Another week, another Tuesday, another flurry of new music. As new albums drop, this column will do its best to track the notable releases so you don’t have to. Only new material is included in this list; compilations, re-releases, live albums and remixes will generally not be covered.

• Janet Jackson - Discipline

First single “Feedback” is so anchored in cheap pop sensibilities that it’s practically a Britney Spears song. One would hope the rest of this album doesn’t stick to that mold. One would hope.

• Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree

The band’s fifth studio outfit is far more ambient and laid back than previous efforts. More acoustic guitar and melody, less heavy electronica and dance groove. For those that have seen Hard Candy, try to put all thoughts of psychological torture and castration out of your head.

• Death Angel - Killing Season

At times the five-piece sounds almost more glam than thrash. In the end it’s middle-of-the-road metal, though occasionally that’s strangely fulfilling.

• Erykah Badu - New Amyrikah: Part One (4th World War)

A heavily punctuated title and crazy-wild cover art adorn Ms. Badu’s first album in five years. The grooves are all there, as well as her singular voice. The New York Times lamented long song lengths but when it comes to Badu’s work I don’t usually mind if she goes a little long.

• Webbie - Savage Life 2

From what I’ve heard of it, this is an album of almosts. His flow is almost tight, his beats are almost interesting and Webbie almost wants to escape the mold of simple club rap. Almost, but not quite.

• Shawty Lo - Units in the City

Hip-hop from Atlanta, Georgia. If you follow hip-hop you already know what this sounds like from that single phrase. Heavily infused with the southern rap sound Shawty almost sounds interesting but doesn’t quite differentiate himself from his peers in the ATL sound. Though I’d probably still get down to it in a club. (Warning, this is one of the ugliest Myspace pages I’ve ever seen and somebody has embedded a song into his comments that automatically plays when the page loads.)

• Beach House - Devotion

Think of the Beatles at their mellowest and spaciest. Then overproduce it. Got it? Now, don’t bother clicking on the link because you’re already listening to what’s there.

• Cheri Dennis - In and Out of Love

The real amazing about Cheri Dennis is that she’s from Cleveland and signed to a fairly large label (Bad Boy). Other than that, it sounds a lot like Destiny’s Child. (Warning, yet more embedded players in the comment field of the above-linked Myspace page.)

• Dolly Parton - Backwoods Barbie

I don’t listen to much Dolly Parton. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a single song before this record. It sounds like pretty standard country fare, though my ears aren’t much attuned to modern country music.

• Pete Rock - NY’s Finest

Interesting beats incorporating elements of jazz into hip-hop (as has been Pete Rock’s calling card for the larger part of his career) but his flow is a bit too loose and lazy for my taste. The rhythms are, however, pretty addictive and he’s lyrically deeper than most hip-hop people complain about on Newsvine that hits the mainstream.

• Punch Brothers - Punch

I don’t listen to much bluegrass, but if it generally sounds like this I might start. The players are skilled at what they do, the music is gentle yet dynamic, and overall it’s quite beautiful.

Though not as overwhelming as last week, still an impressive list of new releases. Remember to keep stopping by Tuesdays (or sometimes Wednesdays) to check out What’s New.

© Eric Atienza 2008 for Listen In. Some rights reserved.

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