DC November 1 New Release Recap

A surprisingly lean list of releases this week with Florence and the Machine's Ceremonials leading the short list of key DC releases. The Decemberists strip down a few tracks for the Long Live the King EP, we get the debut from Austin alt-country Sons of Fathers and witty New York piano banger turned continental favorite Julian Velard finally gets a U.S. release of his latest Mr. Saturday Night. And for those with a $125 burning a whole in their pockets, can we suggest the insanely overloaded box set of U2's Achtung Baby? Also making the list: Carole King's new holiday album, the strange pairing of Lou Reed and Metallica (it's a Lulu) and the long-overdue Smile Sessions from The Beach Boys -- as well as new stuff from Miranda Lambert, the excrutiating Susan Boyle (a version of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" anyone?) and an acousticized Suzanne Vega...read all after the jump...

Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials (November 1, Universal) - It's been a pretty phenomenal couple of years for Florence Welch since the release of her debut album Lungs. A Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. A Brit Award for Best Album. Over three million albums sold (including over 800k in the U.S.). A groundbreaking hit with "Dog Days Are Over." New, highly anticipated project plays on what Welch has called her own "incorrigible maximalism" with an even bigger, bolder reach and continuing deft balance of artsy, thunderous drama and dreamscaped pop sensibilities...more DC

The Decemberists - Long Live the King (Capitol)New six-song EP serves as both an interesting coda to the band's #1-charting January full-length The King Is Dead and reflection of the influences of band members Jenny Conlee, Chris Funk, and Nate Query who delved even further into the dark Americana string-band underpinnings in their 2010 side project Black Prairie...The mostly acoustic set includes stripped outtakes from The King Is Dead sessions along with a version of The Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy"...more DC

Sons of Fathers - Sons of Fathers - Texas natives David Beck and Paul Cauthen are the creative core of this promising band that draws out elements of shuffling Americana, country-tinged folk and effortless harmonies recalling The Byrds and The Avett Brothers...expanded from an acoustic duo to full fledged band, the Austin-based outfit completed work on their self-titled debut album with legendary producer Lloyd Maines, the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and father of Dixie Chick Natalie Maines...more DC

Julian Velard - Mr. Saturday Night - When the native New Yorker found a more welcoming reception in the U.K. for his witty, acerbic and vividly rendered piano pop, he decided to pack up and move...new London home has proven to be an inspiration as well as studio setting or his newest longplayer, released this spring in the U.K. and finally arriving stateside...

U2 - Achtung Baby (Expanded Edition/Box Set) (Island) - Achtung Baby turns twenty this month and the legendary disc gets feted with an expansive (and pricey) anniversary edition featuring previously unreleased songs along with a documentary film on the making of the album....The dramatic new turn for the band came after a less-than-stellar performance for U2's Rattle and Hum with Robert Hilburn of the LA Times declaring the new Baby was 'U2's daring descent into darkness' and Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote that 'stripped-down and defying its old formulas, U2 has given itself a fighting chance for the 1990's." For Bono, it was 'the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree'...more DC

Also for your perusal:

Carole King - Holiday Carole
Jethro Tull -Aqualung (40th Aniv. Edition)
Lou Reed/Metallica - Lulu
Miranda Lambert - Four the Record
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Soul Time! (Indie record store special only)
Susan Boyle - Someone to Watch Over Me
Suzanne Vega - Close Up Vol. 3
The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions
The Chevin - Champion (EP) (UK)
The Hours - I Want More (EP)