Eels

Music

What to Download: New Music Today

It's Tuesday, which means that you not only get a dose of fresh new movies on DVD, but you also get some new music releases.

It's Tuesday, which means that you not only get a dose of fresh new movies on DVD, but you also get some new music releases. Today, we've got rock, indie, and country, so check out my recommendations below for what's worth a download.

Reliable rock: I'm a huge Spoon fan and have been waiting for a new album since the last, Ga Ga Ga Ga, came out. I just can't get enough of the consistently great band, and Transference doesn't disappoint one bit.

The first single is first for a reason: "Written in Reverse" is on the more aggressive side of Spoon songs, with its banging on piano keys — it's best listened to cranked way, way up. The equally strong "I Saw the Light" keeps up the tempo, as does Nobody Gets Me but You." If you're looking for a change of pace from the band, cue up lullaby Goodnight Laura, which features lead singer Britt Daniel humming through a melancholy, but sumptuous ballad.

Rainy day tunes: Eels offers up another mellow disc with End Times, and though the title indicates the bleakness that many of the songs explore, there's a charming harmony to "Mansions of Los Feliz" (though the lyrics are pretty dark, to tell you the truth). Less upbeat, but somehow still soothing is "Nowadays." By the time you get to the haunting "I Need a Mother," you may need a hug, but it's all worth it.

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Music

What to Download: New Music Today

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores.

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download.

Channeling the soul: Diane Birch's new album, Bible Belt, is so cute and catchy, I'm going to download the whole thing. I have a huge soft spot for the folk and soul singers of the '60s and '70s like Aretha Franklin and Carole King, and Birch flawlessly channels those greats on this aptly named album (she's a preacher's daughter). Check out "Valentino," "Fools," and "Nothing But a Miracle" for a taste of the goodness.

Bittersweet: I still get sad thinking about Dave Matthews Band working on this new album, Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King, in the wake of saxophonist LeRoi Moore's death. I can definitely detect sadness in some of these songs, but there is also a hint of triumph and renewal. I've already recommended you sample "Funny the Way It Is," and make sure to listen to "You and Me," a very touching, very simple love song.

One more up next, so read more