“Who on earth releases an album in the first week of January?” we hear you cry, rocking with laughter that we are even attempting this round-up this week. Well, you have a point. There aren’t that many people releasing new albums of any note. There are a few notable releases though, just don’t expect them to be epic chart-botherers. They most likely won’t be.

First up, the soundtrack to Berbarian Sound Studios, 2012’s indie horror movie that is still gaining momentum through word-of-mouth support. Starring Toby Jones and Antonio Mancino, the film tells the story of Gilderoy (Jones), a 1970s British sound technician brought to Italy to work on the sound effects for an Italian horror movie. The experience is a testing one for Gilderoy, who finds the nightmare task taking over his own psyche.

The soundtrack is recorded by Broadcast; the perfect band for such a job, as their sound has always been very much rooted in nostalgia. This soundtrack marks the final release for the band, whose member Trish Keenan died of pneumonia in January 2011. They were working on the soundtrack when Keenan passed away. In a review by The Guardian, Alexis Petridis notes “It's a very Broadcast kind of film: set in the early 70s, depicting a Dorking sound engineer's descent into madness when he stops working on natural history documentaries and starts on an Italian giallo horror film, it's packed with shots of vintage electronic and recording equipment, obsessed with the evocative, sinister effects of sound.” The soundtrack was finished by Trish’s partner and fellow Broadcast member James Cargill; a fitting tribute to her life and work, though her vocals are – for the most part – sadly absent.

Read our review of Berberian Sound Studio

 

Irish punk rockers Dropkick Murphys release their eighth studio album Signed and Sealed in Blood. The album’s title comes from the lyrics of the debut single to be taken from the album, ‘Rose Tattoo.’ In an unusual marketing move, the band have been encouraging fans to get the new logo tattooed and send photos of their new ink to the band, to upload onto their website. They’ve been going for 14 years so most of their fanbase will have decided whether or not they like them enough to permanently disfigure themselves in the band’s honour. For everyone else, you can buy their album of fairly predictable punk rock music. Or, you know, don’t…

Watch the video for 'Rose Tattoo'

 

Another one from the rock stable, though Black Veil Brides are less punk than glam, inspired by late ‘70s and ‘80s acts such as Kiss and Mötley Crue. Today (January 7, 2013) marks the UK release of the Californian band’s third studio album Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones and fans will be able to see the band live when they play the UK Kerrang! Tour in February. The untimely timing of the release has left reviews thin on the ground, though fans of the band will surely know what to expect, though the Under The Gun blog struggles too see past the band’s “patently ridiculous” aesthetic and when it does, brands the music as “a compendium of insignificance.” Not likely to attract much in the way of a new fanbase, this one.