Remember heading out to the record store on Tuesdays to pick up all the new releases? Though all you pirates out there may not have bought a CD in years, this past Tuesday was one of the best release days in recent memory. Check these out…

Santogold - self-titled: Though Rolling Stone went a little over the top calling her “the future of music”, this thoroughly enjoyable debut by former record label exec Santi White is a great listen for fans of global pop by ladies like M.I.A. and Nelly Furtado. Thoroughly unprententious and a great party album for the early days of the summer. Sample: LES Artistes

The Roots - Rising Down: These Philly legends have turned weirdly goth since moving to Def Jam, but they’ve also eased up on the rigid rules of live instrumentation that, in retrospect, hampered their past material. Rising Down has received pretty much no publicity, but it’s one of the best records of their career. Their early jazzier work was fun but largely unmemorable. This moody, soulful album doesn’t have a weak track in the bunch (especially since they cut the cred-endangering collabo with Fall Out Boy…ugh). Sample: 75 Bars

Robyn - self-titled: You may remember Robyn’s 90’s radio hit “Show Me Love” at your high school prom, but she’s established herself in Europe as one of the most forward-thinking and adventurous pop stars alive. Most of these tracks have been around for a number of years on the intarwebz, but this is their first US release. Fans of Annie or The Knife will absolutely love this. Sample: Who’s That Girl.

Jamie Lidell - Jim: Boy do I loves me some Jamie Lidell. You’ve probably heard A Little Bit More on cell phone commercials, but his records are flat-out brilliant modern day soul with an electronic edge. He takes a more organic approach here, with lots of acoustic instrumentation along the lines of his work with Feist on The Reminder last year. Sample: Another Day

Portishead - Third: Though this is hands-down the most anticipated release of the week (they haven’t released a record in 11 years), I gotta say I’m a tad underwhelmed at this point. Portishead was one of my favorite bands as a teenager, and maybe it’s just because I’m no longer as angsty as I once was, but this one’s not hitting me that hard so far. But the single’s pretty good and I’m sure it will grow on me, prompting me to write a retraction 6 months from now. (Strangely enough, the new Gnarls Barkley record is exactly what I wanted and am not getting from this new Portishead record.) Sample: Machine Gun

Have you guys heard Dengue Fever? I hadn’t until my fellow PiQ editor Kevs caught something about them on NPR. While I loves me some This American Life and All Things Considered (yes, I am old and white), I was under the impression that their musical selections were exclusively of the 15 century Viennese or 19th century Oklahoman variety. Not so, as Dengue Fever are surely the best psychedelic Cambodian band around. Check out “Tiger Phone Card” and tell me you’re not hooked for life. I’ve been listening to their new album Venus on Earth pretty much constantly for the past month, and then lo and behold, my favorite radio show played them last week! I had planned on taking credit for their mounting mainstream success by writing a column about them for a future issue (which I will still likely do), but it looks like they’re doing just fine without me. In any case, if you’ll be doing yourself a favor by checking out their new album or catching them on their current tour (I’ll be seeing them at the Orange Show in Houston).