What's New This Week?

MUSIC:
Riceboy Sleeps - Riceboy Sleeps[XL / Parlophone]
+ The new project from Jonsi (of Sigur Ros) and his partner Alex Somers is an ambient wonderland. Yes, it is reminiscent of Sigur Ros. But it's also so much more.

Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine[Secretly Canadian]
+ Magnolia Electric Co. steps back into the studio after a bit of a lull. Their new album deals with death close to the band, and the album is as dark as the subject matter, but incredibly beautiful.

The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away[Thrill Jockey]
+ This might just be personal bias, but I can't remember the last time I didn't like a Fiery Furnaces album. I feel rightfully excited about this one (especially after previewing the entire album in live form here).

MOVIES:
Orphan (Jaume Collet-Serra) [Warner]
+ Have you seen the posters for this film? Damn scary.

In the Loop (Armando Iannucci) [BBC Films]
+ This satire of modern government and warfare looks hilarious. This has been done frequently in the last year with films like War Inc., but this looks as though it might exceed the expectations.

DVD:
Repulsion(Roman Polanski) [Criterion]
+ This film is long overdue for the Criterion treatment. One of Polanski's few films he made before coming to America, this is a slow-burner - you can feel the madness the main character is sinking into sinking into you too.

Watchmen (Director's Cut)(Zak Snyder) [Warner]
+ Only in hopes that the Director's Cut will be a little more faithful to the book and elicit a little more than an "eh" from viewers.