Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Here’s our Blogcritics roundup of some of the major new music releases and tour announcements we learned about during the past week.
KINGS OF LEON return from Europe to begin a U.S. tour July 31. Their Mechanical Bull tour. Their latest album Mechanical Bull has spawned the Top 10 singles “Supersoaker,” “Wait for Me” and “Temple.”
JIMMY EAT WORLD announced the 10th anniversary headline tour of their (2004) album Futures in North America and will also reissue that release and their first two albums on vinyl (double LPs), Static Prevails and Clarity. The tour kicks off Oct. 2 in Ventura, CA.
JOHN HIATT’s Terms of My Surrender comes out July 15 on New West Records. The great songwriter behind “Have a Little Faith In Me” and Bonnie Raitt’s “Thing Called Love” is back in “Troubadour Folk Singer Blues Guy” mode (his own words) on what some are calling his best release since 2000’s Grammy-nominated Crossing Muddy Waters.
LIVING COLOUR is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a new album and tour this fall.
IMOGEN HEAP is releasing a new album, Sparks, on August 19. Pre-order here. Well, not just an “album.” There are four editions: “a standard edition, a double-disc edition with instrumental versions of all tracks, 12 inch vinyl and the super deluxe; super deluxe packaging will contain 12 individual data discs, 14 HD music videos, plus videos documenting the making of each song and the entire album, a double 10” vinyl album, a special deck of playing cards which unlock exclusive web content and a 120 page coffee-table-style book telling the story of Sparks along with the special ticket of blended items that allows access to sound-checks on the next tour.” If anyone can explain what “blended items” means, leave a comment below!
Rock legend JERRY LEE LEWIS is releasing a new album of newly recorded classics featuring special guests Keith Richards, Neil Young, Ron Wood, Doyle Bramhall II, Robbie Robertson and more. Rock & Roll Time comes out Oct. 28. LISTEN HERE.
The IF/THEN ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING featuring “Let It Go” singer Idina Menzel and Anthony Rapp entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #19, the first cast album to do that well in its first week in 18 years – since Wicked, in fact, which also starred Menzel.
Soon-to-be-super-music-mom Immi Heap’s blended items refers to various things from about her house/studio, videos and on the road that were used to make her “Sparks” album. She put them the items in a blender, atomized them, then distributed the bits into the super deluxe (and expensive!) version of “Sparks”. Fans not only get to hear a digital treat, they get to own part of the studio/instruments/costumes. More info here: http://www.imogenheap.com/tag/blender/