New Release Highlights for January 25, 2011: Gang of Four, The Get Up Kids and Wanda Jackson Are Back With New Records

(New albums are typically released on Tuesdays, i.e., today. What
can you spend your hard-earned pennies on this week? Find out below.)

Chikita Violenta's Tre3s

*Chikita Violenta, Tre3s
Spin says of Tre3s, "This Mexican quartet's third release suggests a largely untapped indie-rock revenue stream: franchising Broken Social Scene's sound to a variety of North American markets. Producer David Newfeld and guest musicians from that gloriously overstewed Canadian collective reuse nearly every great Scene secret here, from gazillion-ghost vocal overdubs to the ladling of studio chitchat over gradually cohering licks and percussive ticks." Listen to a few tracks from the new record here.

Cloud Nothings

*Cloud Nothings,, Cloud Nothings
NME reviewed the "proper" debut, saying "[It} is a fun, frenetic and crisp debut that is more resplendent than his lo-fi scuzz. 'Understand At All' and 'Not Important' burst through the door like gunmen with jittery fingers, as snare drums snap against unhinged guitar hooks akin to the Buzzcocks."

*The bizarre video for "Should Have" by Cloud Nothings

Amos Lee's Mission Bell

*Amos Lee, Mission Bell
American Noise reviewed Lee's latest, saying "On Mission Bell, Amos Lee sounds like the synthesis of the disparate artists so famously brought together across the airwaves on AM radio back in the '70s. He doesn't fit neatly into any category, despite having a clearly defined signature sound. One could label him blue-eyed soul, Americana, pop, singer-songwriter, rock or country and not be entirely incorrect. It's the fusion of these elements that makes Mission Bell a rarity these days, a cohesive album rather than a collection of singles."

Death's Spiritual, Mental, Physical

*Death, Spiritual, Mental, Physical
Spin reviewed Spiritual, Mental, Physical, saying "When Death's 1974 demos, ...For the Whole World to See, were finally excavated in 2009, they proved the missing link between the Stooges' 'No Fun' and Bad Brains' 'Pay to Cum.' ...Dug up from the basement of a defunct Detroit studio, this set of hissy practice tapes varies greatly in quality with the demented trashing of a Beatles melody on 'The Masks' and the snotty sneer of 'Can You Give Me a Thrill???' abutting stoned instrumentals and solo noodling."