Rolling Stone editor Kevin O’Donnell takes a close look at two reviews in our latest issue (Green Day Fights On) in this week’s New Music Report. First up is Steve Earle, whose 13th studio album, Townes, is a tribute to his songwriting hero, Townes Van Zandt. Listen to “Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold,” which features Earles son, Justin Townes, in our video. The covers album scored three and a half stars, and Will Hermes notes “Mudd” is the “sound of a torch being passed again.”

Also, Black Mother Super Rainbow team with Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann for the space-rockers’ new album, Eating Us. We’ve got a look at the video for “Dark Bubbles,” one of the key tracks in Hermes’ three-star review. Hermes says the album’s processed vocals sound like T-Pain tripping his balls off, and while the interplay of electric and acoustic instruments is fascinating, the melodies and lyrics are less enduring.

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