Welcome to HNGN's weekly top picks, where we cull the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, beauty, tech and pop culture. Come back every other week for more of-the-moment goodness. - Editing by Michael Lello.
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MUSIC
By Michael Lello
Iron Maiden: The Book Of Souls (Parlophone/Sanctuary)
The heavy metal titans are back with their first album since frontman Bruce Dickinson's cancer scare -their highly anticipated 16th studio album and the follow-up to 2010's strong effort, "The Final Frontier." Fans will have to wait until next week to get their hands on the 2-CD, 11-song album, which includes three songs that clock in at more than 10 minutes, including the album-closing epic "Empire Of The Clouds," which covers more than 18 minutes.
Check out the official video for lead single "Speed Of Light" below.
Carly Rae Jepsen: Emotion (Interscope/Schoolboy/Silent Records/Universal Music)
They're called earworms – catchy songs that you can't get out of your head – and Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen has a flair for them. Listen to "Call Me Maybe" or "I Really Like You" and you won't be able to shake them loose. Her latest album is "Emotion," and you can hear the latest album single, "Run Away With Me," in the official video below.
The Libertines: Anthems For Doomed Youth (Virgin EMI)
There was a time in the early 2000s that The Libertines were the hottest band in the U.K., but any momentum the group gained was dashed due to frontman Pete Doherty's highly publicized crack and heroin. Now, more than 15 years since The Libertines' inception, the band has completed "Anthems For Doomed Youth," its third album set for a Sept. 11 release.
Check out the video for the single "Gunga Din" below.
Beach House: Depression Cherry (Sub Pop)
Beach House, the duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, helped spearhead the dream pop revival of the mid-2000s, but after the success of the albums "Teen Dream" and "Bloom," the group admittedly strayed from its roots. But Beach House says its new album "Depression Cherry" "shows a return to simplicity, with songs structured around a melody and a few instruments." Hear for yourself below in the woozy first single "Sparks."
MOVIES
By Cal Setar
American Ultra (Lionsgate)
Jesse Eisenberg – "The Social Network's" Mark Zuckerberg – throws out the blind ambition and business acumen and comes back refreshed, if a bit fried, in this hilarious romp as a small-town stoner whose entire life is turned upside down as government agents suddenly begin to pour forth from the woodwork determined to kill him and his girlfriend, played by a red-eyed and red-haired Kristen Stewart.
Hitman: Agent 47 (20th Century Fox)
An elite assassin, genetically engineered to be the world's most perfect killing machine and known only by the last two digits of the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck, has targeted a mega-corporation with plans to unlock Agent 47's past - and the 46 agents who came before him - in order to create an army of killers with abilities far greater than his own.
Queen of Earth (Washington Square Films)
Catherine, seeking solace after a pair of devastating life-changing incidents, finds her way to the secluded lake house of her close friend Victoria. While at first Catherine's thrumming emotions are subdued by the calm serenity of her surroundings, her volatile relationship with Victoria pushes to the fore as the hysteria seemingly inherent in this darkly funny thriller mounts and Catherine inches closer to the edge of sanity.
Sinister 2 (Focus Features)
A follow-up to the wildly popular "Sinister," this film follows a protective mother and her twin 9-year-old sons who find themselves in a rural house where only death can find them. The evil spirit Buhguul continues to spread, and the tiny family must do all that they can to keep their world from being destroyed.
FASHION & BEAUTY
By Gina Masilotti
Hair Chalk
The iHome iSP5 is available now for anyone who wishes to use an iOS device to control ordinary electronics. Plugging the gadget into an outlet and then to a lamp, lights, fans, air conditioners, coffee makers or any other device up to 1800 watts will let you control them remotely with your phone whether you're home or not. The plug also works with HomeKit to let you control it with voice commands. The iHome iSP5 SmartPlug is available now at iHome's website and Amazon for $39.99.
