Good news, Depeche Mode fans: Your favorite moody synth-pop vets are headlining Lollapalooza this year. The less pleasant news, however, is Rolling Stone gave new Sounds of the Universe two and a half stars in our current issue. Melissa Maerz writes, “For their new album, Depeche Mode said they were using analog synthesizers and other vintage gear to ‘conjure up images of the universe and space travel.’ But the result sounds like a time machine back to the Eighties.” “Eighties” in a dated way, not a cool retro way. Fellow Lollapalooza headliners Jane’s Addiction earned the same number of stars for their retrospective A Cabinet of Curiosities.
Also out today: Asher Roth’s Asleep in the Bread Aisle, the debut LP from the gangly white boy from the Philly ‘burbs whose witty album does live up the hype. Jody Rosen gives the album three stars in our new issue, noting that Roth’s nasal voice and cadences will remind some listeners of Eminem, so Roth addresses the issue himself in a track called “As I Em.” And his rhymes are tight enough on songs like “Lion’s Roar” and “Blunt Cruisin’ ” that the comparison may be forgotten before too long.
New wave duo the Pet Shop Boys are back as well this week with Yes. In his three-star review of the album, Jody Rosen writes, “On their excellent 10th album, the music leans toward the ornate, with snatches of Tchaikovsky and spaghetti-Western atmospherics enveloping the synths and house beats.” Standout tracks include “Love Inc.” and “Beautiful People.”
Finally for the fans of guitars out there, the Tinted Windows — comprised of Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha, Taylor Hanson, Cheap Trick’s Bun E. Carlos and Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger — release their power-pop-filled self-titled new album this week as well. For more reviews of the week’s biggest releases, check below:
• Album Review: Booker T - Potato Hole
• Empire of the Sun - Empire of the Sun
• Chester French - Love the Future
• Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi