Someone made a horrible holiday album...
Required Listening, November 1 Releases. Each week we’re gathering five (if we can find five worth a listen) new releases that we think you should check out. This week’s hodgepodge features The Bieber, a red-haired Goddess and the union of Metallica and Lou Reed.
Justin Bieber, Under The Mistletoe – Okay, this is sort of an anti-rec, but also the kind of thing where you should listen once just so you have something to say when pop-culture talk ventures to the “Did you hear how bad the Bieber Christmas album is.” Hopefully this is just a misstep on Bieber’s path to world domination (you have to admit, his songs are catchy and we enjoy when he starts dressing like a hot lesbian) and not indicative that his shine is wearing off.
Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials – You really can’t go wrong with Florence. Since we watched the “Shake It Out” video last week it has been on heavy rotation on our iTunes. The soaring vocals Florence is known for are still present on Ceremonials, and almost astronomical in quality. Production-wise, it has Paul Epworth (Adele’s 21) at the helm, and that combo doesn’t leave the disc much room to fail.
Brite Futures, Dark Past – Formerly known as Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Brite Futures somehow manage to live up to both their names at once as a poptastic, new wave fun outfit (with a little disco thrown in for good measure.) The album is like they took a blender to music from the 80s onward and set it on high. Plus there’s a song about the wonders of twin dating.
Carole King, A Holiday Carole – Obviously the better Christmas album choice this week (We guess Halloween marks the official Christmas season kickoff). King is a classic, and she’s singing classics, so if you need something new to add to your holiday party playlist this year, grab this album.
Lou Reed and Metallica, Lulu – All you need to know is the project description to understand why this is worth a listen — (Lulu) is inspired by German expressionist writer Frank Wedekind’s plays Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box, which tell the story of a young abused dancer’s life and relationships, and are now collectively known as the Lulu plays.” It is mesmerizing.
