sonic slang

Maxwell Reveals BLACKsummer's Night Cover Art

Maxwell's MTV Unplugged was always one of my favorite in the series, and essentially served as my entry point for appreciating R&B (as much as a kid who grew up on Van Halen and REM really could).  After a eight-year wait, he's finally back with BLACKsummer's Night (the first disc in a planned trilogy).  Lead single "Pretty Wings" is a bit slow-jammy for my tastes (give it a listen here), but I'm psyched none-the-less.  Check the just-released album art below:

BLACKsummer's Night is due on 7.07 via Columbia

Weezer Covers MGMT

Rivers and co. might be 10+ years removed from their last truly great album (and the "T-Mobile in the house" bit almost killed this thing before it started), but at least they still have taste:

Chinese Democracy: Already Lame?

We threw this out there yesterday, but since it's starting to look legit, we're taking a closer look.  This, my friends, is apparently the 15 years+ in the making cover art for Chinese Democracy.  But hold the phone -  according to Best Buy, there may be an "alternate version" on the way as well.  I say "why bother?".  I mean, what says "rock and roll comeback of the year" better than an old-timey bicycle complete with a wicker basket for trips to the Piggly Wiggly?

Black Kids and Cut Copy Cover Blondie

Black Kids + Cut Copy, covering classic Blondie tune "Union City Blue" - The perfect storm of New Wave awesomeness, or the blogosphere jumping the shark?  Maybe both.  Probably both.  Check it out after the jump.

Electric Mayhem - "Sequestered In Muppets"

It's not quite as cool as this, but there's still no better way to cap off a long work-week than with a Muppetized take on one of our favorite bands.  Watch Electric Mayhem cover The Hold Steady's "Sequestered in Memphis" after the jump.

Jesse Malin - On Your Sleeve

I found myself revisiting Jesse Malin's catalog a lot since his surprise appearance Springsteen's 7.28 gig, and in the process discovered that the release of On Your Sleeve, his collection of covers, had totally slipped under my radar.

Recorded over "seven days of crazy fun, trying on other people's clothes in my own apartment," the disc provides of glimpse it where Malin found his blend of punk, soul and sing-songwriter rock, taking on artists including Lou Reed, The Ramones, Sam Cooke and Tom Waits.  (But surprisingly, no Bruce!)

This might not be the kind of thing that newbies (of which there are far too many) will go nuts over, but hardcore Malin-ites will want to check it out.  Read the full track list after the jump.

More 49:00 Album Art

Hey Westernerds - The cool kids at PaulWesterberg.net have supplied, via Paul's manager, an image for use as a back cover for the chart-topping 49:00. 

Also check out PW.net's stab at a track list after the jump

Metallica Reveals Death Magnetic Cover Art

I must admit, 14-year-old metalheads will probably think the cover of Metallica's upcoming Death Magnetic is pretty badass.  For their sake, I hope there's still a few of those out there.

Westerberg Reveals New Album Art

It looks like we're gonna have to wait a couple days on that new Westerberg "album," but for 49 cents I guess it's hard to complain.  Paul did offer a peek at the album cover, which was apparently made with a black magic marker and a quick stop at Kinkos.  Love it.

John Mellencamp Drops New Disc, 20 Years Off His Face

Hey John Mellencamp, with a new album as brilliantly bleak, somber and mortality-obsessed as Life, Death, Love, and Freedom (which you can stream now at VH1's The Leak), the heavy-duty Photoshop job on that cover is pretty ridiculous.  Like a lot of critics, I think you've only gotten better with age.  So ditch the airbrush, and we'll just forget those Johnny Cougar years ever happened. 

Here, take a lesson from this guy.