Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Although this week's list of new album releases is a bit shorter than we have seen in recent weeks, it is by no means less noteworthy.
In this week's batch of potential stocking stuffers, we have the studio return after twenty eight years of one of the best selling rock acts ever. While in another much talked about "comeback," a certain dance-pop princess attempts to shake off the dust from her MTV Video Music Awards disaster, with her own return to active duty after four years of… well, whatever you would call that non-stop party.
On to the new releases…
The Eagles once famously said that "hell would freeze over" before they would ever make another album. Well, with this week's arrival of Long Road Out Of Eden, the devil might want to consider ordering a new pair of leg warmers. The double CD package is the first from the celebrated Southern California urban pop-rock cowboys since 1979's The Long Run, and features a brand spanking new set of original songs.
Long Road Out Of Eden follows several years of reunion tours, so the boys should be sounding well-rested and ready to return to the platinum ranks of their glory years in the seventies here. On a side note, the album is "officially" only available through one of those "exclusive" deals with big-box retailers (conflicting reports have it either through Best Buy or Wal-Mart), although Amazon already has a few used copies for sale.
Meanwhile, the new one from Britney Spears arrives in stores this week. Blackout is a rather ironic album title. Some might say it describes her own mental state for the past several years, while others would say in show business there is no such thing as bad publicity. Britney's own handlers might beg to differ with that viewpoint.
Seen by many as a make or break proposition, Blackout arrives following years of negative publicity for the once innocent pop princess — from embarrassing episodes of public drunkenness, to her custody battles, to her recent flameout on the MTV Video Music Awards. For the once bright career of Britney, many will be watching this release very closely.
Leading off this week's soundtracks is Anton Corbijn's Control, a biopic about the life of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. The soundtrack features music from the surviving members of Joy Division, as well as music that influenced Curtis by such artists as Roxy Music and Iggy Pop. In a related move, Rhino is also reissuing a number of Joy Division titles in new deluxe editions, including Closer, Still, and Unknown Pleasures.
The other big soundtrack this week is from the Bob Dylan movie I'm Not There, which features six actors playing Dylan. The soundtrack features a variety of different, mostly unknown artists interpreting Dylan's work in a variety of genres.
Just in time for Halloween comes the self-titled new album from Avenged Sevenfold, complete with an appropriately scary album cover. The hardcore metal band is said to attempt here to pull off a "metal crossover" album in the mold of Metallica's infamous Black Album.
Here is the complete list of all of this week's new releases courtesy of the folks at All Music Guide.
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Warner Bros.
Heavy Metal, Alternative Metal, Post-Hardcore, Emo
The Eagles
Long Road Out of Eden
Polydor
Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Country-Rock
Original Soundtrack
Control
Warner Bros/Rhino
Original Score, Soundtracks, Post-Punk, Proto-Punk
Original Soundtrack
I'm Not There
Columbia
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Americana, Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock, Soundtracks, Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock, Rock & Roll
Saves the Day
Under the Boards
Vagrant
Punk-Pop, Punk Revival
Britney Spears
Blackout
Jive
Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop
Arise and Ruin
The Final Dawn
Victory
Grindcore, Thrash
Armor for Sleep
Smile for Them
Sire
Post-Hardcore, Emo, Indie Rock, Dream Pop
Arrested Development
Since the Last Time
Vagabond
Pop-Rap, Alternative Rap
Nicole Atkins
Neptune City
Red Ink/Columbia
Chamber Pop, Indie Pop
The Autumn Offering
Fear Will Cast No Shadow
Victory
Post-Hardcore, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal
Baby Bash
Cyclone
Arista
Pop-Rap, Latin Rap, Hardcore Rap
Backstreet Boys
Unbreakable
Jive/Zomba
Adult Contemporary, Dance-Pop
Ian Ball
Who Goes There
Dispensary
Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, British Trad Rock, Britpop
Blue Rodeo
Small Miracles
Telesoul
Heartland Rock, Americana, Alternative Country-Rock
Blues Traveler
Cover Yourself
C3
American Trad Rock, Jam Bands, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Blues-Rock
Gene Clark with Carla Olson
In Concert
Collectors' Choice Music
Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock
Al di Meola
Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar, Vol. 1: Music of Astor Piazzolla
Inakustik
Guitar Virtuoso, Jazz-Rock, Fusion, World Fusion, Contemporary Jazz, Tango
Will Downing
After Tonight
Peak
Urban, Smooth Soul, Contemporary R&B
Endeverafter
Kiss or Kill
Razor & Tie
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Neal Hefti
Themes from TV's Top 12
Collectors' Choice Music
Television Music, TV Soundtracks
Levon Helm
Dirt Farmer
Vanguard
Roots Rock, Country-Rock
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Heroes and Villains
Delos
Operatic Baritone Arias
Insane Clown Posse
Jugganauts: The Best of Insane Clown Posse
Interscope
Rap-Rock, Rap-Metal, Midwest Rap
Joy Division
Closer [Collector's Edition]
Rhino
Post-Punk
Joy Division
Still [Collector's Edition]
Rhino
Post-Punk
Joy Division
Unknown Pleasures [Collector's Edition]
Rhino
Post-Punk
The Kinks
The Kinks Greatest 1970-1986
Velvel
Pop/Rock, British Invasion, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
La Rota
Heu Fortuna
Atma Classique
Medieval Choral Music
Larry the Cable Guy
Christmastime in Larryland
Warner Bros.
Standup Comedy, Country Comedy, Holiday, Christmas
Richard Lloyd
The Radiant Monkey
Parasol
Indie Rock, Experimental Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Youssou N'Dour
Rokku Mi Rokka
Nonesuch
Mbalax, Afro-Pop
Passion des Cuivres
Victorian Christmas for Brass
Orfeo
Holiday Brass Arrangements
Zina Schiff
Ernest Bloch: Violin Concerto; Baal Shem; Suite Hébraïque
Naxos
Modern Orchestral Music
David Zinman
Mahler: Symphony No. 3 [Hybrid SACD]
Sony Classics
Post-Romantic Orchestral Music
Otep
The Ascension
Koch
Industrial Metal, Goth Rock, Goth Metal
The Pack
Based Boys
Jive/Zomba
West Coast Rap, Hip-Hop
Playaz Circle
Supply and Demand
DTP/Def Jam
Southern Rap, Gangsta Rap
Queen
Queen Rock Montreal
Hollywood
Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Arena Rock
Marty Robbins
Grande Ole Opry: Marty Robbins
Time/Life WEA
Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan, Pop, Rockabilly, Western Swing, Country-Pop, Cowboy, Traditional Country, Rock & Roll, Honky Tonk
Thursday
Kill the House Lights
Victory
Post-Hardcore, Emo
Josh Turner
Everything Is Fine
MCA Nashville
Americana, Neo-Traditionalist Country, Contemporary Country
Various Artists
12" Rulers: Gussie Clarke
Greensleeves
Ragga, Dancehall, Contemporary Reggae, Reggae-Pop
Various Artists
Sick, Sober & Sorry: Great Country Hits of the 1950s
Castle
Traditional Country
World Party
Best in Show
Seaview
College Rock, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
