The record industry decided in 1989 that albums would come out in the U.S. on Tuesdays, with records released Mondays in the U.K. and Canada and Fridays in Australia and Germany. And that's how it worked for a quarter century. Until now.
Starting today, new music will be released on Friday in America.
The switch will allow Americans to hear music on the same day as 44 other countries worldwide, rather than having to wait through the weekend for the music to come out stateside. (And it certainly doesn't hurt that people tend to spend more money on weekends).
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If today's record release day took you by surprise, no sweat, we've got you covered. Below are some albums out today. Happy listening! Jeva Lange
Ezra Furman — Perpetual Motion People
Doused in saucy saxophones that make it sound like the sort of ramshackle '50s retro revue that Mac DeMarco might make if he fronted Dexys Midnight Runners, [Perpetual Motion People] hops, skips, and jumps between genres with abandon. [NME]
Veruca Salt — Ghost Notes
After all these years, the members of Veruca Salt are like sparks banging into each other, their notes and beats still giving off heavy heat. And ultimately, that is what makes Ghost Notes work. [Paste]
Hunter Hunted — Ready for You
Ready For You, is rampant with melodic pop songs colored with tinges of rock and dance influences with catchy vocal harmonies. "We're not going to be in a genre that is associated with a lifestyle, but that doesn't mean we're not excited about EDM music and where that is and how that's being incorporated [in our music]," [band member Michael] Garner says. "Right now is an exciting time to find what we're excited about in each different genre and kind of meld that together." [Billboard]
Ghostface Killah — Reasons to Die II
Ghostface Killah's renaissance — see his solo album 36 Seasons, and Sour Soul, the collaboration with jazz trio BadBadNotGood — continues with the second installment of his hardboiled hip-hop caper made with Adrian Younge, LA producer and soundtrack composer: Younge's lavish, jazz- and soul-tinged production providing the aural red carpet for one of rap's greatest yarn-spinners. [The Guardian]
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra — The Conny Plank Session
A new album with four previously unreleased tracks shows that Ellington remained eclectic in his musical endeavors late into his career. [The Wall Street Journal]
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