na: beirut, tinariwen and more

A batch of new titles from today and yesterday after the jump.

Death Cab for Cutie Catalog: Relive the early days of indie rock with the Death Cab catalog. Chris Ryan delivered a thorough, insightful Icon hub that I’d invite all of you to read.

Tinariwen, Tassili: I love this band. The new record finds them settling down some, enlisting a few guests and making their bid for the Starbucks crowd. Michaelangelo Matos says:

The style Tinariwen plays is sometimes nicknamed simply “guitar” for a reason: All that six-string interaction has a dense weave that the group’s percussionists, Said Ag Ayad and Mohammed Ag Tahada, amplify more than push. The Malians get some outside help, too, and although “Ya Messinagh” doesn’t really need the extra oomph provided by a pair of horn players from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, it’s kind of nice to hear Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio show up in the midst of “Tenere Taqqim Tossam.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers, I’m With You: This band never really clicked with me, even in their heyday. Christina Lee begs to differ:

With new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, the Chili Peppers deliver a remarkable album with a clear-cut caveat: embrace the fact that they’re growing up. Traces of older melodies occasionally surface; Flea’s familiar, jittery bass drives opener “Monarchy of Roses,” and “Annie Wants a Baby” conjures memories of Stadium Arcadium‘s “Death of a Martian.” But Klinghoffer fills in on his own terms. As in the otherwise straightforward “Look Around,” his solos are brief and ethereal, mirroring the spirituality Kiedis sings about.

Beirut, The Rip Tide: Zach Condon returns with another outing but, unlike his past, this one finds him havign adventures close to home. We’ll have a Six Degrees of this live before too long. In the meantime, here’s what Jessica Suarez has to say:

If Condon’s past albums were expressions of worldliness, The Rip Tide wants to shut the world out. “This is the house where I can be alone/ Be unknown now,” he sings on the title track. Where once, on songs like “Postcards from Italy” or “A Sunday Smile,” his instruments of choice — violins, horns, ukulele — were bright and gliding, choreographed like dancers rather than arranged, here they sway and drift. Only the final song “Port of Call” demonstrates the same urgency of discovery (of a new sound, new location) that his songwriting once betrayed. Despite the continental references, Condon’s melodies always felt familiar. Now they feel like they’re at their purest; if he sounds less excited, it’s likely because he’s comfortable.

Lil Wayne, The Carter IV: Onetime king of hip-hop returns with what I’m hearing is a disappointing full-length. I love Wayne, but he has been clearly spreading himself a bit too thin over the last few years. I’ll listen to this nonetheless, but early word hasn’t been great. Ian Cohen mostly concurs:

Literally and figuratively, there isn’t enough Wayne — when he’s not sounding a less inspired version of himself, there’s the once unfathomable meeting of Tech N9ne and Andre 3000 (“Interlude”) that finds both of them on their A-game, and Nas and Busta Rhymes’ staggering speed raps closing the LP (“Outro”) — Wayne inexplicably sits out both of them. His lack of total investment seems apt; considering all the delays, Tha Carter IV feels like something that just needed to happen already so Wayne could put it behind him and move on.

Male Bonding, Endless Now: Really excellent second outing from bratty British band. eMusic’s Christina Lee says:

As evident from the get-go — and partially thanks to producer John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Thurston Moore Dinosaur Jr.) — these slightly scruffy punks have shed their music of its lo-fi fuzz. While still audibly inspired by the Buzzcocks, they’ve learned to relax a little; about halfway through the six-minute highlight “Bones,” they even veer off the trail and get lost in their own surprisingly gorgeous harmonizing, evoking a young Beach Boys. Unlike its predecessor, this studio effort actually sounds like a studio effort — ’60s pop with ’80s punk sensibilities that hint at a life outside seedy dive bars.

Cymbals Eat Guitars, Lenses Alien: Young upstarts return with a record that channels the sound of seminal emo. I saw them live a few weeks ago and was wondering if a Jade Tree revival might be on the horizon. Marc Hogan concurs:

Lenses Alien, the band’s second album and first for Barsuk, is at once more grandiose and more focused, and it draws on a different side of the ’90s. Despite a confrontational eight-and-a-half-minute opener, the songs here are mostly shorter than on the debut, but they now lean toward the intricate guitars, textured feedback washes, and juddering structural shifts of Sunny Day Real Estate, Shudder to Think, or Jawbox — worthy reference points that other ’90s revivals have mostly overlooked.

Jacuzzi Boys, Glazin’: Pretty great, trashy rock and roll, sarcastic delivery, scuzzy guitars, good news all around for fans of the new sound of garage.

John Doe, Keeper: Latest solo outing from X mainman travels down dusty country roads, allowing him to apply his rich, warm voice to wide-open songs. Some pedal steel, honky-tonk scoot and spry tempos make this a late-summer winner.

Coppertone, Kill & Relase: Somewhat surprised this isn’t on Not Not Fun! Spaced out synth-heavy outer space psych with kinda weirdo female vocals. I’m into what I’m hearing.

Dark Captain, Submarines: Hushed, soothing and tranquil as a forest stream, Submarines imagines Grizzly Bear if they were a bit more into pastoral ’70s folk. I suspect some folks here will flip their lids.

Juliana Hatfield, There’s Always Another Girl: Another lovely little record from Juliana, this sounds spare and restrained but tuneful nonetheless, with heavy emphasis on Juliana’s voice and guitar.

Corrdior, Real Late: Junk-fi rock-n-roll with expressionless, almost spoken-word vocals and music that swings from spiraling space rock to imposing doomy jams. Celestial and strange.

Barbara Jean English, s/t: Terrific Quiet Storm soul record cleaned up and remastered – slow, aching melodies sure to tug at the heartstrings.

–> Singles & EPs
Bleached, “Carter”: This sounds terrific: jangly, loose, limber, punky snarl with super hooky, guitar-heavy arrangements. Give it a shot.

Dunes, Old Souls EP: Peculiar, wobbly an atonal, Dunes will appeal to those who like their music sounding both haunting and unpracticed. This is amateurism at its finest, and the slapped-together feel sounds great to me.

–> Joe’s Metal Box
Balaclava, Crimes of Faith: Punishing, thrash-derived metal on the always-great Southern Lord. This is Balaclava’s debut, and from what I’m hearing here, their future is promising.

Cult Cinema, Iscariot: Love the album cover! Nasty, scraping metal with “holy shit you’re lighting me on fire?!?” vocals.