February's shaping up to be a huge month for local music releases. We've got new albums coming from Midlake, Smile Smile and now Erykah Badu. Our hometown R&B queen has announced that New Amerykah, Part II: Return of the Ankh will hit stores on Feb. 23. Badu tells Billboard of the forthcoming set: "Part I was the left side of my thoughts -- it was more socially political and my thought process was more analytical. This time there wasn't anything to be concerned with -- the album is more emotional and flowy and talks about feelings. It reminds of the days of Baduizm -- this is just about beats and rhymes in a cipher."


Speaking of Midlake, The Courage of Others' first single, "Acts of Man," hit select online and retail stores today in the form of a limited-edition 12-inch record. I've been enjoying the new track since a little blogger birdie sent it to me a week ago. It's a beautiful, melancholy tune that damn near eliminates the "rock" from the band's past "folk-rock" designation. You can hear "Acts of Man" and the other song included on the 12-inch, "Rulers Ruling All Things," by playing the video above. The band has also announced its upcoming tour dates (with opening act Sarah Jaffe), including a stop at Denton's NX35. More on that here.