Albums Out This Week: W/C 27th April 2009

A week of folk, ska and post-rock for the most is what welcomes us this fine Monday morning. Bands old and older vie for attention by honing, or reinventing their art.

NOFX are on album eleven, Dylan is triple that, yet both are striving to keep the old fans happy while roping in the new blood. New blood themselves, Machester Orchestra continue their successful trek to reinforce their position as one of the ones to watch on the modern indie scene. By evidence of 'Mean Everything to Nothing', success is a word we will continue to link with the band.

Underground wunderkind Kevin Devine (pictured) is easily the best artist that you've never heard of. Mixing his acoustic, folk, indie and rock influences together the end result is something akin to a folkier version of Deja Entendu (by Brand New) we'd urge all with ears to make the Devine music known to yourselves.

Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything To Nothing

Here at Strange Glue we have quite the spectrum of musical tastes, however we all enjoy the slightly over emotional Manchester Orchestra and most probably for the same reason, they kick ass. From what we've heard, the Atlantan's sophomore album is rough around the edges but will truly impress any who loved to hear Andy Hull scream his talented heart out. They were perfect sell-out material but if anything; they've taken a few steps back from accessible.

Bob Dylan: Together Through Life Deluxe

Don't fear, Bob's back! If you thought the music scene was getting tedious then not to worry; Mr.Dylan is back with his 33rd full length. This album promises two discs and a DVD full of "Struggling love songs that have little similarity to Modern Times", good to see that a man who's been boasting good ol' rock for many years can still diversify. We're looking forward to this listen. 

Metric: Fantasies

Canada has become saturated with genuinely original and quality music in the past decade, their environment flourishes musical talent which reflects so obviously on bands such as Metric. Their fourth album 'Fantasies' has already swept the Australian and American scene leaving nothing but a tidy pile of excellent reviews and appraisal. 

NOFX: Coaster

Asides from having one of the coolest names, NOFX also hold a reputation for kicking up some serious musical energy; a prestige that dates back to the early 80's when front-man Fat mike and Eric Melvin started the band. The now five-piece teamed up with producer Bill Stevenson for their eleventh studio album, Biil has worked with NOFX on a few albums as well as the likes of Less Than Jake, The Lemon Heads and even The Ataris.

Crippled Black Phoenix: The Ressurectionists & Night Raider

You may of heard that the Phoenix's new album is titled '200 Tons of Bad Luck' and you'd be correct; however, 'The Ressurectionists & Night Rider' is a double CD box set released by Invada which includes all the tracks from the latest album and plenty more amazing material. You can trust SG when we say that there's no need to even consider buying just the LP. Feel free to download a track from the new album via our free-of-charge sampler - Strange Glue and the Post Rock Underground. 

Cheval Sombre: S/T

New York based Cheval Sombre are a relatively small band and from the sounds of their latest LP the chaps will be climbing the scene until they have a nice spot right at the peak. You can hear one track from the album 'Julie Don't Go Down' via their MySpace. 

Ben Harper and Relentless7: White Lies For Dark Times

Before Ben Harper formed the band Relentless7 in early '08 he'd achieved great success in South America and portugal, with one track reaching No.1 in the Portuguese charts. Their début as a band will be released this week and has extremely high expectations from across the world. 

Tosca: No Hassle

Austrian electro duo Tosca will be releasing their fifth studio album this week, the release will be accompanied with a live CD of Tosca's shows in Austria. The duo recently stated that the album is "A luxurious tapestry of analogue and digital sounds, submerged samples and live instruments".

Kevin Devine: Brothers Blood

Kevin Devine collaborated with The Goddamn Band for his fifth album 'Brother's Blood', the folks recorded the album in late '08 whilst touring with Manchester Orchestra. They will also be supporting the latest release with a gigantic tour across the states. 

Vietnam: S/T

Vietnam have some very strange nicknames for each other; on guitar and vocals we have 'Exploding Motorcycle' and 'Jesus Beard, on Bass or harp we have 'DJ Dolphin' and finally we have 'Flaming Locks' on the harmonica and drums. These chaps from NYC can develop some serious folk fun, and they sound as intriguing as their names. This debut was released a while ago in the States but it's only just reached British shores this week. 

New Ruins: We Make Our Own Bad Luck

This sophomore release from the New Ruins will be released by Hidden Agenda Records on limited CD, LP, and by The Perry Tapes/P.Wood Industries on cassette tape with handmade artwork. So there's plenty of way's you can enjoy their acoustic rock tunes. 

Starlets: Out Into The Days From Here

Over in Japan they've really enjoyed this album, that's all the publicity we can relay to you considering Starlets haven't picked up any English reviews as of yet. However, we can also tell you that they'll be touring their new material in the coming months so feel free to go and make your own judgements. Expect pop sensibilities mixed with good Scottish fun. 

Music For The People : The Enemy

The Enemy are quite literally an Enemy to anyone with good taste in music. We'll allow you to decide whether you want to pollute your ears with this dribble; if you do however... then please never return to this website. 

Saga: The Human Condition

We love post-rock here at Strange Glue so we've decided to promote the latest album from one of the genre's most respected bands; Saga. Over their thirty year career they've produced a discography of over twenty albums, all highly respected and appreciated for different reasons. The Canadian collective recently took on Rob Moratti as their lead vocalists and this will be his first record and tour with the band. 

Blue Roses: S/T

Blue Roses is the stage name for a rather unique and talented lady called Laura Groves. Her latest album has already picked up rave reviews from the minimal amount of publicity it's received which is no surprise considering her distinctive and intriguing sound. 

Langhorne Slim: S/T

This album was originally written and recorded back in '07 when solo artist Langhorne Slim signed a deal with V2 for one EP and another LP, however, after V2 pulled out of the deal Langhorne was left with one eponymous album and no label. Last year the splendid Kemado records picked up the LP for an America release and are now doing the same on British isles.