A Place To Bury Strangers new album, Oct. 6

Hot damn, this is how to start a Monday -- with Brooklyn trio A Place To Bury Strangers' second album "Exploding Head" sitting on my desk about to combust from the heat. It drops Oct. 6 on Mute, and Boston gets the last show of their 23-date October tour, hitting the Middle East on Oct. 30 (same day as my Halloween show -- boo!!).

"The original idea," said guitarist/singer Oliver Ackerman in the press bio, "was to create the craziest, most fucked up recording ever."

Shit, he very well may have. I'm four songs into my first listen and it already has a place on my significantly light Best of 2009 list. "It's Nothing" and "In Your Heart" build on the best aspects of APTBS first album ("I Know I'll See You," "Don't Think Lover"), showing an distinct progression in Ackerman's songwriting. The sonic assault and style is still there, but the noise aspect seems to have pulled back a bit to allow the songs to take center. If the first disc was slightly unaccessable to most people because of its sheer bulk volume, this should reel them in a bit with a heavier emphasis on the melodies. They were always there, but they aren't as buried this go round, seeing the shift to more Jesus & Mary Chain than My Bloody Valentine. It's still intense as ever, just a bit smarter.

More to come on this epic, epic disc as the release date nears, but get ready. Here are the tour dates and track listing:

Oct. 4 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's^
Oct. 5 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel^
Oct. 6 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506^
Oct. 7 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn^
Oct. 8 Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder^
Oct. 9 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks^
Oct. 10 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada^
Oct. 11 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk^
Oct. 13 Tucson, AZ @ Plush^
Oct. 15 San Diego, CA @ Casbah^
Oct. 16 Los Angeles, CA @ Echo^
Oct. 17 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent*
Oct. 18 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
Oct. 19 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Café*
Oct. 20 Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret*
Oct. 22 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge*
Oct. 23 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge*
Oct. 25 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird*
Oct. 26 Chicago, IL @ Double Door&
Oct. 27 Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club&
Oct. 28 Montreal, QC @ Il Motore&
Oct. 29 New York, NYC @ Bowery Ballroom&
Oct. 30 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs&
^with Darker My Love & All the Saints
&with Dead Confederate & All the Saints
*with All the Saints

Exploding Head" Tracklist:
It Is Nothing
In Your Heart
Lost Feeling
Deadbeat
Keep Slipping Away
Ego Death
Smile When You Smile
Everything Always Goes Wrong
Exploding Head
I Live My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Heart