Norah Jones
The Fall
(Blue Note)
Release: 17 November

Norah Jones is debuting her latest as part of NPR’s “Exclusive New Music” series. You can stream the album in its entirety over at the NPR website. This time around, Jones worked with the likes of Ryan Adams and Tom Waits, but her new album is no doubt still very jazzy, very adult contemporary.

SONG LIST
01 Chasing Pirates
02 Even Though
03 Light As A Feather
04 Young Blood
05 I Wouldn’t Need You
06 Waiting
07 It’s Gonna Be
08 You’ve Ruined me
09 Back To Manhattan
10 Stuck
11 December
12 Tell Yer Mama
13. Man of the Hour

—Katharine Wray

Them Crooked Vultures have officially released their second single “Mind Eraser, No Chaser” for free(!) on iTunes, and you can also stream it on YouTube. The band’s self-titled debut album is due out 17 November in the U.S. and Canada on DGC/Interscope Records. The first single “New Fang” premiered last week.

—Allison Taich

Don’t get too excited, “Heaven Can Wait” is not a cover of the Meat Loaf ballad from Bat Out of Hell, but the wispy voices of Charlotte and Beck over the otherwise chunky, clumsy track from the upcoming IRM (releasing in January) has its own appeal. The album’s title track is also available to download with an e-mail sign-up at Charlotte’s web site.

—Tyler Gould

Retribution Gospel Choir
2
(Sub Pop)
Releasing: 26 January

This is the second album from Low guitarist Alan Sparhawk’s peppier, poppier other band. Stream versions of “Electric Guitar” and “White Wolf” over at the Retribution Gospel Choir MySpace.

SONG LIST
01 Hide It Away
02 Your Bird
03 ‘68 Comeback
04 Workin’ Hard
05 Poor Man’s Daughter
06 White Wolf
07 The Last of the Blue Dream
09 Something’s Going to Break
10 Electric Guitar
11 Bless Us All

—Tyler Gould

Listen to Air France’s reshaping of Brit-pop group Saint Etienne’s “Spring”, from their re-released Foxbase Alpha, at their MySpace. If you dig this song then be sure to get Saint Etienne’s limited edition 12” (only 200 copies available) through the band’s fan club.

—Eleanore Catolico

Here’s another track Casablancas’ first solo effort, Phrazes for the Young, which comes out on November 3rd. Its madcap pacing sounds odd and hurried, its up-and-down riff is an earworm of the worst order—what is the appeal of this? This is montage music for a cut-rate evil robot assembling factory. Imagine it blaring with laughable urgency as glowing red eyes flick on and whirring motors propel the robots, single file, to their certain death at the bazooka of a musclebound movie star—a throwaway song for disposable henchmen.

—Tyler Gould