DC October 25 New Release Recap

The new Coldplay album Mylo Xyloto leads the usual eclectic mix of DC titles this week including the latest from L.A. alt-country duo Honeyhoney, alt-popping New Pornographer Kathryn Calder and Canadian (sm)art/pop singer/songwriter (and DC fave) Colleen Brown. Also on our list: Tom Waits, Thomas Dolby, Vince Gill, Peggy Sue, Peter Gabriel (live DVD), Brian Wilson, John Prine, Anna Ternheim, Nirvana and She & Him. Take a look at our key overviews as well as the full list below...

Coldplay -Mylo Xyloto (Capitol) - Fifth studio album in just over a decade finds the U.K. band once again skillfully maneuvering through majestic rock anthems, hook-laden pop melodies and just enough artsy cred to keep the indie hip gatekeepers interested -- of course, selling nearly 3 million of their last album in the U.S. didn't hurt...working with famed composer/instrumentalist and producer Brian Eno -- who's helped raise the creative bar for U2 over the years -- the Chris Martin-led outfit doesn't so much reinvent as they do sonically shape-shift...more DC

Honeyhoney - Billy Jack (Lost Highway) - Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe may call L.A. home, but the indie roots music, gritty alt-country fervor and Laurel Canyon folk/pop of their excellent sophomore album sound like they may be equally at home in the clubs of Nashville or Austin...70's California country/rock a la Buffalo Springfield and Gram Parsons gets dusted off for a hip reworking...Retro-hued Americana with a modern, ballsy alt-pop irreverence...Raymond Richards (Local Natives) produced...more DC

Kathryn Calder - Bright and Vivid (File Under Music) - While last year's solo debut from the Victoria, BC-based member of acclaimed and revolving Canadian band The New Pornographers was a fairly stripped affair -- and lyrically steeped in the memory of her late mother -- Calder's latest is a 180 turn that reflects the album's title. With husband and producer Colin Stewart at her side, Calder has taken a bold and unpredictable "kitchen sink" approach to her songs, creating endless layers of intricate sounds that occasionally leave her voice simply another element in the mix...more DC

Colleen Brown - Dirt - A strikingly diverse collection of vibrant, colorful (sm)art-pop from this Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist deftly balances classic songwriter appeal with some inspired and energized -- and dare we say just plain fun -- tunecraft ...Brown says that the title of her new third album, the follow-up to her exquisite Foot In Heart in 2007, is utilized as a concept for both "dishing the dirt" on a personal and human story-telling level as well as the organic theme of growing in the soil, of the "authentic" and "honest" aspects of the natural world, taking creative risks and finding one's own voice..."I'm open to whatever comes out when inspiration strikes", she tells DC...more DC

More October 25 New Releases:

Andy Statman - Old Brooklyn
Anna Ternheim - The Night Visitor (Europe)
Brian Wilson - In the Key of Disney
Bob Schneider - Live @ The Paramount Theater (DVD)
Cameras - In Your Room
Chairlift - Something
Cyndi Lauper - To Memphis With Love (DVD)
Deertick - Divine Providence
Hammock - Asleep In the Downlights
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound - Want More
John Prine - The Singing Mailman Delivers
Kami Thompson - Love Lies (UK)
Kelly Clarkson - Stronger
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis - Smoking In Heaven
Little Red - Midnight Remember
Matt Cardle (UK X-Factor Winner) - S/T (UK)
Michael Feinstein - The Sinatra Project 2
Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More (CD/DVD Deluxe)
Nirvana - Nevermind (Deluxe 4-CD/DVD Box)
Paul Simon - Songwriter (Anthology)
Peggy Sue - Acrobats
Peter Gabriel - New Blood: Live In London (DVD)
Piney Gir - Geronimo!
Richie Owens & The Farm Bureau - In Farm We Trust
Sam Llanas (BoDeans) - 4 A.M
She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas
Steafán Hanvey & the Honeymoon Junkies - S/T
Tender Mercies (w/Counting Crow's Dan Vickrey) - S/T
The Devil Makes Three - Stomp & Smash (Live)
The Revelations w/ Tre Williams - Concrete Blues
Thomas Dolby - A Map of the Floating City
Toby Keith - Clancy's Tavern
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Vince Gill - Guitar Slinger