Tuesday New Releases in Music
According to early predictions from Billboard (the final charts aren’t out until Wednesday) Taylor Swift will dominate the charts yet again this week, with even a weakened Red proving too much for her challengers. Tuesday’s release schedule features tougher competition as Aerosmith mounts its long-awaited comeback against competition from Ne Yo, Saigon and contemporary-Christian artist Third Day.
Next week the rush for pre-Black Friday releases begins, as 50 Cent, OneRepublic and One Direction each launch new albums. With the major labels holding their expected biggest sellers for the last seven weeks of the year, nothing’s a sure thing.
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Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension (Columbia)
Fifteen albums in, Aerosmith still aims to rock America, though their latest leans heavily on the ballad formula. After an 11-year absence do we really mind if we miss a thing? Highlights include “LUV XXX” and “Legendary Child.” Avoid “Freedom Fighter” at all costs, unless hearing Johnny Depp sing about terrorism floats your boat.
All That Remains – A War You Cannot Win (Razor & Tie)
Andy Stott – Luxury Problems (Modern Love)
Dionne Warwick – Now (Blue Horizon Venture)
Graveyard – Lights Out (Nuclear Blast)
Isis – Temporal (Ipecac Recordings)
Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick: 40th Anniversary Edition (Chrysalis)
Katie Melua – Secret Symphony: Bonus Edition (Dramatico)
Kylie Minogue – The Abbey Road Sessions ()
Mike Doughty – The Flip is Another Honey (Snack Bar)
Ne-Yo – R.E.D. (Motown)
Peter Gabriel – So: 25th Anniversary Edition (Real World Productions)
The ultimate holiday gift for fans of the seminal album, includes Gabriel’s classic album remastered plus “Director’s Cut” vinyl featuring unreleased tracks. The set also includes two previously unreleased DVDs, including Live in Athens (1987), produced by Martin Scorsese, and a 60 page case-bound book with new liner notes and rare photographs.
Prince Rama – Top Ten Hits of the End of the World (Paw Tracks)
Public Enemy – Most of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp (Eastlink)
Public Enemy – The Evil Empire of Everything (Eastlink)
Saigon – The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread and Circuses (Suburban Noize)
After a two month delay, East-coast rapper Saigon issues the follow-up to last year’s mainstream break-through The Greatest Story Never Told, featuring guest spots from Killer Mike, Dead Prez, Chamillionaire and Styles P.
Slingshot Dakota – Dark Hearts (Topshelf Records)
Streetlight Manifesto – The Hands That Thieve (Victory Records)
Teen Daze – The Inner Mansions (Lefse Records)
The Epilogues – Cinematics (Red General Catalog)
Third Day – Miracle (Provident)
Christian contemporary’s equivalent to Nickelback, the Georgia band’s 11th studio album features lead single “I Need A Miracle.” Fans by now know what to expect from these musical journeymen, but strong sales could catch uninitiated chart-watchers off guard.
Vesen – This Time It’s Personal (Soulseller)
Vitalic – Rave Age (Different Recordings)
While She Sleeps – This is the Six (The End Records)
Yousef – A Product of Your Environment (Circus Recordings)
– – – – – We’ve covered recent releases closely over the last month, but what about albums you may have missed earlier in the year? These twenty albums, across the spectrum of country, rock and pop, stand out among those deserving a second listen.
Best of 2012 Preview: Overlooked Albums
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Easton Corbin – All Over the Road (Mercury Nashville)
After launching 2011’s best country surprise, Easton Corbin’s sophomore effort features a songwriter ready to take on the mainstream, by force if necessary. “Lovin’ You Is Fun” continues where the last album left off, an unapologetic taste of traditional country unlike anything else on country radio today.
Calexico – Algiers (ANTI Records)
Dave Matthews Band – Away From the World (RCA)
Little Big Town – Tornado (Capitol)
Bloc Party – Four (Frenchkiss)
Jack White – Blunderbuss (Third Man Records)
Jack White does it all, writing, producing and recording his albums as the ultimate exercise in self-control. Both demanding and ear-catching, Blunderbuss — his first full-length since the White Stripes disbanded — proves White’s hands-on methods produce more than mere sound and fury.
Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel (Epic)
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas (Columbia)
Brandi Carlile – Bear Creek (Columbia)
Japandroids – Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl Records)
The xx – Coexist (Young Turks)
The xx returns three years after their self-titled, Mercury Prize-winning debut with Coexist, an album of confident self-reflective indie pop which refines their songwriting without losing the minimalist flourishes which set the band apart.
Shooter Jennings – Family Man (Entertainment One)
Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan (Domino)
Hot Chip – In Our Heads (Domino)
Bowerbirds – The Clearing (Dead Oceans)
John Mayer – Born and Raised (Columbia)
Hamstrung by his inability to promote this album due to vocal-cord granuloma, John Mayer’s music must now speak for itself. Thankfully, Born and Raised is a confident album from a songwriter at the peak of his game. Too bad he won’t get to play these songs for fans anytime soon.
The Cult – Choice of Weapon (Essential Music)
Sara Watkins – Sun Midnight Sun (Nonesuch)
Bonnie Raitt – Slipstream (Redwing Records)
Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur (Zoe / Rounder)
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This week fans of The Amazing Spider-Man have to wait for Friday, but there’s still plenty coming out Tuesday for film junkies, including Bruce Willis’ Fire With Fire, the Blu-Ray release of A Muppet Christmas Carol, and the Criterion reissue of Kurosawa’s Rashomon.New Releases: DVD / Blu-Ray
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The Amazing Spider-Man (DVD / Blu-Ray) – available 11/9
Rebooting the series for the second time in a decade, The Amazing Spider-Man sets itself apart from the Sam Raimi trilogy, staying true to the source material while introducing a new villain, the Lizard.
Arthur Christmas (DVD / Blu-Ray)
Your Sister’s Sister (DVD / Blu-Ray)
Fire With Fire (DVD / Blu-Ray)
After witnessing the brutal murder of a convenience store owner and his son, firefighter Jeremy Coleman escapes with his life, testifies against the killer, and lands in witness protection. His safety compromised, he must take an unexpected course to protect himself and his family. A straight-to-DVD / Blu-Ray release with a surprisingly strong cast, Fire With Fire features Josh Duhamel, Rosario Dawson and Bruce Willis.
REC 3 (DVD)
They Live: Collector’s Edition (DVD / Blu-Ray)
The Muppet Christmas Carol: Special Edition (Blu-Ray)
Rashomon: Criterion Collection (DVD / Blu-Ray)
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If you’re a fan of 3D, you won’t want to miss PJ Lifestyle’s Tech Finds this week. Everything you need to set up the ultimate multi-dimensional home theater system. Plus: A high tech HD camera for action sports enthusiasts, and the one accessory every fan of high quality whiskey needs to own!
PJ Lifestyle: Ultimate Holiday Gifts
For those who enjoy sipping whiskey, these stones chill your favorite spirit without diluting its flavor. Say “I’ll have my whiskey on the rocks!” and really mean it. These won’t ice down your drink – rather, they allow room-temperature spirits to breathe, releasing additional flavors while taking some edge off the ethanol aroma. Talk about a perfect stocking stuffer!
GoPro HD HERO2: Motorsports Edition
This feat of engineering – wearable, head-mountable, waterproof to 60 meters, and featuring a 170 degree wide angle lens – allows even an amateur sports photographer to capture sharp, professional images, without taking a second away from the action. Every athletic YouTuber will want one of these under the tree. As a bonus, it’s hard to argue with a product with this much potential selling at under $250!
Sony BDP-S590 3D Blu-Ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi
With a price so low even Amazon won’t advertise it openly, this is the ultimate in home theater Blu-Ray technology. If you’ve already got the HD capability and have considered going 3D, this should put you over the edge. With integrated Wi-Fi for streaming television and movies, you can easily tap into your home’s existing wireless network while streaming 3D in full 1080p HD.
Think the cost of 3D HDTV technology outruns your budget? Think again … we have your back here on finding good deals at PJ Lifestyle. Complete your home theater with this:
VIZIO E3D320VX 32-Inch Class Theater 3D LCD HDTV with Internet Apps
From Amazon: “Bring that intense 3D movie experience home with VIZIO’s polarized Theater 3D. You’ll enjoy the same crystal-clear, flicker-free 3D you get in the theater, with similar lightweight glasses that are comfortable and significantly more affordable than the heavier, powered active shutter 3D glasses used with other systems. Two free pairs of glasses are included, so you can launch your Theater 3D experience right out of the box.”
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With this TV and the 3D Blu-Ray player above, all you’ll still need for the ultimate holiday celebration: the movies! On the next page, we feature exactly that: all the multi-dimensional movies you’ll ever need. Simply sit back, pop some corn and pour your favorite holiday drink – we’ll bring the action!
Black Friday Preview: Hottest 3D Blu-Rays
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The Avengers: 4 Disc Combo Pack
Avatar: 3D Blu-Ray + Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack
Prometheus (Four-Disc Combo Pack)
The Universe: 7 Wonders of the Solar System
Finding Nemo (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition)
Men in Black 3 (Three Disc Combo)
The Amazing Spider-Man (Four-Disc Combo) – available 11/9
How To Train Your Dragon (Two Disc Blu-Ray / 3D/DVD Combo)
Brave (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition) – available November 13
IMAX: Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Three-Disc Combo)
Tron: Legacy (Four-Disc Combo)
Alice in Wonderland (Four-Disc Combo)
The Lion King (Four-Disc Diamond Edition)
Captain America: The First Avenger (Three-Disc Combo)
Piranha 3DD (Three-Disc Combo)
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That’s all for this week’s edition of Tuesday New Releases! We’re open to your suggestions as we develop this column to best serve you. If you have suggestions for future coverage, or if you have a product you’d like featured or reviewed here, simply email Jonathan Sanders at [email protected].
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