New Music Picks (week of 1/14/14)

First New Music Tuesday post of the year and there's some cool stuff already. As always, I encourage you to post comments about what you are digging. You won't though. You never do. This is a pretty one-sided bloglationship we have. I don't JUST listen to rock/metal and these lists reflect that.

Bruce Springsteen 'High Hopes'

Columbia Records

I don't know man, this guys just doesn't release crap. You can always count on him to deliver and he does it again here. If, for some ABSURD reason, you don't have any interest in Bruce, check it out to hear the always fantastic guitar work by Tom Morello. 'American Skin (41 Shots), 'Harry's Place) and 'The Ghost Of Tom Joad' are some Morello highlights.

This record is a collection of cover songs Bruce has been singing live over the years, reworked versions of older Boss songs and includes tracks not released from previous albums. Usually when an artist releases songs that were 'previously unreleased' there is a reason. I don't know what the reason was here because songs like 'Harry's Place' and 'Down In The Hole' sound WAY too good to not be released.

Bruce is an American treasure. A treasure! I think when the day comes that he leaves this world, we should put him in a glass display case like Russia did with Stalin...wait...Lenin....Harrison? Whatever.

Highlights:

American Skin

Frankie Fell In Love

Down In The Hole

ALL OF IT

 The Dead Weather 'Open Up' & 'Rough Detective'

Third Man Records

Speaking of national treasures, Jack White...is one too. If he releases it, I will listen to it. In addition to White, The Dead Weather features Alison Mosshart from a  really cool band called The Kills,  The Raconteurs' Jack Lawrence and  Dean Fertia from Queens Of The Stone Age. EVERYONE knows QUOTSA is probably the coolest rock and roll band on Earth right now...as aside.

Anyway The Dead Weather will be releasing 2 singles at a time bewtixt now and 2015 when they'll all be offered as one complete record (the band's third) on Jack's Third Man Records label. That's likely the way it will be done by most everybody in the future - when we're all wearing one piece jumpsuits, commuting via jetpack.

 Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings 'Give The People What They Want'

Daptone Records

Man I love this band. This record could have been released 40 years ago but doesn't sound old. Their sound is just timeless. This is great Sunday morning listening. This record was scheduled to be released last year until Sharon was diagnosed with stage-two pancreatic cancer. Thankfully she's healthy now and this new record is certainly proof that the world is better for it.

 James LaBrie  'I Will Not Break'

Inside Out Records

Dream Theater singer James LaBrie's new digital E.P. is heavier than the most recent Dream Theater record. DT has always been a mixed bag for me. I've REALLY liked some of their stuff and really disliked some of their stuff so I never know which way it will go when I listen to something new from them. Same goes for this EP. This will go in my Dream Theater related stuff I like pile. There isn't an actual pile. It's an imaginary pile really.

And that's the list for this week. I'm also digging the De La Terra (feat. Andreas Kisser of Sepultura), Eternal Summers and Rosanne Cash records. The Pixies released a new EP too.