Music to Your Ears

My, You've Been Busy—Three very different local acts will drop new albums this week, all of them at all-ages release parties scattered throughout town.

Friday, post-hardcore kids Heroic Tragedy will split a bill with Someday, Sincerely and New Tomorrow (from California) as they kick out what appears to be their debut album at the Compound (3206 San Mateo NE). It'll also be the birthday of Sincerely powerhouse singer Gino—an auspicious night for local screamo all around! The show is $7 and starts at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, venerable metal foursome Requiem Mass will unveil their third full-length release, titled Redefine at Launchpad. The album is incredibly well put together, packed tight with epic and chilling hardcore metal; and the CD itself is enhanced with a video of "Fall Short of the Meaning" from the band's previous album, Another Vicious Cycle. Tetelestai and the Ground Beneath will open. Admission is $5 over-21 and $7 under-21. All of Requiem Mass' albums are also available at Hastings region-wide, as well as on www.cdbaby.com.

Lastly, Jana Pochop will present her acoustic duo's Failed Cartographer at Winning Coffee (111 Harvard SE) on Saturday from 8-10 p.m. Except for a few emphatically placed "damn"s here and there, the album contains the kind of music you'd feel good about listening to with small children in tow. Jana says she's also working on a having a music video premiere (made with the help of a local company called Spinning Hat Productions) that same night. "We hope to make the night a multimedia experience!" she says. And unlike the other CD release parties, this one is free. Check out her new website at www.janapochop.com.