NEW RELEASE TUESDAY, APRIL 27th
This week we contacted a few of our writers to chime in on what they thought was hot, and what they thought was not. Without further ado, in order of coolest album art (click covers to preview):
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to check out Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights in a nearly empty Boom Boom Room here in San Francisco. Their bass player Nick let me check out the latest release Pardon Me beforehand and this is a sonically brilliant album. It’s a little bit country and a lot rock ‘n’ roll. If you ever needed some down home southern rock in your life, it’s right now. (Dustin Shey)
It’s tinged with spacey vocals and ’60s era flower-punk meanderings, White Fence tip-toes an uneasy acid-soaked, lo-fi pop bender.  (Carnie Fulton)
From across the pond this week we get a real treat in the latest lo-fi release from the boy least likely to with a fairytale ending. The English duo of Jof Owen and Peter Hobbs have put together a fun indie pop set of four songs for your collection, including a pretty sad cover. (Dustin Shey)
In their fifth full-length album, Hole is back with Nobody’s Daughter, the band’s first release in 12 years. 1998′s Celebrity Skin took home mostly rave reviews as a notable comeback for Courtney Love and we all hope the second coming of Hole is just as refreshing to a world still lacking in real rock. (Briana Hernandez)
Avi Buffalo is a band of where the average age is about 19. It truly reflects in this super noisy lo-fi recording from Sub Pop simply titled Avi Buffalo. The songs are about sex, love and, well, sex. A lot of other music blogs are hyped up about this one. I just think it’s a more upbeat version of The XX. (Dustin Shey)
Peter Frampton‘s 14th studio album is available in both CD and vinyl, of course. The explosive single “I Want It Back” is a back-to-roots rock track that hopefully paints the picture for the rest of Thank You Mr. Churchill. Frampton is most commonly known for his guitar talkbox effects as heard in 1976′s Frampton Comes Alive! (Briana Hernandez)
Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t tell the difference in any Gogol Bordello album. It’s Russian gypsy punk music, and yes, that sounds as awkward as it really is. It also can be really fun if you see them live and, well, if the gypsy in you needs a fix, check out Trans-Continental Hustle. (Dustin Shey)
Make no mistake: Emily Jane White writes sad songs. It’s what she does and she does it well. Now with her sophomore album Ms. White shows that she’s more than just a pretty voice. Victorian America has all the melancholy of her first album and this time the songs are backed with rich, powerful, orchestration. (more from Spencer Crooks)