T.I.
Photo: Jason Campbell

It looks like there just weren't enough fresh albums to inspire many trips to the record store last week.

Not a single new release will crack the top 40 on the next Billboard albums chart. Nine newcomers debut within the chart's top 200, but the rundown of the nation's biggest sellers remains largely unchanged from the previous list, with country trio Rascal Flatts spending a third straight week at #1 thanks to sales of their Me & My Gang coming in at just over 143,000.

According to the latest SoundScan totals, the Dresden Dolls put up the week's highest opening performance. The band's sophomore disc, Yes, Virginia ..., bows at #42 with 19,000 scans. Wolves in Wolves' Clothing, the latest offering from veteran punks NOFX, debuts at #46 with sales nearing 18,000. The Drive-By Truckers' new one, A Blessing and a Curse, comes in at #50 after selling close to 17,000 copies.

Southern hip-hop duo Da Backwudz's Wood Work opens at #94 with over 9,000 sales, and rapper Pastor Troy's Stay Tru debuts at #150 with 6,000 scans. Singer/songwriter Mat Kearney's Nothing Left to Lose makes its mark in the #161 spot, after selling close to 6,000 copies, while gospel singer Anthony Burger's Best of Anthony Burger comes in at #188 with sales of 5,000 and change. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs' collaborative Under the Covers, Vol. 1 pops up at #192 with close to 5,000 copies sold. Blood in Blood Out, by rappers Amb, just makes the cut, selling just shy of 5,000 to claim #199.

In all, the top 200 releases racked up close to 3.1 million in total sales — a drop of nearly 2 million from the previous week. Only a handful of albums scored sales increases — Rod Stewart's 2005 release, Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Vol. IV, is among them, returning to the chart at #58 thanks to a 253 percent sales boost and close to 15,000 copies sold. The legendary singer's appearance last week on "American Idol" also helped sales of his 2004 album, Stardust ... The Great American Songbook, Vol. III, which reappears following a long Billboard lull. That album occupies the #113 spot, selling more than 8,000 copies — a 226 percent increase in retail movement.

Sales of Fort Minor's The Rising Tide jumped up by 45 percent, ending the week with nearly 9,000 scans, which sent the disc soaring 89 chart positions to #104. The band recently released its latest single, "Where'd You Go," to rock radio and video outlets.

All of the albums that make up the top 10 suffered a sales slip from the previous week. While the Flatts LP holds the #1 slot, retail interest waned 58 percent during its third week in stores. The 21st installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series — featuring hit singles from Mariah Carey, Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson and Fall Out Boy — climbs one spot to #2 despite a 56 percent sales lag, racking up 130,000 scans. The soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical" moves from #4 to #3, with 116,000 copies sold, while Toby Keith's White Trash With Money follows at #4 with week-two sales of 109,000.

T.I.'s King hangs tough at #5 with 86,000 copies sold, just in front of Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: Reflected, which netted another 59,000 scans. James Blunt's Back to Bedlam follows at #7, with sales nearing 54,000, while Shakira's Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 claims the #8 spot after moving 52,000 copies. Canadian songwriter Daniel Powter's self-titled debut holds at #9, selling 47,000 discs its second week in stores. Pink rounds out the top 10 with 42,000 copies of I'm Not Dead sold.

• T.I.
• P!nk
• Shakira
• Rascal Flatts
• The Dresden Dolls

Alchemist's <i>1st Infantry Deluxe</i>
Photo: Koch Records

As you can see, it's a pretty weak week for new releases — don't expect to see many new faces cracking next week's top 10 ... or 20, for that matter. In fact, it's so slow that we've decided to double up some of the latest rack contenders tag-team style and see who'd come out on top. It's probably the only time you'll see a margarita-swilling folk legend conspiring with death-metal cretins to body-slam a band of cabaret-loving punks.

Round One: Tricked-Out Magic

Alchemist and Elefant vs. Moby and Coachella: Alchemist is hoping to turn his fading 1st Infantry record — it's been out for almost two years — back into gold with a DVD-enhanced deluxe edition. New York dynamos Elefant are up to some mojo of their own with their second release, The Black Magic Show, taking on producer Don Gilmore (Good Charlotte, Linkin Park) and mixer Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Sonic Youth). In the other corner, Moby pours two bonus films, a cover of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" and a full CD of remixes into his "Live - Hotel Tour 2005" set, then gangs up with the cast of "Coachella: The Film" — including the Flaming Lips, Radiohead and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Winners:

When the other Coachella backups — Belle and Sebastian, Muse and Tenacious D — find themselves up against Al's impressive guests (Nas, Game and T.I.), it's time to ring the bell.

Round Two: Burnin' Up

The Fiery Furnaces and Just a Fire vs. Judge Jules and the Red Krayola: Native Chicago twosome the FF burn into this competition with their fourth opus, Bitter Tea, frothing over with songs like "The Vietnamese Telephone Ministry," "Police Sweater Blood Vow" and "Whistle Rhapsody?" Windy City cohorts Just a Fire — featuring members of June of 44 and Sweep the Leg Johnny — keep the temperature raised with their second record, Spanish Time. On the other end of the ring, pre-eminent DJ Judge Jules dishes up his first domestic release in almost 13 years with The Global Warm-Up Mix CD, which cobbles together tracks by lesser-known players like Signalrunner, Randy Katana and E-Craig; and the 40-year-old Red Krayola throw another iron in the fire with their ill-named Introduction, even if it is their first studio set in more than five years.

Winners: Fiery Furnaces and Just a Fire out-sweat the competition.

Round Three: Lunch Break

The Disco Biscuits and Banana Blender Surprise vs. Matthew Sweet and Marshall Chapman: Jam-rock spazz-outs the Disco Biscuits have the most colorful album cover this week with The Wind at Four to Fly, and their tag-team partners Banana Blender Surprise promise even more dietary goodness on their own double-disc affair, Paint the Town Brown, which culls together most of the band's old material. Matthew Sweet and the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs come together to recap some of their favorite '60s tunes by the Beatles, Neil Young and the Velvet Underground for Under the Covers, Vol. 1, while Chapman antes up with Mellowicious!, her first outing in nine years.

Winners: Sweet and Mellowicious! let their sugary tendencies get the better of them, and DB and BBS' continental breakfast makes them the new intercontinental champions.

Round Four: Getting Frisky

Animal Liberation Orchestra and Be Your Own Pet vs. the Lovely Feathers and Lizzie West: ALO put out a different version of Fly Between Falls last summer, but their new one has a fresh recording of "Walls of Jericho" — a song featured on Jack Johnson's recent live DVD — plus reworked takes of "Girl, I Wanna Lay You Down" and "Barbecue." Be Your Own Pet, in the meantime, keep it elementary on their Summer Sensation EP with tracks like "Bicycle, Bicycle" and "Fire Department." On the opposing side, the Lovely Feathers get up on their Hind Hind Legs digipak to name off a couple of their heroes on "Pope Jean Paul" and "Rod Stewart," while Lizzie West ropes in the White Buffalo to craft I Pledge Allegiance to Myself, on which she covers songs by Bob Marley and Steve Goodman.

Winners: Freedom fighters ALO and Be Your Own Pet claw through their opponents (with some help from Elefant, who hunt down the White Buffalo when the ref's not looking).

Round Five: Location, Location

The Dresden Dolls and Stereophonics vs. Jimmy Buffett and Impaled Nazarene: Cabaret hasn't stopped Boston's Dresden Dolls from showing some skin on their Yes, Virginia ... digipak; just look to songs like "Sex Changes" and "First Orgasm" for proof. They get some help from the 'Phonics, who cram 20 nuggets into the two-disc Live From Dakota, which the Brits are putting out on their own Vox Populi imprint. Buffett heads to the Stereophonics' homeland with "Werewolves of London," which appears on the "Hoot" soundtrack; but things are noticeably grittier up north in Finland, where death-metal maniacs Impaled Nazarene send up "One Dead Nation Under Dead God" and "Goat Sodomy" as part of their Pro Patria Finlandia.

Winners: After the other side passes out from too many margaritas and too much animal intercourse, the Dresden Dolls and Stereophonics are the last ones standing.

Round Six: Evil vs. Good

Rye Coalition and Killing Joke vs. the Church and Dio: Indie-rock vets Rye Coalition stuck true to their roots and pulled off a heroic feat by nabbing Curses — their fourth, Dave Grohl-produced record — back from Interscope, breaking their contract with the major label but retaining ownership of the LP all the same (now the record's dropping on underground imprint Gern Blandsten). Backing up Rye are Killing Joke, who holed up in a basement in Prague and used tape-echo machines dating back to 1979 to craft their nine-track Hosannas From the Basement of Hell. On God's side are the Church, who recorded their Uninvited Like the Clouds last summer in Sydney; and Dio, who's Holy Diver Live gives him an excuse to recap hits like "Stand Up and Shout" and "Heaven and Hell," the latter of which he originally tracked with the very unholy Black Sabbath. (Completing the circle, Grohl played drums on Tenacious D's tribute track "Dio.")

Winners: Daniel Johnston — whose documentary "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" precipitated this week's Welcome to My World: The Music of Daniel Johnston archival set — dives into the ring and pile-drives the Church and Dio. Who says Satan can't cheat?

Main Prize: Hogs all around for the winners! There's Demolition Doll Rods' There Is a Difference, plus reissues of the Knights' Hot Rod High and Mr. Gasser and the Weirdos' Hot Rod Hootenanny and Rods N' Rat Finks. Now that's a hootenanny.

Song Title of the Week:

"Cool and Unusual Punishment" from NOFX's Wolves in Wolves' Clothing

New Releases:

• Mindi Abair - Life Less Ordinary (GRP)
• Above & Beyond - Tri-State (Ultra)
• AFX - Chosen Lords (Rephlex)
• Ben Allison - Cowboy Justice (Palmetto)
• Karrin Allyson - Footprints (Concord Jazz)
• American Heartbreak - American Heartbreak (Liquor & Poker)
• Android Lust - Stripped & Stitched (Projekt)
  Buy Now: Stripped & Stitched (Projekt)
  
• Be Your Own Pet - Summer Sensation (EP; Ecstatic Peace)
• Adrian Belew - Side Three (Sanctuary)
• Anthony Braxton Quintet - Live at the Royal Festival Hall - London (2004) (Leo)
• Mel Brown and the Homewreckers - Blues - A Beautiful Thing (Electro-Fi)
• Richard Butler - Richard Butler (Koch)
• Marshall Chapman - Mellowicious! (Tallgirl)
• The Church - Uninvited Like the Clouds (Cooking Vinyl)
• Cities - Cities (digipak; Yep Roc)
• Cretin - Freakery (Relapse)
• Crime in Stereo - The Troubled Stateside (Nitro)
• A.J. Croce - Cantos (digipak; Seedling)
• Da Back Wudz - Wood Work Album (Universal)
  Buy Now: Wood Work Album (Universal)
  
• Demolition Doll Rods - There Is a Difference (Swami)
• Dio - Holy Diver Live (two CDs; Eagle)
  Buy Now: Holy Diver Live (Eagle)
  
• The Disco Biscuits - The Wind at Four to Fly (digipak; two CDs; Sci Fidelity)
• The Dresden Dolls - Yes, Virginia ... (digipak; Roadrunner)
  Buy Now: Yes, Virginia ... (Roadrunner)
  
• Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse (New West) http://www.mtv.com/music/#/music/artist/drive_by_truckers/albums.jhtml?albumId=1265189
• Elefant - The Black Magic Show (Kemado)
  Buy Now: The Black Magic Show (Kemado)
  
• Erasure - Union Street (Mute)
  Buy Now: Union Street (Mute)
  
• The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea (digipak also available; Fat Possum)
• The Frauds - The Frauds (High Wire)
• Ian Gillian - Gillian's Inn (DualDisc; Immergent)
• Jon Dee Graham - Full (Freedom/ City Hall)
• Gram Rabbit - Cultivation (Stinky)
• Eddy Grant - Reparation (Ice)
• Hil St. Soul - Soulidified (Shanachie)
• Monica Huggett and Richard Savino - Essential Giuliani Vol I (two CDs; Koch)
• Ihsahn - The Adversary (Candlelight)
• Impaled Nazarene - Pro Patria Finlandia (The End)
• Sherman Irby - Black Warrior (Black Warrior)
• Judge Jules - The Global Warm-Up Mix CD (Koch)
• Junkie XL - Today (Ultra)
• Just a Fire - Spanish Time (Sick Room)
• Kaiser George & the Hi-Risers - Transatlantic Dynamite! (Spinout)
• Kalas - Kalas (digipak; Tee Pee)
• Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose (Aware/ Columbia)
• Killing Joke - Hosannas From the Basement of Hell (Cooking Vinyl)
• Michael Leviton - My Favorite Place to Drown (Ace Fu)
• Eric Lewis & Andy Ratliff - Only Home I've Had (Madjack)
• The Lovely Feathers - Hind Hind Legs (digipak; Equator)
• Lylas - Lessons for Lovers (Fictitious)
• Maritime - We the Vehicles (Flameshovel)
• Muallem - Frankie Splits (digipak; Compost)
• Mugison - Little Trip (Ipecac)
• Ann Nesby - In the Spirit (Shanachie)
• NOFX - Wolves in Wolves Clothing (Fat Wreck Chords)
  Buy Now: Wolves in Wolves Clothing (Fat Wreck Chords)
  
• Mark O'Leary/ Uri Caine/ Ben Perowsky - Closure (Leo)
• People Under the Stairs - Stepfather (two CDs; Basement)
• Phoenix Mourning - When Excuses Become Antiques (Metal Blade)
• The Red Krayola - Introduction (Drag City)
• Vernon Reid & Masque - Other True Self (Favored Nations)
• Rhino Bucket - & Then It Got Ugly (Acetate)
• Rye Coalition - Curses (with bonus DVD; Gern Blandsten)
• Harmonica Shah - Listen at Me Good (Electro-Fi)
• Sick of It All - Death to Tyrants (Abacus)
  Buy Now: Death to Tyrants (Abacus)
  
• Silent Civilian - Rebirth of the Temple (Mediaskare)
• Spank Rock - Yo Yo Yo Yo Yo (Big Dada)
• Spice 1 - Life After Jive (Real Talk Entertainment)
• Stereophonics - Live From Dakota (two CDs; Vox Populi/ V2)
  Buy Now: Live From Dakota (Vox Populi/ V2)
  
• Stoley P.T. - Lesson #1 (In Music We Trust Records)
• Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (Shout! Factory)
  Buy Now: Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (Shout! Factory)
  
• The Tango Saloon - The Tango Saloon (Ipecac)
• Tony Terry - Changed! (Koch)
• Lizzie West & the White Buffalo - I Pledge Allegiance to Myself (Appleseed)
• Rob Whitlock - Sketchin' 2 (Sketchin')
• Various artists - Pure Joy (Koch)
• Various artists - Putumayo Presents: Paris (Putumayo)
• Various artists - Seventeen: The Best New Music (Hear It First!) (BMG Strategic Marketing)
• Various artists - "Hoot" soundtrack (Mailboat)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Aiden - Our Gang's Dark Oath (Victory)
• The Alchemist - 1st Infantry Deluxe (with DVD; Koch)
  Buy Now: 1st Infantry Deluxe (Koch)
  
• Animal Liberation Orchestra - Fly Between Falls (Brushfire)
• Banana Blender Surprise - Paint the Town Brown (two CDs; Freedom)
• Chuck Berry - Definitive Collection (Universal)
• Oscar DeLeon - Millennium Collection (Universal)
• Cornell Dupree - Night Fever: The Versatile Sessions (Empire Musicwerks)
• First Choice - It's Not Over: The Greatest Hits of First Choice (Koch)
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - The Birth of a Band - Isle of Wight Festival, Sat August 29th, 1970 (DualDisc; Eagle Rock)
• The Ghouls - Dracula's Deuce (Sundazed)
• Buddy Holly - Definitive Collection (Universal)
• Instant Funk - I Got My Mind Made Up: The Best of Instant Funk (Koch)
• Daniel Johnston - Welcome to My World: The Music of Daniel Johnston (High Wire)
• The Kickstands - Black Boots and Bikes (Sundazed)
• The Knights - Hot Rod High (Sundazed)
• Jerry Lee Lewis - Definitive Collection (Universal)
• Mae - The Everglow (special edition with DVD; Tooth & Nail)
  Buy Now: The Everglow (Tooth & Nail)
  
• Ed McCurdy - A Ballad Singer's Choice (Empire Musicwerks)
• Marian McPartland - ... With You in Mind (DRG)
• Mr. Gasser and the Weirdos - Hot Rod Hootenanny, Rods N' Rat Finks and Surfink! (Sundazed)

DVDs:

• Herbie Hancock - "Possibilities" (Magnolia)
• Moby - "Live - Hotel Tour 2005" (with CD; Mute)
• Trina - "Live and Uncut ... Sex, Money and Jewels" (SMC)
• Yes - "9012 Live" (Image Entertainment)
• Young Jeezy - "Hoodz: Street Code - Young Jeezy" (Hoods DVD Magazine)
• Zyklon - "Storm Detonation Live" (Candlelight)
• Various artists - "Coachella: The Film" (Epitaph)

Coming Attractions:

April 25:

• Godsmack - IV (Republic)
  Read: "Godsmack Finishing Up 'Killer' Fourth LP, Working On Football Theme"
  Buy Now: IV (Republic)
  
• Rihanna - A Girl Like Me (Def Jam)
  Read: "Rihanna Getting In Touch With Her Rock Side For Next LP"
  Buy Now: A Girl Like Me (Def Jam)
  
• Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Taking Back Sunday Say Debuting At #800 Wouldn't Bother Them"
  Buy Now: Louder Now (Warner Bros.)

May 2:

• Lil' Flip - I Need Mine (Sony Urban)
• Mobb Deep - Blood Money (Interscope)
  Read: "Mobb Deep, 50 Cent Get Tattoos To Prove Their Loyalty"
  Buy Now: Blood Money (Interscope)
  
• Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam (J)
  Read: "Pearl Jam, Post-'Therapy': 'The Sex Is Better Than Ever!' "
• Thursday - A City by the Light Divided (Island)
  Read: "Thursday Frontman Says He Doesn't Want To Exploit My Chemical Romance, But ..."
  Buy Now: A City by the Light Divided (Island)
  
• Tool - 10,000 Days (Volcano)
  Buy Now: 10,000 Days (Volcano)
  

May 9:

• The Isley Brothers - Baby Makin' Music (Island)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (two CDs; limited edition with DVD also available; Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Chili Peppers Stoked About New Album, Possible Kanye Tour"
  Buy Now: Stadium Arcadium (Warner Bros.)
• Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (A&M)
  Read: "Snow Patrol Turn 'Candy-Assed' Music Into Beastly Arena Rock"
  Buy Now: Eyes Open (A&M)
  

• The Alchemist
• The Dresden Dolls
• Moby
• Rye Coalition
• Elefant

Amerie's <i>Touch</I>
Photo: Sony

While Amerie gave her fans All I Have as her debut, she's opting to let them Touch a more mature side of her this time around.

The R&B songstress worked again with Rich Harrison, who produced 2002's All I Have, though this time Amerie took more control over her album. She co-wrote all of the tracks on Touch, including the go-go-infused first single, "1 Thing." Amerie got a hand from big-name producers, including Lil Jon, Dre & Vidal, Red Spyda and others, but distanced herself from other mainstream R&B artists by featuring only one guest MC, Eve, who appears on one verse of the "1 Thing" remix.

Another artist keeping things simple on his new album is the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. His 13th studio album, Devils & Dust, a series of Springsteen's characteristic narrative songs, finds the artist working with only select members of his E Street Band, including violinist Soozie Tyrell and wife Patti Scialfa.

It's been four years since we heard from New Order, but that's nothing considering fans had to wait eight long years for 2001's Get Ready. With so many new bands drawing upon New Order for inspiration (Interpol, the Killers), it was high time the influential group released its new album, Waiting for the Sirens' Call.

Bay Area rapper Lyrics Born releases an album full of remixes of his 2003 debut, Later That Day ... , aptly titled Same !@#$ Different Day. The new release features eight remixes from the first album and five new tracks. Goth-inspired punk cabaret duo the Dresden Dolls, meanwhile, reissue their self-titled debut, this time with the backing of a bigger label.

Also out this week are albums by the Eels (Blinking Lights and Other Revelations), Feist (Let It Die), Ben Folds (Songs for Silverman), Porcupine Tree (Dead Wing), No Address (Time Doesn't Notice) and Johnathan Rice (Trouble Is Real).

Out Tuesday, April 26:

• Acceptance - Phantoms (Columbia/RED Ink)
• Amerie - Touch (Sony)
  Read: "Amerie Shoots Down Goody-Goody Image, Says 'I'm Not A Prude' "
• Cheryl Bentyne - Let Me Off Uptown (Telarc)
• Debby Boone - Reflections of Rosemary (Concord)
• Brain Failure - American Dreamer (Thorp)
• Tim Burgess - I Believe (Koch)
• Caesars - Paper Tigers (Astralwerks)
• Charivari - A Trip to the Holiday Lounge (Rounder)
• Jordan Chassan - East of Bristol, West of Knoxville (Strong)
• Coastline Band - Sweet N Ripe (Landslide)
• Steve Cole - Spin (Narada)
• Jack DeJohnette - Music in the Key of Om (Golden Beams/Kindred Rhythm)
• Jack DeJohnette and Foday Musa Suso - Music From the Hearts of the Masters (Golden Beams/Kindred Rhythm)
• Discover America - Psychology (Tooth & Nail)
• DJ Spooky Vs. Dave Lombardo - Drums of Death (Thirsty Ear)
• Dresden Dolls - The Dresden Dolls (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Dresden Dolls Making The World Safe For Punk Cabaret"
• Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (Vagrant)
  Buy Now: Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (Vagrant)
  
• Feist - Let It Die (Interscope)
• Fisher - The Lovely Years (Iris)
• Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman (Epic)
  Buy Now: Songs for Silverman (Epic)
  
• Tracy Grammer - Flower of Avalon (Signature)
• Brian Haas - The Truth About Hollywood (Sin-Drome)
• Hater - The 2nd (Burn Burn Burn)
• Eric Heatherly - The Lower East Side of Life (Koch)
• Hiroshima - Obon (Heads Up)
• Hot Snakes - Peel Sessions EP (Swami)
• Buddy Jewell - Times Like These (Columbia)
• Jim and Jennie and the Pinetops - Rivers Roll on By (Bloodshot)
• John Brown's Body - Pressure Points (Easy Star)
• Love as Laughter - Laughter's Fifth (Sub Pop)
• Luciano - Jah Words (Sanctuary)
• Lyrics Born - Same !@#$ Different Day (Quannum/Epitaph)
• Jo Dee Messina - Delicious Surprise (Curb)
  Buy Now: Delicious Surprise (Curb)
  
• Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree (Beggars Group)
• Oliver Mtukudzi - Nhava (Heads Up)
• New Order - Waiting for the Sirens' Call (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Waiting for the Sirens' Call (Warner Bros.)
  
• No Address - Time Doesn't Notice (Atlantic)
• Oz Noy - Ha! (Magna Carta)
• Porcupine Tree - Dead Wing (Lava/Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Dead Wing (Lava/Atlantic)
  
• John Prine - Fair and Square (Oh Boy)
  Buy Now: Fair and Square (Oh Boy)
  
• Joel Rafael Band - Woodyboye: Songs of Woody Guthrie (and Tales Worth Telling) Volume II (Appleseed)
• Red Stick Ramblers - Right Key, Wrong Keyhole (Memphis International)
• Johnathan Rice - Trouble Is Real (Warner Bros.)
• Peggy Seeger - Love Call Me Home (Appleseed)
• Settlefish - The Plural of the Choir (Deep Elm)
• Frank Sinatra - Live From Las Vegas (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Live From Las Vegas (Capitol)
  
• Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Devils & Dust (Columbia)
  
• Susie Suh - Susie Suh (Epic)
• Jimmy Thackery - Healin' Ground (Telarc)
• Emiliana Torrini - Fisherman's Woman (Rough Trade/Sanctuary)
• Us3 - Questions (Us3)
• Bobby Valentino - Disturbing Tha Peace Presents (Def Jam)
  Read: "Launching Bobby Valentino's Career Is All In A Day's Work For Ludacris"
• Jim Verraros - Rollercoaster (Koch)
• Various artists - Africa Remix (Milan)
• Various artists - Broadway Today: Broadway 1992-Now (Decca/Universal Classics)
• Various artists - Family Guy Live in Las Vegas (Geffen)
• Various artists - "Fever Pitch" soundtrack (Ryko)
• Various artists - Golden Slumbers: A Father's Love (Rendezvous)
• Various artists - "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - "King's Ransom" soundtrack (Ryko)
• Various artists - "Layer Cake" soundtrack (Virgin)

May 3:

• Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Cold Roses (Lost Highway)
• Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth (Interscope)
  Read: "New Nine Inch Nails LP Takes Risks — By Being Accessible"
• Stevie Wonder - A Time to Love (Motown)

May 10:

• Dave Matthews Band - Stand Up (RCA)
• Spoon - Gimme Fiction (Merge)
• Weezer - Make Believe (Geffen)
  Read: "Weezer Album Preview: Wailing Guitars And New-Wave Ballads"

May 17:

• Def Leppard - Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (Mercury/Universal)
• System of a Down - Mezmerize (Sony)
  Read: "System Of A Down Album Preview: Band Pulls No Punches With The Pummeling Mezmerize"
• Various artists - American Idol Season 4: The Album (RCA)

• Amerie
• Bruce Springsteen
• New Order
• Lyrics Born
• The Dresden Dolls

Perry Farrell (file)
Photo: Amy V. Cooper

Even though the rug was ripped out from under Lollapalooza this week, former Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell is optimistic that the eclectic music festival he co-founded in 1991 will resurface — and it might be sooner than you think.

"There are a few paths we are considering," Farrell said Wednesday. "I am getting letters back from many musicians, letting me know that if there is a possibility of becoming active, they will come on board again. Our position is thrilling. We can only be saved by the creative ideas we come up with. We feel like a team gathered around their coach, who is coming up with a play for the final seconds of a game."

The decision to scrap this year's tour was made Monday night, when organizers and promoters realized they faced huge financial losses based on poor ticket sales (see "Lollapalooza Canceled; Organizers Cite Poor Ticket Sales"). But by pulling the plug three weeks before the tour was set to begin, Lollapalooza wasn't given much of a chance for ticket sales to improve, as they usually do in the days leading up to a show.

Traditionally, 60 percent of the tickets sold for a stop on the Vans Warped Tour, for example, occur six days prior to the show. Those responsible for Lollapalooza's cancellation, however, didn't have faith that the tour would follow that pattern, or even the one Lolla set last year.

"Last year, walk-ups very much improved our final counts, and this year, we felt walk-ups were even more important. One reason is that with the economy in such a poor state, people don't cast their money that far into the future. Rather, they spend their money much closer to showtime," Farrell said.

"Last year, we sold out many of our shows and played to 20-25,000 people at times. This year, we never got a chance to launch our marketing or the bulk of our press campaign. Our campaign was beautiful and strong. We had aligned with MoveOn.org. We were set to reach out to millions of young voters. We were cut off."

When the lineup for this year's trek was announced, it was met with criticism that not many music fans, especially those in the middle of the country, would appreciate Morrissey, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey and the String Cheese Incident, let alone smaller acts like Broken Social Scene, Sound Tribe Sector 9 and the Dresden Dolls. It was never Farrell's intention to appeal to the lowest common denominator, though.

"I must state that my ambition was never to rip the dollar from the hands of 'pop culture,' " he said. "I'm an enthusiast. I cheer what I consider to be excellent. Mine is to present the alternatives of life that I experience and enjoy. I give people credit for being smart and, at the very least, curious."

The headliners, most of whom were using Lollapalooza to promote recent albums, were left scrambling to set something up in the wake of the tour's demise.

Morrissey, who is currently in London for the two-day Meltdown Festival, may try to fill his summer with sporadic dates in the States, though a full-scale U.S. tour is expected this fall. The same goes for PJ Harvey, though she has a few European festivals to pepper her summer months with. Sonic Youth, who already had several dates scheduled in between their Lollapalooza gigs, will try to add more to their itinerary.

Modest Mouse, who were on tour in Europe when the Lollapalooza announcement was made, are already in the process of lining up a headlining trek, set to begin July 16 in Chico, California. The Flaming Lips plan to go back to Oklahoma to continue work on their long-awaited movie, "Christmas on Mars" (see "Flaming Lips Spew About New Album, Martian Christmas Movie").

As for Farrell, if Lollapalooza remains dormant this year, he plans to go to parties, write a few songs and start thinking about next year's tour.

"Please send the bands you would like to see to Lollapalooza.com," he said.

• Perry Farrell
• Morrissey
• Sonic Youth
• PJ Harvey
• The String Cheese Incident

Dresden Dolls (file)
Photo: 8 Ft. Records

When asked, most bands are uncomfortable explaining their music. That the Dresden Dolls' answer can clock in at nearly five minutes is just one more reason this boy-girl duo is unlike anything else out there.

"It's almost like twisted musical theater," drummer Brian Viglione said. "It's got the absolute drive and the balls of the hardest punk music you could ever see. It's just raw emotion and clever lyrics, with characters and stories and all kinds of great twists and turns, really interesting phrasing and bizarre chord changes, and lots of different melodies countering what is going on."

Rather than relay that mouthful of a description every time, Viglione and singer/pianist Amanda Palmer — who perform wearing a bowler hat and three-piece suit (Viglione) and black, Victorian lingerie (Palmer), both with their faces powdered white — have a simpler response: punk cabaret or, if you prefer a more scholarly take, Brechtian punk cabaret.

"Cabaret is more of a spirit than a style," Palmer said, "especially harkening back to what was happening in the '20s, '30s and '40s. Especially in Weimar [Republic-era] Germany, with [composer] Kurt Weil and [poet/lyricist] Bertold Brecht, who are both huge influences of ours. There was just this spirit that the cabaret was this place to experiment, make commentary and sing satirical, ironic songs. You could play with sexuality and get rowdy."

Weil and Brecht's cabaret theater used then-modern sounds, like jazz and bebop, to craft imaginative ballads that reflected their opinions on society, from gripes over prohibition to protesting Nazism in Germany. While songs from The Dresden Dolls, released in April, don't touch on such weighty topics, there's a lot more to the songs than what's immediately apparent at the surface.

"Coin-Operated Boy" is a hysterical romp about how a wind-up, mechanical boyfriend would be the answer Palmer's prayers, while also commenting on the dynamics, expectations and pressures of a modern relationship. "Missed Me" twists a children's taunt into a psychotic tale of obsession with a toxic target. And "Girl Anachronism," the video for which finds the dramatic Palmer wearing outfits ranging from an elaborate Marie Antoinette get-up to a simple black bra, offers a reason for her awkwardness: She was born at the wrong time.

Viglione was playing in a hardcore-punk band in Arlington, Massachusetts, when he saw Palmer hammering away on a piano in 2000, at, of all things, a Halloween party. The couple jammed together and their chemistry struck them immediately.

Their distinctive look, reminiscent of two Gothic mimes, developed a few months later, after starting as a onetime lark.

"We played with a great group of women in Boston, a group called the Burlesque Revival Association," Viglione explained. "So Amanda brought along some makeup, lingerie and tights. She got into this great get-up and, with a boa, looked like a 1930s hooker. I had my suit, and it just clicked. It felt really natural. And we went to a photo shoot, and we thought to set this little table and a wine bottle and glasses and candles, and the look just clicked."

Music fans looking for something a little left of the mainstream dial can catch the Dresden Dolls on the upcoming Lollapalooza tour. Be forewarned, however: Even though there are just two people onstage, their set is anything but sparse.

"One of the things that drew me to Amanda was the passion and intensity of her playing," Viglione said. "By having just two people up there, there's nothing to get in the way to disperse or dilute the chemistry. People watch us like they do a tennis match. Their heads turn back and forth and a volley sort of happens."

"Think of it like watching a play," Palmer added. "It's a lot more intense to watch two people onstage having an argument than to watch 50 people at a cocktail party."

• The Dresden Dolls

MTV.com Exclusive: The Dresden Dolls Photos

• The Dresden Dolls