THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Pwr Bttm _ "Pageant"
"Pageant" feels both old and new _ the sounds here run from power pop in the vein of Cheap Trick to thick, fuzzy rave-ups evocative of Dinosaur Jr., and the emotional intimacy of the best Smiths songs. But their lyrical point of view, which explicates the queer experience within our current cultural moment, is what makes them transcend any sonic influences. In the same way that Morrissey or Jonathan Richman brought in new points of view into the rock lexicon, Ben Hopkins and Liv Hopkins render a too rarely presented perspective in full color. _ Tanner Smith
Zac Brown Band _ "Welcome Home"
Two years after the experimental "Jekyll + Hyde", Zac Brown Band returns with "Welcome Home", their fifth studio album and first for Elektra Records. It's a nice set of tracks, stylistically reaching back to their debut and strategically away from the experimentation of its predecessor. The singles and early released tracks from Welcome Home, such as "My Old Man," "Family Table," and "Roots," speak to the impact of life's adventures on your past and present, and the relevance of the journeys away from your "roots." _ Richard Driver
Girlpool _ "Powerplant"
Paramore _ "After Laughter"
Todd Rundgren _ "White Knight"
Harry Styles _ "Harry Styles"
Paul Weller _ "A Kind Revolution"
Zac Brown Band _ "Welcome Home"
NOW HEAR THIS
Jake La Botz _ "Hobo on a Passenger Train"
Americana's Jake La Botz has one of those deep, whiskey-soaked voices that emerge from time spent on the margins of society. As a youth, he rolled some punk kids, stealing cars, and getting into mischief. Then, he dropped out of school, did odd jobs, and befriended some key Chicago blues artists at the Maxwell Street Market who ended up teaching La Botz a bunch of their guitar tricks. La Botz's life could easily be a novel and don't be surprised if he writes it up as a memoir. Slinky blues number "Hobo on a Passenger Train" seems like the title of a Jimmie Rodgers song, but the sound reminds more of Alabama 3's "Mansion on the Hill." _ Sarah Zupko
(http://popm.at/2qEjZHc)
Noah Kahan _ "Sink"
Noah Kahan has spent his life living in rural Vermont where his family owns a large tree farm. A life spent in such a setting lends the young artist a lovely pastoral feeling to his easy-going folk-pop. Just a few month ago Kahan released his debut single "Young Blood", and it was a smash, racking up three million plays on Spotify alone. Now Kahan is back with his latest single "Sink", a catchy, affecting song with mellow acoustic vibes and Kahan's stunning voice. That voice is a marvel with its thrilling falsetto and unique sound. Now Kahan is only 20 at this point. A voice this special is bound to mature into something even more magnificent. � SZ
(http://popm.at/2p4L2hq)
WATCH THIS
OWEL _ "Too Young to Fall in Love"
"Too Young to Fall in Love" is the latest from OWEL, pulled from their lush sophomore record, "dear me." Over a lush arrangement of keyboards, vocalist Jay Sakong teases out images of restlessness, of inaction, of the torpor of being young and longing for something you can't entirely name. The song ebbs and flows on a tide of strings provided by multi-instrumentalist Jane Park; it is underpinned by a tight drumbeat, locked in with guitar and bass. It's a hell of a song. _ Magdalen Jenne
