The Day(s) of Many New Albums, Part 1 (8/30/2012 11:30)

It has been a while since I reviewed a new album, and quite a few have come out. The reason...I...haven't listened to any of them. UNTIL YESTERDAY! And today!  And...probably tomorrow.  There's like 12 or something, give me a break.

Going on from when Fiona Apple released [this album title is really, really, really long], there have been a great many albums released and I shall try to review them here as I listen.

Ty Segall Band
Slaughterhouse
Genre: Punk/Noise Rock. Listened: 8/29

If you like punk, hard rock, or Jesus Lizard-ness, Ty Segall has got an album for you. It's called Slaugterhouse and it's pretty awesome.  It's mixed in a lo-fi style, so imagine OFF! or Iceage's music with Neon Indian's recording style. Great, right? You know it is.

DIIV
Oshin
Genre: Shoegaze, maybe? Whatever Sufjan Stevens would be if he only used computers. Listened 8/29

A Krautrock revival, Oshin is one of the best albums I've heard so far this year. DIIV uses driving base lines and moody synths to set up dark lyrics in the weirdest, but best next step along the path from the Johnny-Jewel-produced italo-disco sound.  There may be no real hero, real human being here, but they certainly made my night better.

Dirty Projectors
Swing Lo Magellan
Genre: The same as Pavement, which isn't a good sign. Listened 8/30 on the way to work.

What is this crap? I didn't know all your lyrics could be "oooOOooo," but the Dirty Projectors found a way. This band is more overrated than Sonic Youth, and that's saying something. There's like, one, okay song on here ("Unto Caesar") and that's because the women sing something other than "doo doo da doo doo" for once.  What? Did you think every album that came out since June was a good one?

Twin Shadow
Confess
Genre: New wave. Listened: Every day since it came out.

At first I thought Confess was a weak follow-up to 2010's awesome, Forget, but that's because I fell into the same trap as most critics...I expected the same thing twice.  Twin Shadow's new album has a different sound: more produced, more layers, harder to follow lyrical structure; but that doesn't make it bad. If I had never heard the first album, this one would be just as great. It's a little more work, and a little less "fun," but totally worth it.

Frank Ocean
Channel Orange
Genre: Neo soul. Listened: 8/30 while at work.

Very good album. Definitely one of the best to come out of the R&B school for a long time. I'm not quite sure where all the "album of the year" hype is coming from--Channel Orange is just a more-trippy, male version of Janelle Monae--but it is pretty cool to listen to. The guest appearance by Andre 3000 doesn't hurt either.

Nas
Life Is Good
Genre: Rap of some kind. Listened: Honestly, after the second song, I turned it off, 8/30.

This is the conversation my brain had with itself while attempting to listen to Life Is Good:
     Right Side: "Hey, isn't gangster rap dead?"
     Left Side: "No, Nas is still around, apparently."
     Right Side: "..."
     Left Side: "Good point."

TO BE CONTINUED...