Chilly Gonzales
The Unspeakable
Arts & Crafts
Street: 06.07
Chilly Gonzales = Boys Noize + John Williams + Feist
A simple way to refer to Chilly Gonzales’ The Unspeakable would be to call it an “orchestral rap” album. Yes, you read that right. Gonzales’ brother, Christophe Beck, arranged the orchestral pieces found on the album and Gonzales himself does the rapping. Gonzo uses a healthy amount of sarcasm in his lyrics to bring about his melancholic themes and unprofessional tone, which are often contrasted by an epic staccato string arrangement or an earnest French horn melody. “Party In My Mind” is one of my favorite tracks off the album. It features an exceptionally catchy bongo and string arrangement, again contrasting with Gonzo’s rhymes about getting stoned, wearing slippers and watching South Park. The album ends with “Shut Up and Play the Piano,” with Gonzales playing a slow and lamenting piano arrangement while rapping about his musical and creative identity crisis (I imagine it to be like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), and his talents as a producer and pianist. The Unspeakable seems to reveal more about Jason Beck (Gonzales’ real name) than any of his other albums, but the listener is left wondering if Beck’s monologues are sincere or shrouded in sarcasm. –Chris Proctor

Coliseum
Parasites
Temporary Residence
Street: 11.15
Coliseum = Black Cross + Drive Like Jehu + Cursed
For every stinking Motö/Discharge comparison garnered, Louisville’s favorite beard punx have always nurtured an angular post rock obsession that’s laid hissing beneath their “big amps/big riffs” cacophony for years. On their newest eight-song offering, producer legend J. Robbins (Jawbox) manages to draw a distinct wiriness from Coliseum’s gravelly barrage, aerating the dense salvo into a digestible and compartmentalized pastiche of thundering drums, whining guitars and ardent growling. The band sheds their traditional galloping steamroller aesthetic for something resonant, contemplative and forcefully evocative. Powerful songwriting and an experimental fascination with stilted tempos and serrated sonic reverb (first cultivated on House with a Curse) coaxes a ragged soul from the band, rendering Parasites their most challenging and memorable work to date. –Dylan Chadwick

Comet Gain
Howl of the Lonely Crowd
What’s Your Rupture?
Street: 10.04
Comet Gain = the Cribs + Dexys Midnight Runners + BBC Radio
This is the most British record I’ve ever heard—clear, straightforward and universal. It also displays a certain breed of English pop that appeals to all sorts of music fans while still remaining incredibly bouncy. Where most modern pop music skirts the line between children’s music and frivolity, this indie UK stuff is forgivably catchy. I’ve heard a handful of Comet Gain songs over the years, and this record throws out some missives that rank right up there with the best. Several of the dozen or so tracks on this disc show that these guys have all but mastered pop music composition. The tracks build and explode into radio-friendly, euphoric anthems. The first cut, “Clang of the Concrete Swans,” embodies this description completely. Other songs sound a little less polished, but they are still light years ahead of whatever the hell American radio is passing off as pop music these days. Their sixth album in their almost two-decade career, Howl of the Lonely Crowd will treat you to classy, timeless Brit pop, and will remind you of a time when popular music actually had something to say. –James Bennett

Cromie
Boe Digits 2
Boe Digits
Street: 09.27
Cromie = Cosmin TRG + Girl Unit + Julio Bashmore
L.A.-based Cromie appears on the future garage scene with two massive tracks that call to mind old-school Chicago house, featuring commanding bass lines and simple layers of drum synths draped on top, creating a sound that is both in-your-face dancey and calm enough to chill out to after a long day at work or play. The first track, “How I Know,” is a collaboration with SLC-based JRapp (former SLUG writer and one-half of Nickel & Dime), and firmly establishes these guys as producers to watch. The R&B vocal is perfectly sampled, and as a result, the track has a soulful feel, like it’s been whiskey-aged. “What To Do” is a late-night groove track with slow, syncopated beats and a well-crafted maze of notes, synths and effects whirling around in circles, lulling you into a stupor while building up to a heavy bass line for that last break of the night. Grab it on Beatport or iTunes for a couple of bucks. –Jessie Wood

Crooked Fingers
Breaks in the Armor
Merge Records
Street: 10.11
Crooked Fingers = The Swell Season – Snow Patrol
Breaks in the Armor is Eric Bachmann’s (Archers of Loaf) sixth full-length as Crooked Fingers. Returning from an English-teaching stint in Taipei, Bachmann doesn’t seem to have escaped the ghosts that animate the acoustic pop-rock of Breaks in the Armor. The tunes are as immediately touching as they are catchy, and the sweet counterpoint of Liz Durrett’s backing vocals balance excellently Bachmann’s jilted croak. Breaks in the Armor is a pleasantly rare record that grabs you with its immediacy and rewards repeated listens. –Nate Housley