Week two and we’ve got a new playlist for y’all! This release week is absolutely monster, with new albums by Tom Waits, She & Him, Justice, Coldplay, Surfer Blood, Deer Tick and plenty more. The playlist will certainly touch on a couple of those big releases but we wanted to highlight a lot of the great new releases this week you might not have heard yet!

This week we have nine tracks and quite a bit of variety:

1) El Rego – Hessa (off their Self-Titled album)

If you picked up any of Analog Africa’s fantastic compilations(African Scream Contest, Legends of Benin, etc) then you need to have this. 12 tracks of pure African soul, these tracks, recorded in the ’60s and ’70s, will have you dancing in absolutely no time!

2) JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound – I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (off their new album Want More)

The soul and funk continues with JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound! Their new album Want More is catching a lot of ears when we play it in the store but what most people notice is their excellent cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” Don’t think they are a one trick pony though as this album is a thoroughly great time.

3) Tom Waits – Bad As Me (off his new album Bad As Me)

I am not really sure I need to even write anything here. IT’S TOM WAITS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. The legend grows and continues to churn out more excellent stories on this album.

4) Dirty Projectors + Björk – On and Every Onward (off their bizarrely wonderful album Mount Wittenberg Orca)

Here is a collaboration that I would have never thought of but then you see their names together and you think “that makes perfect sense.” This album also sounds exactly like you’d think…fantastic.

5) Surfer Blood – Miranda (off their new EP Tarot Classics)

We absolutely loved Surfer Blood’s debut album Astro Coast. It might possibly have been one of the most played albums in the store for the year 2010. This EP picks up where they left off and certainly isn’t going to let anyone down.

6) Deer Tick – Miss K (off their new album Divine Providence)

I went and saw Deer Tick play at Mickey Finns here in Toledo last year and was pretty taken back by their performance. I’d never spent enough time with them before then and they certainly made a new fan that night. Their new album takes a lot from their live performance and is a raucous and raw album built on a foundation of Springsteen, Tom Petty and even Nirvana.

7) honeyhoney – Ohio (off their new album Billy Jack)

honeyhoney took us for a bit of a surprise. This isn’t their first album but to be honest, it’s the first we’d heard of them. I can assure you, they have our attention now as this album is one of the better alt-country albums we’ve heard that hasn’t had the words “Bloodshot Records” on the back of it in a long time.

8) A Classic Education – Forever Boy (off their debut album Call It Blazing)

A Classic Education’s debut album has made quite an impression over here. Just a fantastic indie rock record that brings to mind some fantastic bands: Galaxie 500, Velvet Underground, Wedding Present, Smiths.

9) Christina Vantzou – Homemade Mountains (off her debut album No. 1)

While this may be Christina Vantzou’s debut album, it certainly isn’t her first, having cut her teeth as a duo with Adam Wiltzie of Stars of the Lid called Dead Texan. That album is 7 years old now and we’re finally hearing something new from Christina. Her label, Kranky, describes it as “neo-classical minimalism.” We’d describe it is “absolutely gorgeous.”

Just like last week, if you are already signed up with Spotify, go ahead and click the Spotify logo below to hear this volume of the New Release Playlist! If you aren’t signed up, the link below will take you to the sign up. Let us know what you think and if you’d like to see future playlists!

As time went by, constantly writing a Record of the Week became increasingly more difficult with work load increasing and time to do said work decreasing. Thing is, we have the itch to spread the gospel of great new releases in some way, shape or form and can’t sit idly by!

Having said that, we noticed A LOT of you using Spotify recently. We decided what best way to spread the gospel than through means y’all are already using! So we’re here to introduce to you, our New Release Playlist! Every week, we’ll be compiling a playlist of our favorite tracks from our favorite new releases that week. We’ll be sharing it through Facebook, Twitter, and of course right here on our website.

We’ve got seven tracks this week that we’ve been liking a whole lot:

1) Gauntlet Hair – Top Bunk (off their Self-Titled album)

If you liked Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion, you’ll love this. Adventurous indie-pop out of Denver, CO.

2) M83 – Midnight City (off their new album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming)

M83 finally follow up their critically acclaimed Saturdays = Youth, with a very ambitious double album. Unabashed 80′s John Hughes soundtrack worshiping has continued!

3) Real Estate – It’s Real (off their new album Days)

We can’t stress how excited we were for this album to finally come out. The wait was absolutely worth it. Another picture perfect album by these New Jersey beach bums. Breezy indie rock just in time for…well what’s supposed to be the worst Winter on record.

4) Rob Crow – Sophistructure (off his new album He Thinks He’s People)

Rob Crow is much more recognized as half of the fantastic band Pinback. What most people don’t know is, he churns out equally solid albums by himself! His new album is more of what he does best: Crazy catchy songs that are short and sweet, all killer, no filler.

5) My Brightest Diamond – Reaching Through to the Other Side (off her new album All Things Will Unwind)

Since her last album, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth, Shara Worden has guest starred on about a billion other albums(Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens), moved to Detroit, and built up quite a name for performing alias, My Brightest Diamond. Her new album continues her exploration into a cinematic baroque sound that you won’t hear replicated anywhere else.

6) Psychic Ills – Mind Daze (off their new album Hazed Dream)

Psychic Ills have recently signed to one of our favorite labels(Sacred Bones) and this week sees their first record for the label, Hazed Dream. It’s a rather apropo title as this album is a hazy, drugged out psychedelic jaunt out into the desert. Absolutely essential for fans of Wooden Shjips.

7) Moholy-Nagy – Seagulls (off their debut album Like Mirage)

Moholy-Nagy are a new three piece consisting of three members of Tarentel. That statement might not excite anyone as much as it excites me. These three have put together an album inspired by 1970′s Kosmiche(ie, Popul Vuh, Tangerine Dream) and it’s absolutely fantastic.

If you are already signed up with Spotify, go ahead and click the Spotify logo below to hear this volume of the New Release Playlist! If you aren’t signed up, the link below will take you to the sign up. Let us know what you think and if you’d like to see future playlists!