Artist: Old 97’s
Album: The Grand Theatre Vol. 2
Genre: Alternative Country
Label: New West Records
Release Date: July 5, 2011
Old 97’s will release their ninth studio album, The Grand Theatre Vol. 2, this week, a companion to The Grand Theatre Vol. 1, which was released in 2010. Lead singer, Rhett Miller, said, “We delved further into our experiments in gritty garage rock and at time spun further into lush psychedelia… you’ll find narratives that are stunted and strange.†The band is better known for being the pioneer of alternative country. Bands that have followed their path include The Bottle Rockets, The Jayhawks, and Whiskeytown. The new album received 3.5 stars in both Rolling Stone and American Songwriter. The band proclaimed on their website that with the album release coming soon, “the excitement is starting to build.†Every day until the album release, Old 97’s will give a “first look†at the songs from their album. The entire album is also streaming at .
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Artist: Lloyd
Album:King of Hearts
Genre:R&B/Soul
Label: Interscope Records
Release Date: July 5, 2011
In his fourth studio album, King of Hearts, Lloyd is confident that this new release will be his best work yet. Lloyd said, “From the music to the lyrics, everybody involved was dedicated to make sure that the album is going to sound amazing. It’s as simple as that.†The album, which was produced by Polow da Don and Rob Holladay, has songs featuring Chris Brown, Andre 3000, Trey Songz, R. Kelly, Keri Hilson, K’naan, Jeezy, and a narration by Lil Wayne. The lead single, “Lay It Down,†reached the top ten on the US R&B chart and has already had more than 12 million hits on YouTube.
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Artist: Gardens & Villa
Album: Gardens & Villa
Genre: Alternative
Label: Secretly Canadian
Release Date: July 5, 2011
With their self-titled debut album, Gardens & Villa will make a remarkable introduction into the music world with “a youthful exploration of just how opulent and pop starkness can go.†Their record label describes their sound to channel all the taut pop precision of 90’s Britpop with a mixture of 80’s synth. Band members Chris Lynch, Adam Rasmussen, Levi Hayden, Shane McKillop, and Dusty Ineman are sure to make an impression on music.
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Artist: Teddybears
Album: Devil’s Music
Genre: Alternative
Label: Big Beat Records
Release Date: July 5, 2011
Teddybears, a Swedish band who is known for mixing pop, rock, hip-hop, electronica, reggae, punk, and many other genres will release their sixth full length studio album. The band, who was previously known as Teddybears STHLM, has had many of their songs in popular television shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,†“One Tree Hill,†“Chuck,†“House,†and many more along with many movies. Devil’s Music, will feature popular artists in many of their songs, including B.o.b., Eve, The Flaming Lips, Cee Lo Green, The B-52’s, and Robyn.
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Artist: We The Kings
Album: Sunshine State of Mind
Genre: Pop Punk
Label: S-Curve Records
Release Date: July 5, 2011
We The Kings, who have been nominated for MTV Video Music Awards and Teen Choice Awards, will release their third studio album, Sunshine State of Mind. The music video for the album’s first single, “Friday Is Forever,†has already had a quarter of a million views on YouTube. The group, who have all been friends since childhood, have toured Australia, the UK, and the US since they started touring in 2007.
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