Pick Of The Week: New
Solange, True
Being the little sister of perfect pop diva Beyoncé, Solange Knowles has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, she couldn’t care less. The singer has crafted her own brand of style, music, and cool, all completely separate from her very famous sibling. She’s worked with Pharrell Williams, Dev Hynes (Lightspeed Champion, Blood Orange), Mark Ronson, and Chromeo, and her downbeat psychedelic-soul stylings are great in their own right. True, Solange’s excellent EP featuring the equally excellent single “Losing You,” was released online in late 2012 but is available this week on CD and vinyl for completists. A full-length is expected follow later this year.
Do Not Break The Seal
Black Veil Brides, Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones
With well over 2 million likes on Facebook, Black Veil Brides are kind of a big deal, but who the heck are they? As any tortured high-schooler knows, this Hollywood-based glam hardcore act is famous for its teased hair and makeup à la Motley Crue. The rhythm guitarist just goes by the name “Jinxx,” while the drummer’s nom de plume is “Christian Coma.” They also suck—a lot. Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones is the band’s third full-length as well as a concept album written in tandem with a film the group also made, Legion Of The Black, which follows “a group of rebels known as ‘The Wild Ones’ as they defend their hearts, minds, and bodies again F.E.A.R.,” whatever that is. We can’t say for sure that the record is incredibly terrible, but if the first single, “In The End,” is any indication, then yeah, it probably is.
What Else?
Dropkick Murphys, Signed And Sealed In Blood
Formed nearly 20 years ago, Dropkick Murphys have made a living by blending Celtic rock with New England-style punk in songs like “I’m Shipping Up To Boston, which was used in The Departed. Signed And Sealed In Blood is only the group’s eighth album, but loyal fans have been anticipating it since before it even went to the pressing plant: The band solicited fans to get the album art tattooed on themselves and is including pictures of diehards’ ink in the record’s liner notes.
Broadcast, Berberian Sound Studio
Broadcast’s lead singer, Trish Keenan, died in January of 2011, but her memory lives on with Berberian Sound Studio, the soundtrack to Peter Strickland’s homage to ’70s horror of the same name. Keenan recorded vocals for the soundtrack as well as another studio album before her death.
Various Artists, Gangster Squad soundtrack
Gangster Squad is set in the ’40s and ’50s, so it makes sense that the film’s soundtrack reflects the music of that period. The album features a number of recordings of the era—Peggy Lee’s “Bless You (For The Good That’s In You),” Hoagy Carmichael’s “Ole Buttermilk Sky,” and so on—but also features updated versions of previous tracks by St. Vincent and Delta Rae.