Motion City Soundtrack: Panic Stations

The alt pop-punk five-piece Motion City Soundtrack are releasing their sixth studio album Panic Stations via Epitaph Friday. For those who share in giddy anticipation of three more days until new wailing vocals and now classic ‘00s top-40 guitar riffs, click above to watch the video-game-themed “It’s A Pleasure To Meet You” video—and listen to the band's recent performance in The Current's studios. They'll be at the Electric Fetus on Friday for an in-store performance and signing; then, on Oct. 25, they'll be back in town to headline First Avenue.

Carroll: Carroll

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We’ve been waiting for this record forever. Well, at least I have. Carroll’s single “Bad Water” has been out in the world for over a year now, with a classic guitar jangle and danceable rhythms. They'll be gracing the Triple Rock on Friday to release the full self-titled record.

Sarah Morris: Ordinary Things

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In recent years it's been Duluth that's been a hotbed of Americana music in Minnesota, but Sarah Morris is representing for the Mill City with her third album Ordinary Things. Recorded at RiverRock Studios in Northeast Minneapolis, Morris’s third effort incorporates a new element of pop into her country-flavored mix. She'll be at the Cedar on Thursday for the album's release show.

L’Assassins: Fire of Love

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Last fall, L’Assassins played with the Suburbs and Chang Poling shared a track he had written with the female surf-punk crew in mind. “Fire of Love” was it and they all quickly hit the studio to record both Poling’s song and L’Assassins’s new “Liar.” Poling even lent a hand with some organ parts as he produced both tracks. Via Piñata Records, their new Fire of Love 7” will be available Friday. They will also be at Lee’s Liquor Lounge to make that availability known.

Brian Casey the Destroyer: Ambiguous Keys

Brian Casey the Destroyer has a Kevin Parker thing going on. Ambiguous Keys has guitars that sound like synths and vice-versa, but the LP also features the kind of sound layers that you might expect to find on a Tame Impala record. Casey has had an interesting path up to this point with his past two bands Glorious Monster and Man is Doomed. Oh, and he wrote the theme song for Discovery Channel's Alaska: The Last Frontier. So if some psych-pop with quirky rhythms is of interest, head to the 331 on Friday to check him out.

Aaron Bolton is a senior at the University of Minnesota. Currently he is a co-host on Radio K’s Off The Record and is the music reporter at Radio K. He hopes to continue a career in music journalism.