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VoxTalk highlights three albums from a strong week of releases, recent tour developments and other music news.

New albums (released Sept. 11):

Dave Matthews Band- Away from the World

It seems that taking a year off to recharge in 2011 only helped Dave and friends. Away from the World‘s jazz fusion sound combines with powerful personal lyrics to create an album that is so familiarly DMB. Tracks such as “Mercy” take it down a notch but are equally as infectious as the group’s previous hits.

NOFX- Self-Entitled

The notoriously brash punk rockers of NOFX have released their 12th (whew!) studio album. Their trademark sound lives on through tracks such as “I, Fatty,” while others show a new, less brash side of the group. “I’ve Got One Jealous Again, Again” reflects on frontman Fat Mike’s divorce, a subject considerably tamer than previous tracks.

The Avett Brothers- The Carpenter

Producer Rick Rubin really knows how to craft a hauntingly beautiful album. The theme of death is present in more than half of The Carpenter‘s lyrics, which were inspired by the bassist’s sick daughter. Despite the heavy material, The Avett Brothers still manage to deliver some light, soothing folk rock tracks.

Tours:

• Green Day has announced dates for their North American ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! Tour.
• In honor of the 20th anniversary of Countdown to Extinction, Megadeath recently announced they will be going on tour to perform the album in its entirety.

Other tidbits:

• Nicki Minaj has put out a new song with singer Cassie called “The Boys.” The track will be included on the re-release of Nicki’s sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
• Despite sustaining two broken bones in his foot during a show at the Blossom Music Center in Ohio, Vince Neil of Motley Crue has promised not to cancel any stops on his concert tour.

Vox pick of the week:

The Shins- “Simple Song”

The most popular track off The Shins’ most recent album, Port of Morrow, “Simple Song” tells of the joys of being a blissful newlywed and all of the feelings that come with a new marriage. Lines such as, “Love’s such a delicate thing that we do/with nothing to prove/which I never knew” suggest that the subject has finally experienced true love because of his partner. Though the subject matter is rather mushy, the beat is far too lighthearted to turn this track into just another love song.