New This Week: The D.O.T., Pig Destroyer & More
The D.O.T., And That Mike Skinner’s collaboration with Rob Harvey of The Music may be an unlikely one, particularly give that Skinner said he quit music to make movies, but on tracks like the sweet-but-barbed “Like You Used To”, it brings out the best in both of them. Andrew Mueller reviews:
“The best of And That makes a virtue of Skinner and Harvey’s incongruity… “Goes Off” is rather too redolent of the sort of thing inexplicably played at deafening volume in London shoe shops [but] there’s enough that’s good here to prompt hope that there’s more where And That came from.”
Pig Destroyer, Book Burner The grindcore kings’ fifth album, one of the most anticipated metal releases of the year, is an unparalleled aural assault, writes Jon Weiderhorn:
“Pig Destroyer attack with pinpoint precision, plowing through 19 cuts in just under 33 minutes and mapping out when to pummel, trudge and lacerate. Adam Jarvis and guitarist and producer Scott Hull (ex-Anal Cunt) both boast the ability to turn sick, horrific and off-kilter clamor into coherent, memorable compositions.”
Egyptian Hip Hop, Good Don’t Sleep The Manchester band’s long-awaited debut is a brilliant, wired mix of day-glo pop and luminous noise (but not Egyptian hip-hop).
Main Attrakionz, Bossalinis & Fooliyones Cloud rap’s first essential album comes from the Californian duo of Squadda B and Mondre M.A.N. Ben Beaumont-Thomas writes:
“This is a kind of 21st-century G-funk: Grey Goose may have replaced Tanqueray as the liquor of choice, but this evokes the California of pre-fame Snoop, full of casual sex, cheap thrills and, yes, clouds of weed smoke.”
Alt-J, An Awesome Wave (Deluxe Edition) The business-class upgrade of Alt-J’s Mercury-nominated debut includes live and acoustic versions of tracks, plus remixes from Tom Vek and Ghostpoet.
U.S. Girls, Gem Meghan Remy, aka U.S. Girls, ditches lo-fi songwriting for a brighter, bigger sound on her fourth album. Annie Zaleski writes:
““Down in the Boondocks” is kitschy, retro-flavored tropical pop, while the piano-based “North On 45” and glammy squeal “Jack” resembles David Bowie circa Hunky Dory.”
Stars, The North The sixth album from the Canadian band sees co-vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan duet like indie’s answer to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Nick Marino writes:
“Campbell has the kind of delightfully fey accent that turns “party” into “pahty” and Millan sings in a breathy coo that can melt a record clerk’s heart.”
