CELEBRITIES

Ear Candy: New and Noteworthy

The fall season is bringing exciting music news no matter what your audio persuasion: new T. Swift for teenage girls who are jazzed to have a reason to hate Jake Gyllenhaal, a new No Doubt...

by Rachel Reid

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The fall season is bringing exciting music news no matter what your audio persuasion: new T. Swift for teenage girls who are jazzed to have a reason to hate Jake Gyllenhaal, a new No Doubt album for those of us who are still waiting for Gwen Stefani to bring the 90’s back, and new Kanye for everyone who misses a time when his career was about music and unfortunate tweets and not Kim Kardashian. But worth noting are a few great September releases from bands that make the tabloids slightly less often:

Canadian band Stars releases their sixth studio album, The North, on September 4th. Their third project since their Eternal Sunshine-inspired music video captured the hearts of sentimental hipsters everywhere,The North strikes a balance between intricate instrumentals and the wistful storytelling we love them for.

In 2009, The xx released their self-titled debut album, topping “best of” lists almost instantly. Their subtle, whisper-carried sound and intimate lyrics make their songs the perfect background music, as proven by their spots on soundtracks for TV dramas, movies, Karl Lagerfeld’s Fall/Winter 2011 show, and the 2010 Winter Olympics. Their long-awaited sophomore project, Coexist, comes out September 11. And by the sound of recently released singles “Angels” and “Chained”, they will continue their reign as the quietest indie-pop sensation ever.

On September 25th, Dragonette’s Bodyparts will make its mark as the first danceable album of the season. Frontwoman Martina Sorbara’s guest vocals on DJ Martin Solveig’s 2010 hit “Hello” gained the band a spot on the Billboard chart and Trident commercial fame in 2010. Led by recently released singles, “Let It Go”, “Right Woman” and “Rocket Ship”, Bodyparts promises that Dragonette only plans to get catchier, edgier, and better. The album is club-bound electropop, it’s Robyn for the Z100 crowd, and we’ll all be singing it in the car come October.

Photos: Stars: Norman Wong; xx: Jamie-James Medina; Dragonette: Kristin Vicari