Out This Week 7/13

Her first album was named for her father, her second for her mother, and now, M.I.A. fully comes into her own with the third, and self-titled, album Maya. Sometimes stylized as /\/\ /\ Y /\), this group of songs developed after the creation of her N.E.E.T. record label, the controversy she’s stirred in the press, and her creative alignment with Sleigh Bells’ Derek Miller can a bit of a challenge to those hoping for more like her ubiquitous hit “Paper Planes.” While the aural excess of Maya will pull you out of your comfort zone, you’ll also find on this album some of her catchiest beats to date.

A packed house last Friday night at the Showbox at the Market proved how much Seattle has missed Carissa’s Wierd, the band that eventually spawned several other great NW bands, including Grand Archives, Band of Horses, and the solo careers of Jenn Ghetto and Sera Cahoone. The one-off reunion celebrated this week’s release of the aptly named They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996–2003 on local label Hardly Art. School of Seven Bells may owe their quiet pretty moments to bands like Carissa’s Wierd, but they’ve built a strong sophomore album from their ethereal debut, Alpinisms. On Disconnect from Desire, they drift further toward their early-90s shoegaze influences while adding more electronic beats.

Speaking of beats, one of today’s masters, Danger Mouse, used his many connections in the indie rock world to create Dark Night of the Soul, a songwriting collaboration with the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. James Mercer, Jason Lytle, Julian Casablancas, Vic Chesnutt, Iggy Pop, Frank Black, Suzanne Vega, and others contribute vocals to songs which almost never saw the light of day due to a label dispute early on -- a book of director David Lynch’s photos was sold with a blank CD-R for fans to “use at will.” Now, those fans needn’t resort to piracy as the full album as it was intended is available in stores. Another collaboration finally hits stores today: Admiral Radley combines Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch of Grandaddy with
Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray of Earlimart for a lighthearted romp with song titles like “I’m All Fucked On Beer” and “Chingas In The West.”

Other releases worth checking out include the official full-length debut from Portland’s Kevin and Anita Robinson, who expand from their duo-based Viva Voce with a full-on band playing “rural psychedelic” rock. KEXP has been playing their demo EP for a while now, but this is the real deal. Mark Kozelek continues his Sun Kil Moon project with a fourth album, Admiral Fell Promises, and Spanish remixer El Guincho begins the first of a series of EPs exploring traditional South American songs. Raleigh band The Love Language, who appeared live on KEXP last year as a seven-piece, has returned to its roots: specifically as the solo songwriting vehicle of Stuart McLamb, but the results of spending time in an actual studio this time have made this sophomore album a lush and epic pop masterpiece.

Plus, there’s the return of Morcheeba, an interesting collaboration of Matmos and So Percussion, a new album by Mystery Jets, and much more. Grab the list from Largehearted Boy and head out to your local record shop, but not before sampling these tunes: