THIS WEEK

Other new releases

Jason Isbell: Southeastern (Southeastern/Thirty Tigers; photo above by Michael Wilson)
The former Drive-By Trucker releases his fourth studio album — and his first since rehab for alcohol abuse. According to Dwight Garner’s recent profile of the musician in The New York Times Magazine (available here), “The record, which evokes powerful and intimate classics like Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love and Rosanne Cash’s Interiors, is a breakthrough for Isbell — prickly with loss, forgiveness, newfound sobriety, and second chances­.” I have to agree. From the stark confessional of “Cover Me Up” to the difficult but uplifting rock of “Flying Over Water,” Southeastern is the sound of an artist coming into his own, just like Steve Earle did when he finally started to feel alright again.

Youn Sun Nah: Lento (ACT; photo above by Sung Yull Nah)
She’s from Seoul, South Korea, but she recorded this album in Gothenburg, Sweden, and it includes a chanson she co-wrote with her French accordionist. She’s supposedly rooted in “traditional vocal jazz,” but the material here ranges from Stan Jones’s “Ghost Riders in the Sky” to Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.” And among the assortment of originals, the title song is set to Scriabin’s Prelude in E minor (Op. 16, No. 4). When your head stops spinning, open your ears to this captivating singer/composer.

Harry Connick, Jr.: Every Man Should Know (Columbia)
First non-instrumental album of originals — with all music, lyrics, and arrangements by Connick — since 1997’s To See You. Note this note, from the back cover: “No vocal pitch correction!”

Andrew Stockdale: Keep Moving (Caroline/Universal)
Wolfmother is defunct. The former frontman releases his first solo album.

Mick Harvey: Four (Acts of Love) (Mute)
The former Nick Cave cohort (in the Bad Seeds and, before that, the Birthday Party) releases his sixth solo album. Included: original compositions, a song by colleague P J Harvey, and covers of the Saints, Van Morrison, Exuma, and Roy Orbison.

Goo Goo Dolls: Magnetic (Warner Bros.)
Studio Album No. 10.

Surfer Blood: Pythons (Warner Bros.)
Follow-up to 2010 debut Astro Coast.

John Vanderslice: Dagger Beach (Tiny Telephone)
Says the press release on this journeyman singer/songwriter: “While it’s true that Vanderslice did endure a terrible breakup at the beginning of writing Dagger Beach, this is not a breakup record. It’s a put-me-back-together record. After endless months on the road in support of his White Wilderness, Vanderslice returned home to an empty house and — as that’s pretty unbearable when you’re not quite right in the head — decided to set out walking. He hiked for days, deep in the woods, usually alone. This strange experience completely changed his songwriting process. He edited lyrics while walking, and worked out songs in his head. As the experience changed him, it changed the record. Dagger Beach is looser, weirder, and freer because of it.”

The Lonely Island: The Wack Album (Republic)
More comedic rap from Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. The dramatic intro is called “Dramatic Intro.” Other inspirational titles: “Go Kindergarten,” “Diaper Money,” “Semicolon,” and “Where Brooklyn At?” Guests include Robyn, Solange, Adam Levine, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Joe Armstrong, Kristen Wiig, and Hugh Jackman. They also do a “3-Way” with Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga.

Overseas: Overseas (overseasband.net)
Aching for tracks full of slow-burn guitar? You’ll find plenty on the debut from this indie supergroup, which brings together Will Johnson (Centro-matic, South San Gabriel), David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones), and brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane (Bedhead, the New Year).

Big Time Rush: 24/seven (Nickelodeon/Columbia)
Alert the girls: Boy band is back with its third set.

Various Artists: Stuck in Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
The movie, with a limited U.S. opening on July 5, is the directorial debut of Josh Boone, and it stars Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly. The soundtrack includes excerpts from the score by Bright Eyes members Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott, as well as two new songs by them and one by their bandleader, Conor Oberst.