On Love Lust Faith + Dreams, 30 Seconds continues to break new ground on their sound, and push themselves even further creatively, than on their past three discs.

is, all at once, darker, further reaching, but more to the core of VW’s sound than the sum of their past two discs. The West African vibey beats, Renaissance-era harpsichord, and Koenig’s lilting vocals are still in full effect, but calling this album more “mature” seems both a cop out, and an understatement.

The Afters just keep getting better with their fourth studio album, and Mineo strikes white hot on a genre-spanning debut disc.

The trust that builds with repeated team-ups can definitely lead to a friendship, as in this case, and the chemistry onscreen between an actor and a director can certainly help the flow of action, dialogue, and development of character.

How does JT’s new disc stack up against his last two, and who is this band behind all the covers, and can they do it on their own as well? This issue of Beats Weekly.

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