Please welcome the latest installment of “catching up with Drake“, excuse the slightly dated intro text and non-functioning AOL streams.

PS I was a little surprised to see Drake mention a new one from Blind Pilot last week, considering I hadn’t heard a thing about it. After doing a little digging, it looks like ATO may have just re-released 2008’s “3 Rounds and a Sound“, but there isn’t much information on that either. – ed.

Drake’s Take: New Releases 06.02.09

Another week, another batch of new releases to listen to while we bide our time until the Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca is released (June 9). This week includes the latest from Eels, Patrick Wolf, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, Blind Pilot, Girl In A Coma, Diane Birch and remix album from Franz Ferdinand.

Playlist: New Releases 06.02.09

Eels – Hombre Lobo
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

After the nearly baroque extravagance of the confessional Blinking Lights, the scaled back Hombre Lobo harkens back a bit to the off-the-cuff-rock of Souljacker. Like that misfire, Mark Everett writes a character study, this time embodying the desire of a werewolf, and it works much better. I don’t know if the folks at True Blood have been made aware of this album or not, but between the howl of the bluesy opener “Prizefighter” and the spooky fun of “Fresh Blood” (also marked by howls,) the album is tailor made for the upcoming second season of the vampire (and yes, werewolves) series on HBO. The album kind of loses steam sometime after that, but for awhile there, the listener was running with the wolves.

Patrick Wolf – The Bachelor
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When Patrick Wolf prematurely announced his retirement a couple years back, most assumed he’d be back, but who knew that it would be with a Celtic Folk Glam Rock sound. The album follows the usual Wolf template of interjecting classical music into rock songwriting, but this time around, with a little bit of Stonehenge to go with it. Call it David Bowie meets Dungeons & Dragons, only a bit more flamboyant. Exchange your chain-mail for sequins, but keep that 12-sided die rolling.

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane & Sugarcane / Free AOL Album Stream
Franz Ferdinand – Blood: Franz Ferdinand / Free AOL Album Stream
Diane Birch – Bible Belt / Free AOL Album Stream
Iggy Pop – Preliminaires / Free AOL Album Stream
Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound
Girl In A Coma – Trio B.C. / Free AOL Album Stream
The Sounds – Crossing the Rubicon / Free AOL Album Stream / “Dorchester Hotel” [mp3]
Jeff Buckley – Grace – Around the World / Free AOL Album Stream
Paolo Nutini – Sunny Side Up / Free AOL Album Stream
Marshall Crenshaw – Jaggedland
Zeus – Sounds Like Zeus EP / “Marching Through Your Head” [mp3]
J Dilla – Jay Stay Paid
Rancid – Let the Dominoes
Hoots & Hellmouth – The Holy Open Secret / “Known for Possession” [mp3]

REISSUES
Lydia Lunch – Queen of Siam