Here are a few news releases I wanted to share. I've got to listen to the new Social Distortion album Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes and to The Decemberists latest disc The King Is Dead and am very impressed by both.
THE DECEMBERISTS EARN THEIR FIRST-EVER #1 ALBUM WITH THE KING IS DEAD
The Decemberists have earned the first-ever #1 chart position of their career with the impressive first-week showing of their widely acclaimed new album The King Is Dead, which was released by EMI’s Capitol Records on January 18, 2011. The album scanned 93,567 units in the U.S. in its debut week, landing it at the top of the Billboard Top 200 chart, and has also given the band their highest career chart position in territories all over the world. The King Is Dead was released on Rough Trade Records in the UK and Europe.
Over the course of 6 albums and 10 years, the Portland, Oregon-based band has steadfastly followed their own creative path, from their 2002 debut Castaways and Cutouts and the early critical breakout success of 2005’s Picaresque on Kill Rock Stars, to their even more ambitious efforts for Capitol Records, 2006’s The Crane Wife and 2009’s song-cycle The Hazards of Love. Now with The King Is Dead—a profoundly simple set of 10 concise country-inflected songs produced by Tucker Martine and featuring guests Gillian Welch and Peter Buck—The Decemberists have reached music’s top spot entirely on their own terms.
TIME magazine predicted before the album’s release that “with critical buzz building behind it, The King Is Dead could mark their crossover to the realm of important American rock groups alongside the likes of Wilco and the White Stripes.” Rolling Stone marveled at “how much richness and beauty the group has folded into the 40-minute album,” adding that “For a band able to push the limits of songwriting, it’s a revelation, and a chance to see how deep simplicity goes. Very deep, it turns out.”
SOCIAL DISTORTION'S HARD TIMES DEBUTS AT CAREER-HIGH #4
January 26, 2011 - Los Angeles, CA - Southern California's iconic rock ‘n' roll band Social Distortion has achieved their highest charting album and biggest first week sales in their 32 year career with the release of Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.
Selling 46,366 copies in the first week, Social Distortion's first album in over six years has entered the Billboard Top 200 at #4, surpassing 1996's major label release White Light, White Heat, White Trash, which debuted at #27 and 2004's Sex, Love and Rock ‘n' Roll, which sold 36,273 in the first week. Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes' first single, "Machine Gun Blues," has also garnered the band a #16 spot on the commercial alternative radio chart, their highest position ever. Social Distortion's career-high chart position is a testament to the band's legacy, longevity and relativity as they continue to rev their engine well into the third decade of their celebrated career.
Social Distortion's seventh studio album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, has received mass approval from fans and critics around the world. Billboard states that "each one of these tunes will clearly rattle the rafters anywhere Social D plays, but with an added veneer that complements the raw, punk-like energy that is the band's stock in trade." "Instantly familiar, gorgeously warm in both tone and delivery, and imbued with the very essence of rock ‘n' roll, this record manages the remarkable feat of balancing true integrity with universal appeal," says the UK's RockSound. American Songwriter exclaims that "Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes is a well-rounded and excellent addition to the band's body of work" with British rock mag Kerrang! adding "this new album is well worth the wait!"
New and old fans alike are showing up in droves to see the band live too! Having almost already sold-out their entire west coast tour, including three consecutive nights at The Palladium in Hollywood, Social Distortion's devoted fan base continues to spread across the country as demand for the band hits an all-time high. The group recently announced their spring US tour which kicks off in April with tickets on-sale this weekend. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets early to avoid sellouts.
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