THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Jeff Beck _ "Loud Hailer"
Jeff Beck has a few things to get off his chest and he does so quite well across the 12 pieces that comprise his first studio album in six years, "Loud Hailer". A loud hailer is a portable mouthpiece, a bullhorn, the kind of thing you'd use if you wanted to say something nice and loud. Some of Beck's best-known albums feature nary a word so it's amusing to think that he'd populate a late-career record with all kinds of them. Many of them angry. _ Jedd Beaudoin
OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES
Clams Casino _ "32 Levels"
Good Charlotte _ "Youth Authority"
Heliotropes _ "Over There That Way"
Amanda and Jack Palmer _ "You Got Me Singing"
Snopp Dogg _ "Coolaid"
Steven Tyler _ "We're All Somebody From Somewhere"
NOW HEAR THIS
Stop Light Observations _ "Aquarius Apocalyptic"
Stop Light Observations make stompin' Southern-fried rock, toasted to a crisp under the heatwaves of driving guitars and overwhelming drums. If "Aquarius Apocalyptic" is any sign, their upcoming Toogoodoo should come packed to the gills with dusty saloon jams along the lines of Cage the Elephant's more psychedelic work. It totters around on a folk-rocky acoustic riff before roaring forth on the strength of bone-crushing power chords before opening up further on top of a calamitous guitar solo. "Aquarius Apocalyptic" takes its time to start rocking, but when it finally bursts forth, its tremendous horsepower is well worth the wait. � Will Rivitz
(http://popm.at/29tbkkI)
Loch Lomond _ "Pens From Spain"
Loch Lomond makes a very instrumentally complex offshoot of folk, their strings and synths a nice counterpoint to the bare-bones guitar and drums much of the rest of folk has to offer. "Pens From Spain" twirls steadily through bells, ecstatic vocal harmonies, and careening strings, anchoring itself on plain fingerpicked guitar in the meanwhile. It's sedate, carefully expanding folk, slowly but surely allowing light and color until the whole thing is in bloom. _ WR
(https://youtu.be/pj8FsdD9Ha0)
Imperium Dekadenz _ "Still I Rise"
"Still I Rise" is a brand-new track from Imperium Dekadenz. The German black metal duo returns later this summer with Dis Manibvs (Latin for "To the spirits of the dead" or "in remembrance") and this track couldn't provide a more auspicious glimpse of the magnificent new release. All the hallmarks of traditional black metal are there: graveyard vocals, menacing guitar maneuvers and the sense that the listener's ushering something truly sinister into the world just by spinning the darkest of circles. But black metal has long been about doing whatever one wants, breaking new ground, and with this tune Imperium Dekadenz does exactly that. _ WR
(https://youtu.be/oP24ybS7zoA)
Juliana Wilson _ "Blah Blah Blah"
When listening to Juliana Wilson, it's hard not to think of Cherri Bomb, a Los Angeles rock band who dropped one excellent LP in 2012 before going through a bit of lineup turbulence and re-forming as pop-punkers Hey Violet in 2015. The obvious comparison is age _ Wilson is 13, and the oldest member of Cherri Bomb was 16 when "This Is the End of Control dropped" _ but there's also the cheerily misanthropic perspective best encapsulated and presented by the art and works of teens. And that's to say nothing of Wilson's debut single itself: like Cherri Bomb's best, "Blah Blah Blah" starts spacious and looming before kicking into gear with loud distortion and a carefully cured "rawness" which is, in this case as many others, preferable to truly low-quality recording. It's a promising start to a very young career, and its well-composed maelstrom of angst, swirling guitars, and atmospheric expansiveness is a treat to hear. _ WR
(http://popm.at/29HCDbQ)
