New Releases: Day Of The Beast Yields Horn O'Plenty

Hey everyone, have you heard the good news? Tuesday is the day of the BEAST! That's right, 06.06.06 is finally upon us and, with it, so are some of this year's most beastly releases.

First on the list is one for the kiddies: AFI. There's been near silence on info about Decemberunderground, as per the band's wishes. But the veil of secrecy will finally be lifted this week when the album hits store shelves.

You know him from movies such as Friday, Next Friday, Friday After Next and Friday! Friday! Friday! (the last one is in development): it's Ice Cube! While taking a break from making Friday-themed movies, Cube is getting back to rapping with Laugh Now, Cry Later. It comes out on 666.

One of Alexisonfire's favourite new bands have a debut set for release. Cancer Bats are harder and less melodic than their St. Catharines, Ont.-area buddies, and they're poised for bigger than big things in 2006. Check out their Birthing The Giant debut this week.

Once upon a time there were four people in Oneida. Then one of them, Papa Crazee, took off to run his own band, Oakley Hall. Now he's just called Patrick Sullivan, and his band's new Gypsum Strings album comes out Tuesday.

Vancouver's been oft-hailed as the Canadian capital of indie pop (The New Pornographers, The Organ, etc.), but the region is also quickly becoming known for its stoner rock. Ladyhawk are the latest purveyors. These friends of Black Mountain are kicking out the jams sludge-style on their debut self-titled LP, which you can pick up on Satan's birthday.

Here are some of Tuesday's other releases:

ANATHALLO Floating World (Nettwerk/Sony BMG)
THE BOUNCING SOULS The Gold Record (Epitaph/FAB)
CAMERA OBSCURA Let's Get Out Of The Country (Merge/FAB)
RHYS CHATHAM An Angel Moves Too Fast to See (Table Of The Elements/Sonic Unyon)
RHYS CHATHAM Die Donnergotter (Table Of Elements/Sonic Unyon)
LOREN CONNORS Night Through: Singles and Collected Works 1976-2004 (Family Vineyard/Sonic Unyon)
CRACKER Greenland (Cooking Vinyl/True North)
EVANGELICALS So Gone (Misra/Sonic Unyon)
FRANZ FERDINAND Remixes (Domino/Outside)
GREELEY ESTATES Far From The Lies (Record Collection)
HEAD AUTOMATICA Popaganda (Warner)
MICAH P. HINSON The Baby & The Satellite (Jade Tree)
MOJAVE 3 Puzzles Like You (4AD/Beggars)
THE PAPER CHASE Now You Are One Of Us (Kill Rock Stars)
PORTASTATIC Who Loves The Sun OST (Merge/FAB)
PSAPP The Only Thing I Ever Wanted (Domino/Outside)
SARAH SILVERMAN Jesus Is Magic (Interscope/Universal)
SYD MATTERS S/T (V2/Sony BMG)
ZERO 7 The Garden (Atlantic/Warner)