Party Ben’s Music Picks (For People Who Still Buy CDs)

All those cool bands you’ve been hearing about, and a few you’ve never heard of – but will.

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


I’m not sure how much relevance actual release dates have any more (in this era of internet leaks) but if you’re the type who likes their CDs and mp3s legit, the next few months promise some breathless Monday nights. I thought I’d sneak on here while all the Mother Jones employees are nursing their hangovers and tell you about some upcoming albums I can’t wait for, along with a brief explanation, similar artists, and a link to a preview (if available) or some recent material.

  • 02/06/07: Bloc Party – Weekend in the City (Vice/Atlantic)
    The UK quartet follow up their acclaimed debut with a more mature (and apparently more openly queer-ish) album
    For fans of: The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, being wistful
    Stream the whole album already on their Myspace page

  • 03/06/07: Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Merge)
    Adored Montreal band face dreaded sophomore slump

    For fans of: Talking Heads, Neutral Milk Hotel, going to funerals

    Download the first single, “Interventions,” here

  • 03/06/07: Air – Pocket Symphony (Astralwerks)
    French band swings back to the more “difficult” sound of 10,000 Hz Legend
    For fans of: Burt Bacharach, Zero 7, spacing out
    Buy the first single, “Once Upon a Time” at iTunes

  • 03/13/07: Ken Andrews – Secret of the Lost Satellite (Dinosaur Flight)
    Producer-geek former member of Failure uses own name for once
    For fans of: Autolux, Nine Inch Nails, wearing headphones
    Hear a loop from Track 8 off the new album at his website

  • 03/20/07: Chamillionaire – The Ultimate Victory (Universal)
    Southern rap superstar returns with more smooth guest star-laden hip-hop
    For fans of: Paul Wall, Weird Al, ridin’ dirty
    Download a recent mixtape here

  • 03/20/07: LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (DFA)
    NY dance-rock dude & friends bring back the funk
    For fans of: New Order, The Rapture, ironic disco dancing
    Hear earlier versions of some of the new songs in the Nike mix 45:33 available on iTunes
  • AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

    We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

    The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

    Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

    If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

    Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

    Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

    payment methods

    AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

    We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

    The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

    Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

    If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

    Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

    Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

    payment methods

    We Recommend

    Latest

    Sign up for our free newsletter

    Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

    Get our award-winning magazine

    Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

    Subscribe

    Support our journalism

    Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

    Donate