New Music For The Weekend

DARTZ!: This Teesside group's debut album This Is My Ship drops on February 12th, but in the meantime, do whatever you can to hunt down any music from them. At times I hear Q & Not U or Tom Vek, but the band's jittery indie rock may be equally normal and weird, but it is just as addicting.
[mp3] "Network Network Network"


Plan B: Plan B's debut LP dropped to a mass of critical acclaim last year in the UK [it came in at #14 on my year end list], upping the ante for the modern British hip hop artist, and on top of that, putting Lady Sovereign to shame. A US date has been set -- April 17th on Cordless Recordings, but if you can't wait until then, an EP was released earlier this week.
[mp3] "Sick 2 Def" [featuring The Earlies]


The Eames Era: Another April 17th release is Heroes And Sheroes, the second album from Louisiana's The Eames Era. They are still unsigned and perfect if you like Rilo Kiley, but not the ego of Jenny Lewis.
[mp3] "NC-17"


Albert Hammond Jr.: I like The Strokes and all, but I've never been a huge fan and that's why I approached Albert Hammond Jr.'s solo album with trepidation. Luckily, I gave Yours To Keep a spin and I was impressed, as it's an introspective album that's filled with great hooks and a ton of guests, like Ben Kweller, Sean Lennon and Jody Porter from Fountains Of Wayne. It hits stores Stateside on March 6th through New Line Records.
[mp3] "In Transit"