Editor’s Note: Do you think we “missed” an album this week? Click here.
Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open the floodgates and unleash a seemingly endless stream of quality new music. But while some of our Editors and Contributors sit down gleefully each week to dive into this newly stocked treasure trove, others find themselves drawing a blank at the end of the month due to the breakneck pace needed to keep up to date with what’s been released. Which brings us to this Heavy Blog PSA: a weekly roundup of new albums which pares down the week’s releases to only our highest recommendations. Here you’ll find full album/single streams, pre-order links and, most importantly, a collection of albums that could very well earn a spot on your year-end list. Enjoy!
Top Picks
Aesop Rock x Blockhead – Garbology (abstract hip-hop)
It’s genuinely surprising to me that Garbology took this long to see the light of day. Well, not this collection of tracks specifically, but just the general concept of an Aesop Rock album fully produced by longtime collaborator Blockhead. They duo have built up an insane catalog of abstract hip-hop bangers since they teamed up for “Plastic Soldiers” from Aesop’s debut Music for Earthworms (1997). Like many people, the chemistry and individual talent they displayed with “None Shall Pass” provided me with an unforgettable introduction to both of their discographies. Aesop’s output speaks for itself, but Blockhead has maintained an impressive career in his own right, particularly his work with Billy Woods on the criminally underrated Dour Candy (2013). The hype alone would be enough to make this my top pick for the week, but after hearing “Jazz Hands,” I’m confident that the consensus among hip-hop heads will be that an Aesop/Blockhead album was long overdue.
See Also: They Might Be Giants – BOOK (indie pop, alt-rock); My favorite pandemic discovery might be the self-titled debut from one of rock’s quirkiest bands. I’d of course heard about The Might Be Giants before last year (thanks, Tiny Toons), but actually hearing them on a proper album was one of the weirdest and downright fun experiences I’ve heard from a “pop” record in a while. Their latest cartoons-meet-college-rock soundtrack is fittingly accompanied by a 144-page book, featuring art photography and “typographic lyric illustrations.”
–Scott