Out This Week 5/19

It's an especially exciting week for new releases. Beloved Portland duo The Helio Sequence release their sixth self-titled album. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes it as "another impeccably crafted set of atmospheric pop-rock with shimmering guitars, ethereal synths, hazy vocals, soaring harmonies and sparkling song hooks."

Keep an eye out for 20-year-old Las Vegas artist Shamir. Yates describes his debut as "a masterful blend of R&B, funk, house, disco, hip hop, post-punk and electro-pop, featuring a variety of bright, sharply crafted songs with often-sparse accompaniment that puts a spotlight on his elastic, androgynous vocals and intimate lyrics." Hot Chip return with "another smartly crafted set of hook-filled electro-pop inflected with funk, R&B, disco, house, post-punk, prog and other styles. The first Hot Chip album to be recorded live in the studio, Why Make Sense? sports a natural sound combining bright analog synths, sleek guitars and propulsive rhythms with Alexis Taylor’s vulnerable crooning and heartfelt lyrics." Beth Jeans Houghton debuts her new project Du Blonde: "While her previous album released under her own name was orchestral avant-pop, the debut full-length from her new project is a more primal blend of brooding, bluesy rock a la PJ Harvey with wistful glam-pop and stately piano-driven ballads. Produced by Jim Sclavunos of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, the album features a muscular rock sound to hammer home Houghton’s often-cutting lyrics attacking misogyny."

Thee Oh Sees release yet another new one, "another first-rate, adventurous blend of raw garage-rock, mind-bending psych-rock and a bit of acoustic folk-rock." The latest from Ceremony (which we debuted last week here) "finds them continuing to move away from their hardcore punk roots and straight towards brooding, Joy Division-style post-punk with astringent guitars, rubbery bass lines, gloomy baritone vocals and dark lyrics of a busted relationship." Scroll down and check out the rest of this week's awesome offerings:

• André Bratten – “Yours Sincerely, André Bratten”
• from Math Ilium Ion EP on Smalltown Supersound
• Brandon Flowers – “Can't Deny My Love”
• from The Desired Effect on Virgin EMI
• Ceremony – “Your Life In France”
• from The L-Shaped Man on Matador
• Circuit des Yeux – “Fantasize the Scene”
• from In Plain Speech on Thrill Jockey
• Daniel Bachman – “Won't You Cross Over To That Other Shore”
• from River on Three Lobed Recordings
• Dommengang – “Hats Off To Magic”
• from Everybody's Boogie on Thrill Jockey
• Du Blonde – “Mind Is On My Mind (featuring Samuel T. Herring)”
• from Welcome Back to Milk on Mute
• Dustin Lovelis – “Idiot”
• from Dimensions on Porch Party
• Faith No More – “Superhero Battaglia”
• from Sol Invictus on Ipecac
• Fink – “Hard Believer”
• from Horizontalism on R'COUP'D
• Froth – “Postcard Radio”
• from Bleak on Burger Records
• Georgia Anne Muldrow – “Ankles”
• from Thoughtiverse Unmarred on Mello Music Group
• Graham Parker & the Rumour – “I've Done Bad Things”
• from Mystery Glue on Universal
• The Grahams – “Biscuits”
• from Glory Bound on 12 South Records
• The Helio Sequence – “Upward Mobility”
• from The Helio Sequence on Sub Pop
• Holly Herndon – “Interference”
• from Platform on 4AD
• Holly Miranda – “All I Want Is To Be Your Girl”
• from Holly Miranda on Dangerbird Records
• Hot Chip – “Need You Now”
• from Why Make Sense? on Domino
• Joanna Gruesome – “Last Year”
• from Peanut Butter on Slumberland
• Johanna Warren – “Less Traveled”
• from Numun on Team Love Records
• Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear – “Silent Movies”
• from Skeleton Crew on Glassnote Entertainment Group
• The Milk Carton Kids – “Monterey”
• from Monterey on Anti
• Paul Weller – “Saturn's Pattern”
• from Saturn's Pattern on Atlantic / Elektra
• Pinact – “Up Or Down”
• from Stand Still and Rot on Kanine Records
• Regal Degal – “Delicious”
• from Not Now on Terrible
• Saun & Starr – “Look Closer" (feat. The Dap-Kings)
• from Look Closer on Daptone
• Secrets of the Sky – “Three Swords”
• from Pathway on Metal Blade
• Shamir – “Call It Off”
• from Ratchet on XL
• Talk in Tongues – “While Everyone Was Waiting”
• from Alone with a Friend on Fairfax Recordings
• Tanlines – “Invisible Ways”
• from Highlights on True Panther Sounds
• Thee Oh Sees – “Web”
• from Mutilator Defeated at Last on Castle Face
• Total Babes – “Heydays”
• from Heydays on Wichita
• Vaadat Charigim – “Ein Li Makom”
• from Sinking as a Stone on Burger Records
• Weedeater – “Processional”
• from Goliathan on Season of Mist