The DT3 – Our top new albums for September 28th

Each week the Digital Trends staff selects three albums that we think you should know about. Not in-depth reviews, just passing on some music we like.

Want to suggest a band or album? Email us here: dt3@digitaltrends.com or leave a comment below.

Aloe Blacc – Good Things

Aloe Blacc’s music combines retro soul, new R&B, and a fresh voice for a sound that hints at the past but still sounds like something we haven’t heard before. While he’s been around for a while, Blacc started to really get buzz when HBO show How To Make It In America premiered with his urban hard-times masterpiece “I Need A Dollar” as the opening theme song. His new album, Good Things, features that track as well as a reworking of The Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale.”

For fans of: John Legend, Bill Withers, The Roots

Ben Folds & Nick Hornby – Lonely Avenue

Likable piano-pop charmer Ben Folds teams with novelist Nick Hornby for an 11-song album of pure collaboration. The two creatives (mutual fans) combine Folds’ playful energy and pensive voice with Hornby’s beautiful, storytelling lyrics. The result is a treat for Ben Folds and Nick Hornby fans alike. Highlights include bittersweet ballad “Picture Window,” comical “Levi Johnston’s Blues,” and high-energy “From Above.”

For fans of: Ben Lee, Ben Kweller, Death Cab for Cutie

Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

Psychedelic, ambient-punk rockers Deerhunter enlisted the help of Ben Allen, who produced Animal Collective’s Merriwether Post Pavilion, to help craft this sonically rich album. The songs genre-hop and vary from super-mellow “Earthquake” to the brilliant pop-rock sound of “Revival.” The album as a whole is soaked in reverb, with a slight touch of 90s nostalgia.

For fans of: Atlas Sound, Caribou, Animal Collective