Monday's Leaky Faucet

Who: Weezer
Title: Raditude
Release Date: November 3rd
Label: Geffen
Thoughts: If you are expecting Weezer to revert to some mid-90's incarnation of the band you should just stop it right now. You are disillusioned and possibly bordering on some sort of psychosis that some trained professional can diagnose for you. The Weezer we once knew and loved have disappeared forever into a world of catchy hooks and lyrics that don't mean anything. Depending on who you ask they have been like this for either four or five records now, and yet for some unexplained reason I keep listening to their new releases hoping for some similarity to what they did on the original Weezer or on Pinkerton or even on the green Weezer album at the very least. Now the band just rips out arena ready anthems that you can sing-a-long to even though you'll never be able to figure out what the lyrics mean. On the horribly titled Raditude the band do this early and often, cranking out tunes that tweens and idiots worldwide will fall over thinking they've stumbled onto something revolutionary. The band also incorporates a few ill conceived attempts to broaden their sound including the sitar abusing "Love Is The Answer" and their half decent Lil' Wayne track "Can't Stop Partying". To make matters worse the band didn't stop at the original 10-song length, they went and added a bonus disc with four throw away songs sure to make them a shit ton more money. If at this point you still need Weezer in your life please go back to Pinkerton or Weezer and save yourself the torment that the recent albums have given us all.
Listen: Weezer - "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To"
Weezer (feat. Lil' Wayne) - "Can't Stop Partying"

Who: Real Estate
Title: Real Estate
Release Date: November 17th
Label: Woodsist
Thoughts: There seems to be a prevailing trend on debut albums from buzz bands these days. Bands will build buzz over a few 7"s or an EP or a CD-R and then will recycle the songs for their debut LP. It allows for familiarity on the debut release, but it also allows bands to develop a following based on their limited early releases to slowly see what kind of fan base they have. Real Estate are the latest to use this trend, releasing a series of limited edition 7"s and using the same song on their self-titled, Woodsist debut. Songs like "Fake Blues", "Black Lake", "Green River", and more have already been raved about on the internet and in select publications building their identity as another one of these beach loving, pop rock bands. They channel elements of The Clean and The Feelies and even a little of The Beach Boys, but really what they are doing is taking the sound of the moment and giving it a regional feel that is all their own. Think of it as beach music for the urban beach goer, songs that immortalize places like the Jersey shore rather than Venice Beach. Of course that means there's a little more dirt and grime than the sunshined pop or yore but it fits in well with what these guys are doing. Of course there's new music mixed in with the songs they've already released, and those songs make it feel like the band has a good idea of what they want to sound like and where they'd like to go from here. It's a stellar debut record with the perfect amount of familiarity and new sounds to draw listeners in and hold their attention beyond the first listen.
Listen: Real Estate - "Beach Comber"
Real Estate - "Let's Rock the Beach"

Who: Slayer
Title: World Painted Blood
Release Date: November 3rd
Label: American Recordings
Thoughts: For more than 20-years Slayer have been cranking out the fastest, hardest metal in all the land doing so with finesse and ability that no band could match or even hope to keep up with for very long. Over this time I've never been the biggest fan of the band, mostly because speed metal isn't really my thing, but every once in a while I'll throw on a Slayer record and get out a lot of frustration and anger in the process. On their latest record, World Painted Blood, the band are once again up to their old tricks, leading you in with one of their classic, building intros that then explodes into the title track "World Painted Blood". From there it is the standard, non-stop, balls to the wall approach that has kept this band famous for 26-years. The music is of course furious, littered with bits of punk and more riffage than anything I've heard this year or in the past few years. Now I'm not saying this is the greatest Slayer album or even in the top 5, but it once again gives you a necessary release for when everything has reached a head in your life and you just need to let loose. If you ever need anything like that, put this on and crank it to 11 and everything will be okay.
Listen: Slayer - "Unit 731"
Slayer - "Psychopathy Red"