In such a huge release week with high profile releases from bands such as Band of Horses, Black Keys, LCD Soundsystem, Rolling Stones, and the Sadies, it’d be easy to pick a record of the week out of that batch and not explore outside of those.

That has not been the case here though as our Record of the Week comes from Athens, Georgia’s Harvey Milk, one of the finest sludge metal bands you’re bound to come across. Having been around since 1992, Harvey Milk have toiled in obscurity for years and years until their reformation in 2006.

A Small Turn of Human Kindness is Harvey Milk’s third full length since coming back in 2006 and an absolute monster of an album. After the much more accessible, Life…the Best Game in Town, they have crafted a spiritual successor to their 1997 album, Courtesy and Good Will Toward Men. Back is the sprawling, depressive, heavy songs that tear at you in every which way. This is an album that says Harvey Milk is absolutely back and here to stay.

Listen to “I Know This Is All My Fault” from Harvey Milk’s A Small Turn of Human Kindness

Honorable Mentions

The Depreciation Guild, made up of members from store favorites Pains of Being Pure at Heart, put out an album that isn’t far from the aforementioned band and has a lot in common with Asobi Seksu. Shoegaze pop that uses a modified Nintendo as an instrument in the band, their new album, Spirit Youth, is a damn good album and a proper hold over until we get something new from Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Listen to ”My Chariot” from Depreciation Guild’s Spirit Youth

The Sadies have been around for what seems like ages but it’s more or less the fact that they are one of the more prolific bands, especially when it comes to Alt-Country / Americana. Following up their album backing up John Doe last year, Darker Circles, is the proper follow up to 2007′s New Season and is in most ways, much better. Another excellent album by these Canadian country rockers. Absolutely check this out if you’re a fan of Giant Sand and even the Meat Puppets.

Listen to ”Another Year Again” from the Sadies’ Darker Circles