Media picks of the week: The Preatures, Transformers, Arrow and more

Posted October 6, 201410 yr

Every week Apple adds tons of new media content on iTunes — music, books, movies and more. It's impossible to keep up with all of it, but it's not impossible to pick out the very best. Here they are! This week we've got debut music from an Aussie rock band, the return of trumpet master Herb Alpert, season two of Arrow, Transformers and more!

Planet Blue Eyes - The Preatures

This five-piece alt-rock band from Australia borrows from a lot of sources but it's hard to put your finger on what their definitive sound is like; they've synthesized a lot of past influences ranging from American southern rock, huge Aussie acts like INXS to Manchester post-punk into a really unique and inclusive blend that gives you a lot to listen to across the ten tracks on this LP debut.

$7.99 - Download now

In the Mood - Herb Alpert

Jazz trumpeter Herb Alpert has long been known for combining classic melodies with modern rhythms, and In the Mood hits you right off the bad with electronic embellishments on the old Glenn Miller swing standard Chattanooga Choo Choo. He covers some Everly Brothers standards here, a fine tribute to Phil Everly, who passed earlier this year. Alpert and his Tijuana Brass struck gold with Spanish Harlem half a century ago, and it's back here with a masterful re-interpretation at the hands of the master. Most of this album is instrumental, but Alpert's wife (and former Sergio Mendes vocalist) Lani Hall makes a few appearances too. Alpert's 79 years old this year and put out four albums in five years. This latest effort shows he's not slowing down any time soon.

$9.99 - Download now

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Is it all over for the Autobots? It seems so, in the bleak opening of this fourth installment of the Transformers movie, once again helmed by Michael Bay. There's a lot here, including the introduction of Galvatron and the first appearance in the movies of the mighty Dinobots. Mark Wahlberg stars as Cade Yeager, the struggling inventor who finds and repairs Optimus Prime.

$4.99 - Rent now

Arrow Season 2

Arrow Season 3 starts up soon, so if you still have to catch up from last season, you can download the whole season now. Billionaire Oliver Queen must save Starling City by assuming an alter ego — a shrouded vigilante who uses his archery skills, high tech weaponry and his friends to uncover corruption and eradicate it. This season finds Oliver's entire family caught up in the intrigue.

$39.99 - Download now

The Shadow Hero 1

Seventy years ago, during World War II, Chu F. Hing created the first Asian-American superhero: The Green Turtle. Published by Blazing Comics, the Green Turtle wore a cape and fought crime. This year Gene Leun Yang and Sonny Liew resurrected The Green Turtle and gave him an origin story in a six-parter called The Green Turtle Chronicles.