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

New albums (released Aug. 28):

Ty Segall – Twins

Ty Segall seemingly releases a new album every week, but Twins sees the weirdo rocker cleaning up his scuzzy sound. His hooks are finally given the polish they deserve, and Twins might be his strongest record yet.

A.C. Newman – Shut Down the Streets

Newman takes the overused and tired ingredients of power-pop — churning chords, sing-along choruses — and rekindles them for contemporary audiences. Horns and strings embellish his latest arrangements. This is the third solo album by the New Pornographers frontman.

Tam Impala – Lonerism

These Aussie’s are rehashing ‘60s psychedelic rock; however, modern production techniques and multi-layered tracking keep Lonerism from sounding like a regurgitation.

Tours:

Muse – The British progressive dubstep rock trio added more dates to its North American tour, including a March 3, 2013 stop at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis.

Other tidbits:

-Nelly’s (yep, he still exists) tour bus was searched at a Texas checkpoint, and many illegal things were found. Apparently none of it belonged to Nelly, who was released from custody after his friend took responsibility for the contraband.

-Ellie Goulding’s 2010 single “Lights” continues to dominate the Billboard charts. Check out her excellent performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and our preview of her new album, Halcyon.

-Blondie (yep, they also still exist) randomly dropped three new tracks, which are free to download.

Vox pick of the week:

Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”

The best track from the band’s new album, Lonerism, is six minutes of swirling psych-rock. It’s equal parts George Harrison and Super Furry Animals.