20
Good Charlotte | Good Morning Revival | Epic | No, here’s Axl’s real competition, some good ol’ fashioned pop-punk.
The Stooges | The Weirdness | Virgin |You got Iggy Pop singing, Steve Albini producing, Mike Watt on bass . . . what could be bad? Really.
