THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile _ "Lotta Sea Lice"
"Lotta Sea Lice," with its knotty, sinewy guitars and killer harmonies, is a generous album. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile pack in plenty with zero filler. They're both expansive and playful. The result is pure magic � a brilliant concept that actually delivers, making it one of the more enjoyable rock records of 2017. _ Michael Davis
Stars _ "There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light"
Much of Stars' "There Is No Love in Fluorescent Light" is like being wrapped in a warm, comforting musical blanket. And there's much to be said here in late 2017 for an album that allows a listener to drift away into a feel-good, happy place for 50 minutes. _ Chris Conaton
Beck _ "Colors"
dvsn _ "Morning After"
King Krule _ "The Ooz"
P!nk _ "Beautiful Trauma"
Robert Plant _ "Carry Fire"
St. Vincent _ "MASSEDUCTION"
Tegan and Sara _ "The Con X: Covers"
Wu-Tang Clan _ "Wu-Tang: The Saga Continues"
NOW HEAR THIS (new tracks from up and coming artists)
Terra Lightfoot _ "New Mistakes"
Last year when first approaching Terra Lightfoot's music, I said, "get ready to adore Terra Lightfoot, a roots rocker with a powerful voice and a badass Gibson SG that she plays with consummate ease. Yep, she could be your new rock 'n' roll hero." True to those sentiments, Lightfoot is back in 2017 with a new album "New Mistakes" chock full of soulful rock 'n' roll, mega SG riffs, and songs highlighting Lightfoot's broad musical range. "New Mistakes" is Lightfoot's most accomplished music yet, with a tracklist full of variety in tempos and moods, a carefully constructed and produced set of material that highlights Lightfoot's rapid development as an artist. _ Sarah Zupko
(http://popm.at/2hB8bSc)
Ane Brun _ "I Wanna Know What Love Is"
Norway's Ane Brun has a compelling new album out, "Leave Me Breathless," in which the singer re-interprets 14 classic songs from various pop and rock greats such as Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nick Cave, Sade, and more. For her take on Foreigner's hit power ballad "I Wanna Know What Love Is," Brun strips things down to their essentials, removing the bloat of the original and discovering a lovely and moving song underneath. Who knew a Norwegian folk-pop singer could resuscitate an overladen, schmaltzy classic rock tune in such sublime fashion? Ane Brun elevates the song by focusing on the emotions and supplying a clean and lean arrangement. _ SZ
(https://youtu.be/U3S6hXmX1UY)
WATCH THIS
Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile _ "Continental Breakfast"
At one point in "Continental Breakfast", Courtney holds up a video of "Kurt and Courtney", the chronicling of the relationship of lead singers Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, two of rock's greatest misfits. The synergy between Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett is less fraught; it's downright amicable. It's not difficult to fall in love with both songwriters as they bounce around their domestic lives, interacting with babies, children, and elders alike, with smiles the whole way through. If you don't find this video endearing, you probably don't have a soul. _ Tristan Kneschke
(https://youtu.be/wHCtH15dpmU)
Moses Sumney _ "Lonely World"
Rarely has isolation been so full-bodied in music as in Moses Sumney's "Lonely World", a song that gives melancholy voice to the poetry of alienation. It opens with lonesome guitar and slowly rising vocals before picking up fantastic momentum. From that point forward, a rush of increasingly frenzied beats back Sumney's dizzying lyrics, and the sonic layers build and build to paint a full portrait, detailed with light and shadow, both intimate and vast. "Lonely World" has the scope of an epic, but a spirit laid totally, beautifully bare. _ Adriane Pontecorvo
(https://youtu.be/fS63c-C-Rc4)
