Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs. All releases due out this Friday unless noted.
Robyn Hitchcock
RELEASE: Robyn Hitchcock
BACKSTORY: first new album in two yearsRobyn Hitchcock this week releases his , and 21st overall. The self-titled set was preceded by the singles “I Want to Tell You About What I Want” and “Raymond and the Wires.”
BUY: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, iTunes
Various artists
RELEASE: Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live… And More
BACKSTORY: Members of Big Star, R.E.M., The dB’s, Let’s Active, Posies, Semisonic, Wilco and Yo La Tengo come together to perform Big Star’s Third and more at a concert recorded last year in California.
BUY: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, iTunes
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- New releases: Clan of Xymox returns with ‘Days of Black,’ plus Wire’s U.S. release
- New releases: Wire’s ‘Silver/Lead,’ plus Aimee Mann, Big Country, The Vibrators
- New releases: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Erasure, The Residents, A Flock of Seagulls
- New releases: Depeche Mode’s ‘Spirit,’ Lloyd Cole box set, CJ Ramone solo album
Anyone who’s seen one of the Big Star Third performances knows this release and the forthcoming DVD will be great.
More so because in celebrating the best band of the 1970s, our 1980s heroes uncovered some outstanding new talent for the 20-whatevers in Skylar Gudasz and Brett Harris. Those two played key roles in the Third traveling ensemble and are forging solid careers of their own. Gudasz’ recent album “Oleander” in particular is amazing.