THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Dinosaur Jr. _ "Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not"
While we often focus on all that is face-melting and shredding about Dinosaur Jr., "Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not" might be what you'd call the band's "sad" record, if it didn't remind you that all of Dinosaur Jr.'s records are steeped in a deep, often isolated pathos. But it's on display here more than we've seen from the other reunited records, and it makes the record resonate. _ Matthew Fiander
Russian Circles _ "Guidance"
Russian Circles is still several classes above the many B-grade post-metal outfits out there. This is a band operating at the peak of its powers, and when "Guidance" hits, it hits hard. When the album stumbles it is not because the band is no longer trying, but rather because they like any other great band have a lofty challenge in trying to build upon an intricately crafted sound. "Guidance" has parts where Russian Circles deliver on the promise of their astounding career, and instances where one is reminded of their greatest hits. _ Brice Ezell
Jonah Tolchin _ "Thousand Mile Night"
There is a grotesque, otherworldliness to this odd and lovely album. Tolchin's sonic road trip barrels through a recognizable America, but challenges anyone to locate any of its points on an actual map. This is a meta-America, a symbol of itself still trying on signifiers to see what fits best. And that's cool. Tolchin is weaving new from old, showing us familiar pictures that overfill their frames and spill out into strange new visions of promise and dread. And, most importantly, the music, from start to finish, is both surprising and inviting. _ Ed Whitelock
OTHER NOTABLE RELEASES
Nels Cline _ "Lovers"
Gov't Mule _ "The Tel-Star Sessions"
Skillet _ "Unleashed"
Angie Stone _ "Covered in Soul"
Wild Beasts _ "Boy King"
Wye Oak _ "Tween"
NOW HEAR THIS
Cody Johnson _ "Wild As You"
Cody Johnson's country is traditional, inasmuch as any radio-ready country in 2016 can be considered "traditional". It eschews the hip-hop leanings of Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt and the cross-genre wizardry of the Zac Brown Band, instead cranking fiddle, guitar, and a Southern twang to full volume. "Wild As You" is timeless, the pop-heavy end of the genre that fits almost anywhere from the radio to the bar to the stadium. Country, almost uniquely of any airwaves-friendly genre, makes more than its fair share of missteps in the pursuit of pushing the genre forward _ "Wild As You," thankfully, steps confidently and surely over well-worn paths. _ Will Rivitz
(http://popm.at/2axVdk2)
The Stray Birds _ "Sabrina"
The Stray Birds make beautiful bluegrass, a lush sound characterized by tight harmonies and all-encompassing instrumentation. "Sabrina" is no exception, three-part vocal harmonies soaring above mandolin, guitars, and fiddle. It's more upbeat than some of their other work, a dance song extolling Yuengling and living wild. The song's bright shuffling is a joy, a tightly-wound chunk of down-south cheer and storytelling. _ WR
WATCH THIS
Motion Graphics _ "Lense"
Throughout "Lense," Motion Graphics' Joe Williams floats through a gossamer vocal melody that seems to be surrounded by the overgrown flora of a strange, alien landscape. As he sings, micro-eruptions of synthesizer noise _ whooshes of living color that seem to be part machine and part organism _ fly past him, threatening to knock him off balance and envelop his body. Yet even though he seems to be on some distant planet, Williams sounds defiantly vulnerable, like he's demonstrating the depth of his humanity in a world that has no idea what being human means. _ Pryor Stroud
(https://youtu.be/QtssjJk7ZbE)
CHVRCHES _ "Bury It" ft. Hayley Williams
"Bury It" underscores everything about CHVRCHES' sound that sets the band apart from other synthpop revivalists: the crystalline production, the prismatic synth pulses, the massive melodies that resound with conviction and unbridled euphoria. Sonically, it stacks up well against the other singles from "Every Open Eye," the band's masterful LP from earlier this year. The chorus _ a clarion call for emotional renewal _ lifts Lauren Mayberry's voice up to a near-shout; as she repeats the titular phrase over and over again, it transforms from a simple piece of advice into an incantation breathing new life into a withered soul. _ PS
Keaton Henson _ "Alright"
It's a radical understatement to say Keaton Henson's music is introspective. He doesn't just look into himself to craft his bedroom folk dirges, as the etymology of "introspection" suggests, he stares, his flinty eyes wide open. Gifted with a fragile, tender-souled singing voice that splits the difference between Tobias Jesso Jr. and Elliott Smith, he's a purist singer-songwriter that wears his old soul on his sleeve. On "Alright", the latest release from his upcoming LP Kindly Now, he strikes a more optimistic tone than the grayscale melancholy of 2010's tragically beautiful "Dear." _ PS
