Is today really the day you can get a free Nirvana tattoo? Why, yes it is. From noon to 6PM today at Seattle's Silver Platters (and a couple of other places in the U.S.), you can get the squiggly Nirvana smiley face tattooed permanently on your body for free... well, for free if you pick up the 20th Anniversary Edition of Nirvana's In Utero or the Live and Loud DVD, both out today. More deliberately challenging than its mega-successful predecessor, In Utero, Nirvana's third and final studio album, potentially had a greater impact on the bands who would follow, showing them that commercial success didn't mean they needed to lose their edge. This remastered version is available today in a variety of formats, including the "Super Deluxe" 3CD/1DVD set and a 3 LP vinyl version.
Also in stores are some other excellent new albums you'll want to pick up after your tattoo dries... including the anticipated debut from Scottish trio CHVRCHES, which our Music Director, Don Yates, calls "a knockout set of dance-friendly electro-pop with a dynamic, brightly colored sound featuring shimmering neon synths and propulsive rhythms accompanying Lauren Mayberry’s radiant pixie vocals, while sugary melodies and euphoric pop hooks are contrasted by dark, often-cutting lyrics of a relationship falling apart." Brooklyn's Frankie Rose's new album is also in our heavy rotation. Her third LP is "a bit less ethereal and more dynamic than last year’s excellent Interstellar, with a variety of stellar songs ranging from New Wave dream-pop and propulsive post-punk to surf-influenced rock and some gorgeous ballads." And after a long, 17-year wait, Hope Sandoval and David Roback return with the latest by Mazzy Star, which unsurprisingly is "an impressive return to form that beautifully captures the band’s bluesy, slow-burning psych-pop, featuring a spare, atmospheric sound with acoustic and electric slide guitars along with occasional organ, harmonica, strings, flute and other instrumentation accompanying Sandoval’s dreamy, dusky vocals."
Other albums out this week that you'll want to check out come from Seattle band The Night Beats, whose second album is "a first-rate set of raw, psych-tinged garage-rock featuring a primal rock sound with stinging electric guitars, R&B-influenced rhythms, reverbed vocals and catchy song hooks"; U.K.'s Ghostpoet, whose latest LP is "an impressive set of brooding, expansive hip hop inflected with dubstep, jazz, R&B, Afro-Beat and other styles, combining skittering beats and eerie electronic textures with Ghostpoet’s lethargic delivery and dark, elliptical lyrics"; Malian musician Rokia Traore, whose John Parish produced fifth album features "a more muscular and electric sound, with fiery electric guitars, ngoni, punchy drums (courtesy of British drummer Seb Rochford), hypnotic interlocking rhythms and call-and-response backing vocals accompanying Traore’s supple vocals"; and Pee Wee-referencing Brooklyn trio Au Revoir Simone, whose fourth studio album "injects their dream-pop with a more polished, energetic and dance-oriented sound featuring layered synths, occasional guitars, dreamy lead vocals, melancholy lyrics and airy three-part harmonies."
There's a lot more new in stores today, including the third album from Danish producer Anders Trentemøller, which features "a dark, expansive and more song-oriented set of moody electro-pop featuring a strong lineup of guest vocalists including Low, Jana Hunter of Lower Dens, Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead and Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes"; Springfield, MO band Ha Ha Tonka, whose latest Bloodshot release is "a more lush, polished and somewhat more diverse take on the band’s roots-infused indie-rock, combining ringing guitars and mandolin with mostly energetic rhythms, Brian Roberts’ assured, slightly raspy vocals and the band’s impressive four-part harmonies"; Seattle-via-Ellensburg singer-songwriter Star Anna, whose latest is "an impressive set of dark, intense folk-rock, combining a mostly raw, stripped-down sound with her throaty, soulful vocals and lyrics of betrayal and heartbreak"; British trio TRAAMS, who debut with "a promising album of raw yet melodic post-punk featuring grimy guitars, motorik rhythms and yelping vocals"; and San Francisco’s Kelley Stoltz, who returns with "another well-crafted set of psych-tinged garage-pop."
Look for new albums also from Berlin-based producer Kyson, new German electro-pop band Claire, rabble-rousing Providence band Deer Tick, Odd Future Records solo artist The Internet, Danish born and Brooklyn based artist Oh Land, the tantric-loving 80's icon Sting, the John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees) endorsed SF band The Herms, and much more. Check out samples from just some of the many new albums on record shelves today:
Au Revoir Simone - Crazy
The Chambermaids - Electric Sky
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