Completing Stephin Merritt's "no-synth" trilogy is Realism, the first record from the multi-talented multi-instrumentalist since 2008's Distortion.
The word on Realism is that for as much as 2008's record lived up to its name, this is a direct departure, owing more to rootsy and folksy textures than the noisier Distortion.
Merritt may not always connect as well as his landmark 69 Love Songs collection in 1999, but he's still willing to try new things, so my suspicion is that Realism is probably worth a shot.
It is his 10th album and his third for Nonesuch.
If I Were Really Rich ...
• Animal Collective, Campfire Songs (Paw Tracks) | A reissue of the band's 2003 record, the only one featuring the Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Deakin lineup.
• Harvey Milk, Harvey Milk (Hydra Head) | Named after the San Francisco supervisor assassinated in 1978 and immortalized on screen 20 years later by Sean Penn, this is a collection of the heavy rockers early material.
• Corinne Bailey Rae, The Sea (Capitol) | English songstress' first record since her stellar debut and the 2008 death of her husband.
• Various artists, Hope for Haiti Now (MTV) | Available at Amazon.com and via iTunes (among others, I'm sure), all the proceeds from the sale of the tracks from Friday's telecast go helping out in Haiti.
Also New This Week
• Arj Barker, LYAO (Warner Bros.)
• Beach House, Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
• Eric Bibb, Booker's Guitar (Telarc)
• Blue Rodeo, The Things We Left Behind (Warner Music)
• David Bowie, A Reality Tour (Sony Music)
• Los Campesinos!, Romance is Boring (Arts & Crafts)
• Celtic Woman, Songs From the Heart (Manhattan)
• Citay, Dream Get Together (Dead Oceans)
• DMX, The Best of DMX (Hip-O)
• Enigma, Platinum Collection (Virgin)
• Fozzy, Chasing the Grail (Riot)
• Four Tet, There is Love in You (Domino)
• F***ed Up, Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009 (Matador)
• Charlotte Gainsbourg, Irm (Elektra)
• Vince Gill, Love Songs (MCA Nashville)
• Patty Griffin, Downtown Church (Credential Recordings)
• Home, Seventeen (Jagjaguwar)
• Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy, Unseen Music Unheard Words (Inevitable)
• Lady Antebellum, Need You Now (Liberty)
• Joe Locke, For the Love of You (Koch)
• Major Stars, Return to Form (Drag City)
• Barry Manilow, The Greatest Love Songs of All Time (RCA)
• Dean Martin, Essential Love Songs (Capitol)
• Merzbow, 13 Japanese Birds, Vol. 13 (Important)
• Pat Metheny, Orchestrion (Nonesuch)
• My Brightest Diamond, Shark Remixes Volumes 1-4 (Asthmatic Kitty)
• My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Death Threat (Rustblade)
• Youssou N'Dour, I Bring What I Love (Nonesuch)
• Never Shout Never, What is Love? (Sire)
• Number One Gun, To the Secrets and Knowledge (Tooth & Nail)
• William Orbit, Odyssey (Ministry of Sound)
• Owl City, Ocean Eyes [Deluxe edition] (Republic)
• Pit Er Pat, The Flexible Entertainer (Thrill Jockey)
• Retribution Gospel Choir, 2 (Sub Pop)
• David Sanborn, Only Everything (Decca US)
• Seal, Soul Live (Warner Bros.)
• Neil Sedaka, The Music of My Life (Universal)
• Frank Sinatra, Strangers in the Night (Reprise)
• Soweto Gospel Choir, Grace (Shanachie)
• Taking Dawn, Time to Burn (Roadrunner)
• George Tipton, Nilsson by Tipton (Warner Bros.)
• Various artists, Now That's What I Call Love (Capitol)