"The Year of Hibernation" by Youth Lagoon

The Year of Hibernation by Youth Lagoon was
released on September 27, 2011 on Fat Possum Records

Youth Lagoon is the brainchild of twenty-two year old Trevor Powers from Boise, Idaho.  Though he may be young, his music contains a depth and maturity far beyond his years.  Though the music is filled with dreamy, poppy sounds that are saturated in reverb, there's much more than what's on the surface with The Year of Hibernation.  The album chronicles Trevor Powers' past and present, coating the album with a feeling of instant nostalgia, but containing enough personality of it's own to allow you to truly immerse yourself in these songs.

Sigur Rós Post Screening Dates And Pre-Orders For New Live Documentary "Inni"

Sigur Rós in 2008.
Image courtesy of Radio Helsinki.

After a hiatus that seemed like it would go on forever and an impressive solo effort from frontman Jónsi, it looked like we wouldn't be hearing a whole lot from Icelandic post-rock legends Sigur Rós. It was a sad situation, to be sure; I've been a fan of the ethereal, almost supernatural sounds they produce for quite some time. However, back in August, they release a short, ambiguous, black-and-white trailer for something called "INNI" and left absolutely no information as to what it might be, leaving fans to what and wonder just what the hell was going on.

Well, the wait is over. The band has since announced that "INNI" will be a live album/concert film bundle showcasing footage from their two-night stand at the Alexandra Palace in London back in November of 2008. The 75-minute documentary is directed by Vincent Morisset, who also helmed Arcade Fire's spectacular "Miroir Noir", and comes with a 2-CD live album from the same performance. The bundles will be released on November 7th in Europe and 15th in the USA and are currently available for pre-order on the band's website.

Watch the trailer after the jump...

Comics: DC's Vertigo Imprint to Publish Millennium Trilogy

DC Comics' adult-oriented imprint, Vertigo comics, has recently announced they have secured the worldwide rights to a graphic novel adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. The books The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest have sold nearly 30 million copies worldwide and have spawned three Swedish film adaptations and are currently in process of being adapted for American cinemas.

The graphic novel adaptations will be released yearly starting in 2012 and will be presented in double sets. In keeping with Vertigo's cutting edge marriage of print and digital, the trilogy will be available in both formats.

“The intricate characters and stories Larsson created in the Millennium Trilogy are a perfect match for the graphic novel format, where we can bring Lisbeth Salander to life in entirely new, visually compelling ways,” stated Dan DiDio, Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment.

"The Season" by All Get Out

The Season was released by All Get Out on
Favorite Gentlemen Records on September 20, 2011

All Get Out's first full-length record, The Season is a true chronicle of the band's experiences on the road throughout the past few years.  Touring non-stop for almost 4 years now, the band has been running themselves up and down the country and giving their all for every single show.  All Get Out is a special kind of band whose lyrics travel to a place that many seem afraid to, they delve deep into the heart and mind of vocalist Nathan Hussey and it's hard to not feel some sort of connection with their music.  The Season is littered with lyrics that can make your heart jump straight out of your chest and syncopate with these songs and stories that have been laid out for the listeners.  This indie-rock quartet based out of Charleston, SC is signed to Manchester Orchestra's Favorite Gentlemen Records, so naturally comparisons to Manchester will come and go but this band is much more than a shadow of their label-heads, they're an entity of their own who have evolved into a gritty, grungy, no holds barred powerhouse of emotions and feelings that range from religion, love, death, and addiction.  The Season is a comprehensive portrait of this band that has been ever-evolving since they began their marathon of a tour life and it's a truly satisfying one.

William Shatner - "Seeking Major Tom"

William Shatner's Seeking Major Tom was
released Oct. 11th, 2011 on Cleopatra Records

William Shatner returns this week with a double cd of his trademark spoke-sung tunes. This time, it's a covers album full of space-themed songs. There are a few decidedly-not-space-themed songs, including a cover of U2's "In A Little While," Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Of course, several Major Tom songs make the cut, from Bowie's own "Space Oddity" to Peter Schiller's "Major Tom (Coming Home)" to K.I.A.'s "Mrs. Major Tom." The truly impressive part is the caliber of the musicians he's managed to gather around himself for this album, including Ritchie Blackmore, Zakk Wylde, Nick Valensi (of the Strokes), Sheryl Crowe, Bootsy Collins, Peter Frampton and actually many more.

The thing that put me off about this album is, being a covers disc, it puts William Shatner back into his campy, silly hat. It finds him back on the pony that knows only one trick. Sing speaking Elton John's "Rocketman" again is a huge step backwards for what was looking like a promising late-blooming recording career. His last effort, Has Been, was actually one of my favorite albums of 2004. With help from Ben Folds and guest spots from both Joe Jackson and Brad Paisley (the only radio country artist that I have respect for), Shatner managed to craft Has Been into an excellent, sometimes intensely personal album that looked inside Shatner the celebrity and found Shatner the man. He dealt with his impending mortality, his relationship with his estranged daughter, and more. Compared to that, this album is a tired retread of something that wasn't very amusing to begin with.

That's not to say I dislike this album, but knowing what Shatner's capable of, this album falls flat. From the very moment I heard that he'd be releasing an album this year, I'd been waiting with bated breath. "How can he top Has Been?" His response, a double cd collection of novelty covers, may not've been the answer I was looking for, but William Shatner permanently has my respect and I'll be damned if I'm not going to listen to the whole album. A couple of times.