New Releases: TV On The Radio Strike Gold On Cookie Island

09/11/06 5:30pm

There aren't enough bands in this world with a sound all their own, so when one of them puts out a record, it's worth a big mention.

TV On The Radio are such a band. Their debut wasn't perfect, but lord knows it features a sound like nobody else's. Their sophomore disc, Return To Cookie Mountain, is a far more patient and richly textured affair and, after a long delay, it hits stores on Tuesday.

Yo La Tengo are back with their longest record to date. Well, we haven't actually compared them minute by minute to the last few releases, but we're pretty sure they used just about every single second of space available on a CD. And the album cover can barely fit the title: I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass. It's out this week.

In case you've been living in a tent in Antarctica, the news is that Justin Timberlake has brought sexy back. It's over. Now we can enjoy the sexy and JT's new album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, which is out on Tuesday.

The Mars Volta aren't big on downtime. It feels like just yesterday that Frances The Mute came out and pierced eardrums around the world. Then there was that live record that sounds a lot like bats attacking mice. They're gonna take it to another level of weird on Amputechture, which is out this week.

I bet you were all waiting patiently for the follow-up from that band who sang the song about pussy and marijuana. Well, the time is now. Who were they again? Oh, right, Brazilian Girls. Talk To La Bomb is their new effort. This Tuesday, revel in the depth of songs like "Sexy A**hole" and "Never Met A German."

Hey everybody, let's follow Mastodon to Blood Mountain! That sounds like a trip to a zoo without cages. The metal kings are a little ballsier than us. They're not just visiting. They live there, starting this week.

John Mayer proved on ChartAttack a few weeks ago that he has a sense of humour. Whether that means he's actually improved musically remains to be seen, but you can pick up his new effort, Continuum, this Tuesday and find out for yourself.

Other Tuesday releases include Papa Roach's The Paramour Sessions, Los Lobos' The Town And The City and Mouse On Mars' Varcharz.