Thursday , March 28 2024
AC/DC's Iron Man 2 soundtrack starts the countdown to the summer's hottest franchise sequel...

Doves, Shelby Lynne, Kate Nash, Julien Kasper, AC/DC, and VV Brown Top Crowded New Releases for April 20

What a great week for new releases. There are so many titles I'd like to discuss at length but there just isn't time to hit them all, so let me throw a couple quickies at you before we get down to business. The first the Iron Man 2 soundtrack, acting as a would-be AC/DC compilation.

From that same vein, we have :: wait for it :: new music from Ratt! No, I'm not kidding. It's their first new album in a decade and from what I've read about this, they've changed absolutely nothing about their sound. No, I'm not kidding. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You decide.

We've also got the third album from Boston-based guitarist Julien Kasper, Groove Trance. Now, onto the titles I want to discuss at greater length…

Doves
The Places Between: The Best Of Doves

Have Manchester's Doves come to the end of the road? They say no and I hope that's true. This trio seemed to come from out of nowhere and became one of my favorite bands of the past decade. Their blend of ambient soundscapes, driving rock, and power pop really struck a chord with me. I learned about them reading NME online and I clicked off a few sample tracks on Amazon. The soundclip that sold me was "Words" from The Last Broadcast. I bought it immediately and since then I've tried to collect their B-sides and rarities as well as keeping up with their LPs.

The Places Between is a 2CD/1DVD retrospective retracing the band's steps from their 2000 debut Lost Souls through last year's Kingdom of Rust. The first disc collects most of the songs released as singles, presenting a nice summary of the band's work. Superfans like myself will always quibble with the tracklisting but compilations are rarely aimed at the fanboys. Some of my favorite Doves songs are on that first disc so it's not the worst introduction to the band.

Where things get interesting and turn more towards the diehards is the second disc, gathering a number of B-sides and other rarities. There are some great songs on that disc. I know. I already have them, and not just because I imported some of the British singles. They released a rarities set after The Last Broadcast called Lost Sides and some of these tracks are repeated here. That's a shame. If they're trying to hook the fanboys who already have everything on disc one, they shouldn't be picking up repeats on the bonus disc as well. Having said that, there are some new-to-me titles on Disc 2, so I bought it. The other present to diehards is the DVD collecting 13 of the band's video, several presented in 5.1 and stereo mixes.

Shelby Lynne
Tears, Lies, And Alibis

Shelby, Shelby, Shelby… I've written of my reviewed this for Blogcritics and he loves it. I've listened to this one all the way through once today and I'm deeply infatuated with it, heading towards a lasting love.

Now let's turn our attention to Kate Nash and VV Brown. Both have new albums out this week and they've both told Blogcritics all about them. BC Music Editor Donald Gibson talked with Kate Nash about taking risks and going for something raw on her sophomore effort while Clayton Perry discussed music and fashion with the multi-talented VV Brown.

Here is the rest of your list:

AC/DC
Iron Man 2

2Cents
Dress To Kill

Abscess
Dawn Of Inhumanity

Airbourne
No Guts. No Glory.

Alcest
Ecailles De Lune (Jewelcase)

Alcest
Ecallies De Lune (Digipack Edi

Anarbor
The Words You Don T Swallow

André Laplante (Piano)
Liszt: Années De Pèlerinage: Suisse

Apples In Stereo, The
Travellers In Space And Time

Aqualung
Magnetic North

Arcadia
So Red The Rose (Special Ed.)

Arkenstone, David
Celtic Chillout

Autoryno
Pastrami Bagel Social Club

Ball, David
Sparkle City

Barbieri, Richard
Things Buried

Big Doughski G
Doughski By The Zone

Billie Holiday
Standards / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Blunt Mechanic
World Record

Brown, V V
Travelling Like The Light

Caribou
Swim

Cathedral
Guessing Game, The

Chalie Boy
I'm Here

Chambers, Joe
Horace To Max

Circa Survive
Blue Sky Noise

Circa Survive
Blue Sky Noise (Deluxe Edition)

Cognito
Automatic

Concept Insomnia
Perpetuum Mobile

Consulate General, The
Person Number

Cornershop
Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast

Crinn, The
Dreaming Saturn

Crump, Stephan With Rosetta Tr
Reclamation

Cypress Hill
Rise Up

Cypress Hill
Rise Up (Edited)

D-Ray
My Mixtape Is Killing Your Mixtape

Dance Life Studio Orchestra & Singers
Dancing Like The Stars

Danny Boy
Its About Time

Dark Time Sunshine
Vessel

David Benoit
Earthglow

De Reeder, Pierre
The Way That It Was

Debra Ashley
New Birth

Destroyer
City Of Daughters

Destroyer
Streethawk: A Seduction

Destroyer
Thief

Devin The Dude
Suite 420

Dictee
Liber Novus

Doves
Best Of

Drawn Together
The Soundtrack

Duncan, Craig
Country Mtn. Tributes: Elvis

Elkins, Steve
Crazy About Big Truck Songs!

Ella Fitzgerald
Standards / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Ember
Embrace

Ereb Altor
The End

Erickson, Roky With Okkervil R
True Love Cast Out All Evil

Faraquet
The View From This Tower / [Remastered]

Flamin' Groovies, The
Replay: Groovies Greatest (2Xcd)

Fred Astaire
Standards / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Garland, Judy & Minelli, Liza
Live At The Palladium

Genevieve Soly (Harpsichord)
Handel In Darmstadt

Getz, Stan & Kenny Barron
People Time – The Complete Rec

Giuliani, Rosario
Lennie's Pennies

Glee Cast
Glee: The Music, The Power Of Madonna

Go Radio
Do Overs And Second Chances

Goldberg, Ben
Baal: The Book Of Angels Vol. 15

Gotan Project
Tango 3.0

Grateful Dead
Crimson, White & Indigo: July 7 1989 Jfk Stadium, Philadelphia (3Cd/1Dvd)

Green Day
The Original Broadway Cast Recording "American Idiot" Featuring Green Day (2Cd)

Grover Washington Jr.
Plays The Hits / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Haggard, Merle
I Am What I Am

Horse Feathers
Thistled Spring

Hovie Lister And The Statesmen
Gospel Heritage Series

Huff, David Lyndon
Worldbeat Asia

Hunter, Ian
Live In London

Incredible Gospel
Incredible Gospel Vol.2

Infamous Stringdusters, The
Things That Fly

Jackie Martling
Snart / [Cd/Dvd Combo]

Jason Boland & The Stragglers
High In The Rockies

Jonny Lang
Live At The Ryman

Julien Kasper Band
Trance Groove

Karunesh
Path Of Compassion

Kate Nash
My Best Friend Is You

Kayo Dot
Coyote

Kings Go Forth
The Outsiders Are Back

Kissaway Trail, The
Sleep Mountain

Kottonmouth Kings
Long Live The Kings

Kurupt
Street Lights

Lee, Christopher
Charlemagne – By The Sword And The Cross

Les Discrets
Septembre Et Ses Derniers Pens

Levi / Werstler
Avalanche Of Worms

Levy, Yasmin
Sentir

Lil Keke
Addicted To Fame

Lynne, Lisa
Seasons Of The Soul

Marino, Nick
Nick Marino

Medications
Completely Removed

Midas Fall
Eleven. Return And Revert

Miracles
City Of Angels

Moby Grape
Live

Monkeyjunk
Tiger In Your Tank

Monotones, The
Are…The Revolution! The Sound! The Beat Of A New Generation!

Moody, Ruth
The Garden

Moore, Lucinda
Blessed, Broken & Given

Moray, Jim
A Beginners Guide

Mr. Knightowl
Konvicted Felon

Mr. Mister
Welcome To The Real World / 25

Nedry
Condors

Ninjasonik
Art School Girls

Nnena Freelon
Homefree

Number One Gun
To The Secrets And Knowledge

Omar Enrique
Kilometros De Amor

Oscar Peterson
Standards / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Otis, Shuggie
In Session

Ozomatli
Fire Away

Painted Hills
Painted Hills

Palmer Band, Steve
Apparition

Patsy Cline
Sweet Dreams: Her Complete Decca Masters (1960-1963) / [2 Cd Limited Edition]

Peeesseye & Talibam!
Peeesseye & Talibam!

Periphery
Periphery

Plants And Animals
La La Land

Poppees, The
Pop Goes The Anthology

Radio Dept, The
Clinging To A Scheme

Ramsey Lewis
Plays The Beatles Songbook / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Ratt
Infestation

Relient K
The First Three Gears (2000-2003)(3Cd)

Renditions:Marvin Sapp Tribute
Smooth Jazz Tribute To Marvin Sapp – Volume 2

Renditions:Piano Tribute Players
Peaceful Piano Tribute To Contemporary Hits

Rhodes, Lou
One Good Thing

Rikets
All American Death Cult

Romano, Aldo
Origine

Roney, Wallace
If Only For One Night

Rufus Wainwright
All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu

Sent By Ravens
Our Graceful Words

Sevendust
Cold Day Memory (Cd/Dvd)(Limited)

Shelby Lynne
Tears, Lies, And Alibis

Sick Of It All
Based On A True Story

Slackers, The
The Great Rocksteady Swindle

Sleepy D
Sleepy Deprivation

Snapper
Connect 3 – The Streets Are Watching

Soundtrack
Fringe (Michael Giacchino)

Soundtrack
Revolution (John Corigliano)

Stan Getz
Standards / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Storyhill
Shade Of The Trees

Sweet Apple
Love & Desperation

Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders
Red Light Fever

The Art Tatum Trio
The Jazz Biography

The Blackwood Brothers
Gospel Heritage Series

Theory Of Flight
Within Reach

Tiffany
I Think We're Alone Now – '80S Hits & More

Trans Am
Thing

Tre Lux
A Strange Gathering

Trombone Shorty
Backatown

Truthlive
Patience

Tubsy
Jatt Sheran Varge

Ugly Colors
Perfect As We Are

Van Canto
A Storm To Come

Van Canto
Hero

Various
Crooked Souf

Various
How Sweet It Was

Various
Jook Joint Blues Vol 2 Crazy With The Blues

Various
Latin Invasion

Various
Roller Disco Hits

Various Artists
18 & Ova – Riddim Driven

Various Artists
Just Dance! Vol. 3

Various Artists
Look To The Light: Songs Of Fa

Various Artists
Motown Around The World – The Classic Singles / [2 Cd Limited Edition]

Various Artists
The Golden Age Of American Comedy / [2 Cd]

Various Artists
Tribal Beats Volume 2 – Music For The Strange & Beautiful

Vince Guaraldi
Peanuts Portraits

Wamble, Doug
Doug Wamble

Wes Montgomery
Plays The Hits / [Great Songs/Great Performances]

Whitesnake
Whitesnake / [Cd/Dvd Combo] [Deluxe Edition]

Willie Nelson
Country Music

Willis, Chuck
The Complete Chuck Willis 1951-1957

Write This Down
Write This Down

Xavier Rudd
Koonyum Sun

Zorn, John / Frith, Fred
Late Works

About Josh Hathaway

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