Albums Out This Week: W/C 14th September 2009

There may as well only be one album slated for release with all the attention it is likely to receive. Critical and commercial darlings, Muse have steadily progressed to become one of the most revered British bands of our day.

Y'know, after Radiohead.

Yet while that band go for quiet and deliberative electro-indie, Muse bring out the pompous, overblown rock and proceed to test everyone's limit for the bizarre, the challenging and the pantomimic.

Thrice have also been foraging their fair share of acclaim, unperturbed by the prospect of following up a dense and intricate conceptual double-album, the boys return to a rawer sound, or as some members of the band described it: a backlash against the complexity of The Alchemy Index.

Gliss: Devotion Implosion

Gliss have been exploring the big wide-world since their debut release a few years back; they've toured Europe and the Americas with buddies Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Smashing Pumpkins, The Raveonettes, The Editors and We Are Scientists. The second full length from L.A trio will be released this week on Cordless Recordings. 

Protest the Hero: Gallop Meets the Earth

The Canadian progressive-metal collective finally get around to releasing a live CD/DVD for the numerous fans of their intelligent, forward-thinking brash rock stylings. Filmed live in Toronto, Canada on December 18, 2008.

Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3

The final installment to Jay-Z's infamous Blueprint Trilogy has finally hit shelves worldwide after a seven year gap since the last volume was released in '02.  Songs from the album were produced by a range of artists such as Kanye West, Timberland and The Neptunes. Although, I think we'll certainly skip the track featuring Alicia Keys... 

Muse: The Resistance

The Resistance has already accumulated a plague of publicity, the majority of which his highly acclaimed. Even after dreaded expectations for Muses fifth album, we were taken back by the quality and originality presented to us. This record is definitely worth a listen, even for the Muse-a-phobes out there. 

Basement Jaxx: Scars

Scars features a rather peculiar range of musicians, from Grime artist Chipmunk to the brilliant Light Speed Champion, a recipe that will no doubt result in a rather intriguing record. We've not been impressed by the majority of Basement Jaxx's previous material so Scars will will be a skeptical listen for us. 

The Black Dahlia Murder: Deflorate

Michigan's answer to the happiness and light in the state, The Black Dahlia Murder, strap on the melodic death-metal influences for the fourth time. Deflorate will be the first album to feature new guitarist Ryan Knight and is said to have more of a "classic feel" according to interviews with the band.

Thrice: Beggars

After the high-concept four-part symposium of The Alchemy Index, Thrice return to solid ground with a more conventional album release. A hasty shift of release date was forced by the extremely early leak of the record, the resulting impact included a change to the album artwork and a snap release of a digital version of the album. That's what we call a quick and effective response.

Porcupine Tree: The Incident

Hertfordshire have a progressive rock band? Who knew. The track list is your average prog rock: one song. One, fifty-five minute long song about "beginnings and endings and the sense that after this, things will never be the same again". A second disc includes an E.P of tracks written during the sessions for the main album.

HEALTH: Get Colour

The experimental noise-tribal-indie-electro-rock-dance outfit have been busy making a name for themselves on the live circuit. Although nothing on a mere polymer compact disc is able to live up to such greatness, you should still perform a few facial-muscle exercise routines to prevent your jaw from staying in the dropped position.

Boxer Rebellion: Union

Registering in the high end of the critical-acclaim scale, Boxer Rebellion self-funded their second album to ensure its release after their previous label Poptomes suffered something of an implosion. The experience back in 2005 obviously left the band somewhat jaded, since they have remained unsigned ever since. Kudos to them!

Beep Beep: Enchanted Islands

Saddle Creek's most un-Saddle Creek styled band break their five-year silence with their second album. Enchanted Island is a breathless ode to the ADHD-era music fan, unwilling to dwell for any longer than three minutes on one style of music. Expect wild excursions into electro, folk, country, pop, art-punk and rock.

InMe: Herald Moth

Can we still make jokes about them being a one-hit-wonder? About the irony of a firefly having a lifespan of two months? No? Oh well, although they are yet to breach the mainstream again since their Overgrown Eden album, InMe have been quietly making accomplished rock music, here's some more of it!

Juliette Lewis: Terra Incognita

If all these artists keep on using it, we're soon going to have to reclassify Latin from its current description as a dead language. This means all school children will be forced to spend hours upon hours learning how to paint "Romans Go Home" on the local wall. It would lend an air of respectability to the graffiti though, beats "Kev is a knob" at any rate.