Bright Eyes' <i>Cassadaga</i>
Photo: Saddle Creek

Indie-rock fans are scratching their heads as they watch bands like Modest Mouse and the Shins outsell artists like Joss Stone and Marques Houston. But while that seems to be a recent trend, a quick peek back to early 2005 calls to mind Bright Eyes selling 100,000-plus combined copies of their simultaneously released I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn the first week the albums hit stores.

Modest Mouse earned their #1 by selling just 129,000 copies of We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank a couple of weeks ago ... could Bright Eyes be next with Cassadaga? Yes, if 27-year-old ringleader Conor Oberst; mainstays Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott; and visitors M. Ward, Gillian Welch, Tortoise's John McEntire and ex-Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss have anything to say about it.

Oberst touches on Hurricane Katrina, climate change and other topics over the course of the 13 tracks, which include "No One Would Riot for Less," "Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)" and "Coat Check Dream Song." But fans will be even more excited to know that the limited-edition import digipak, while pricey, comes with a set of decoder glasses that illuminate the album cover.

Bright Eyes' identity has historically been a source of confusion, especially in the band's infancy. Oberst has been the only consistent member of the project, which has also embraced various members of BE's label, Saddle Creek. So why not just call it "Conor Oberst & the Blazing Saddles" or something along those lines?

In the spirit of confused identity, here are three brand-new bands whose members are better known than the acts themselves:

Hellyeah: That's what Pantera fans will be yelling this week as Vinnie Paul Abbott gets behind the drums again, joining Chad Gray and Gregg Tribbett of Mudvayne, and Nothingface's Jerry Montano and Tom Maxwell. Perhaps invoking Black Sabbath, whose self-titled debut led off with the song of the same name, Hellyeah's eponymous release also opens with a track called "Hellyeah." The band, which will be part of this year's Family Values Tour, also chips in "Rotten to the Core," "Alcohaulin' Ass" and "Nausea."

Grinderman: Devout fans of disbanded Australian post-punks Birthday Party will be happy to know that frontman Nick Cave is taking a break from tickling the ivories — which he's done for the past few years as a solo performer — and reverting to his raucous ways with this new ensemble. Featuring Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos (who perform with Cave as the Bad Seeds) the band melds no-wave, avant-garde and metal — while somehow retaining Ellis' viola and violin. Look for "Electric Alice," "Love Bomb" and "Depth Charge Ethel."

Terrible Twos: Break out the sippy-cups — Matthew Pryor, formerly of indie faves the Get Up Kids and a current member of the New Amsterdams, has come up with probably the most unlikely project of the bunch. His side band's If You Ever See an Owl ... consists of 15 children's songs — and if you don't believe us, look no further than "We Can All Get Along With Dinosaurs," "When I Get to Eleven" and "Pizza & Chocolate Milk." The album is the first release from Vagrant's Poquito imprint.

There a few more rocks you'll want to overturn this week — here's what's beneath them:

· Yellowcard guitarist Ryan Mendez, Bayside singer/guitarist Anthony Raneri and ex-Stryder singer John Johansen lend support to Pennsylvania pop-punks Punchline on their new one, 37 Everywhere.

· Tom Waits, Mike Watt, David Thomas and other icons give New York's Book of Knots a boost on Traineater, a gloomy reflection on U.S. cities.

· Sufjan Stevens crops up on "Danielson: A Family Movie," a documentary that revolves around far-out indie gospel act Danielson Famile.

· Mastodon, Motörhead, Killer Mike, the Hold Steady and a slew of other acts you wouldn't expect to see on the same CD — not to mention affiliated with an animated program — are featured on Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Colon the Soundtrack.

· Devendra Banhart, Oxbow, Her Space Holiday and Kid 606 cover songs by some of indie-rock's most treasured — and most damaged — art-rockers on Xiu Xiu - Remixed & Covered. The two-disc set closes with a monumental remix — the final track features To Live and Shave in L.A. reworking Xiu Xiu's The Air Force in its entirety.

· Nick Drake gets the covers treatment courtesy pianist Christopher O'Riley on his Second Grace, the Music of Nick Drake.

· Charlotte Martin and BT are featured on Elements of Life, the third studio album by renowned DJ Tiësto.

· Onetime Dismemberment Plan members Jason Caddell and Eric Axelson help Washington, D.C., indie-chamber-pop act Gena Rowlands Band with their Flesh and Spirits.

· Joan of Arc's Tim Kinsella, Town and Country's Ben Vida and others aid Ministry collaborator Chris Connelly on his latest solo disc, The Episodes.

Song Title of the Week:

"Horny in a Hearse" from Nekromantix's Life Is a Grave & I Dig It!

Other Notables:

From Autumn to Ashes' Holding a Wolf by the Ears: Punk bands with dueling singers continue to be all the rage, but what happens when one of them splits? In the case of this band from Long Island, New York, it meant drummer Francis Mark having to say goodbye to the drum set. FATA's fourth album is their first after Mark took command as the group's new frontman following the departure of Ben Perri. Songs include "Deth Kult Social Club," "Sensory Deprivation Adventure" and "A Goat in Sheep's Rosary."

Blonde Redhead's 23: The Italian/Japanese trio enlisted a few big names — including Alan Moulder (U2, Nine Inch Nails) and Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Daniel Powter) — to help record and mix their seventh studio LP. The band is also encouraging fans to remix one of the album's tracks, "Signs Along the Path" — the alternate versions are being posted at BlondeRedhead23.com/remix.php.

Lou Rhodes' Beloved One: The first solo outing by the former Lamb trip-hopper earned her a nomination for the U.K.'s Mercury Prize last year. Now the singer/songwriter's set — much more delicate than her previous works — is hitting the States. Beloved One captures Rhodes' sentiments after she broke up with the father of her two children, moved out of her London house and moved into a van with her kids.

New Releases:

· Army of Me - Citizen (Doghouse) [Buy]
· Bang! Bang! - The Dirt That Makes You Drown (Morphius)
· The Bastard Fairies - Memento Mori (Adrenaline)
· Alvin Batiste - Marsalis Music Honors Alvin Batiste (Marsalis/Rounder)
· Bleed the Dream - Killer Inside (enhanced; Warcon)
· Bless the Fall - His Last Walk (enhanced; Record Collection)
· Blonde Redhead - 23 (4AD)
· The Book of Knots - Traineater (Anti-)
· Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek) [Buy]
Read: "Bright Eyes Slim Down With Single LP, Fatten Up With Loads Of Collabos"
· Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth (Rhymesayers)
· Chayanne - Mi Tiempo (Sony International)
· Chingon - Mexican Spaghetti Western (Adrenaline)
· Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8 (Rebel Group)
· CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (Touch and Go)
· Chris Connelly - The Episodes (Jnana)
· Dubfire - GU31: Taipei (Global Underground)
· Bob French - Marsalis Music Honors Bob French (Marsalis/Rounder)
· From Autumn to Ashes - Holding a Wolf by the Ears (Vagrant) [Buy]
· Gena Rowlands Band - Flesh and Spirits (enhanced; Lujo)
· The Graduate - Anhedonia (Icon)
· Grinderman - Grinderman (Anti-)
· Guster - Satellite (EP; Reprise) [Buy]
· Hellyeah - Hellyeah (Epic)
Read: "Vinnie Paul Returns To Make 'Hellacious' Magic With Hellyeah"
· Jana Hunter - There's No Home (Gnomonsong)· Hutchy - My Time (Ruff Cut)
· Ijahlar - Life (Fire House)
· Bob James - Angels of Shanghai (Koch)
· Limbeck - Limbeck (Doghouse)
· Love of Diagrams - Mosaic (Matador)
· MiG - MiG (Decca)
· The Moog - Sold for Tomorrow (MuSick) [Buy]
· Nathan - Key Principles (Nettwerk)
· Nekromantix - Life Is a Grave & I Dig It! (Hellcat)
· New Atlantic - The Streets, the Sounds, and the Love (Eyeball)
· Night Kills the Day - The Study of Man ... (Score)
· Nostalgia 77 - Everything Under the Sun (Ubiquity)
· Christopher O'Riley - Second Grace, the Music of Nick Drake (World Village)
· Panthers - The Trick (Vice)
· Roxanne Potvin - The Way It Feels (Ruf)
· Rappin' 4-Tay - That's What You Thought (SMC)
· Seven Storey Mountain - At the Poles (Thick)
· Soular - Love Crash Heal (Astonish)
· Teleseen - War (Percepts)
· The Terrible Twos - If You Ever See an Owl ... (Vagrant)
· Tiësto - Elements of Life (Ultra)
· Laura Viers - Saltbreakers (Nonesuch)
· VNV Nation - Judgement (Metropolis)
· Witch's Hat - Mastery of the Steel (Emergency Umbrella)
· XBXRX - Wars (Polyvinyl)
· Jenny Owen Youngs - Batten the Hatches (Nettwerk)
· Various artists - Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Colon the Soundtrack (William Street)
· Various artists - Ed Rec Vol. 2 (Vice)
· Various artists - Xiu Xiu - Remixed & Covered (two CDs; 5 Rue Christine) [Buy]

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:
· Monty Python's Flying Circus - Matching Tie and Handkerchief; Monty Python and the Holy Grail; and Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album (Arista/Legacy)
· Mr. Shadow - A Name You Kan't Touch (Silent Giant)
· Lou Rhodes - Beloved One (Cooking Vinyl)
· Sly & the Family Stone - A Whole New Thing; Dance to the Music; Life; Stand!; There's a Riot Going On; Fresh; Small Talk (digipaks; Epic/Legacy)
· Shearwater - Palo Santo (with bonus CD; Matador)

Music DVDs:
· Fred Eaglesmith - "The Small Beers Tour" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Danielson: A Family Movie" (Image)

Coming Attractions:

April 17:
· Bucky Covington - Bucky Covington (Lyric Street)
· Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing (deluxe limited edition with DVD due same day; RCA) [Buy]
Read: "Don't Know How To Spell 'Avril Lavigne'? Prepare To Be Scolded"
· Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (Nothing) [Preorder]
Read: "Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero Preview: Beginning To Solve The Mystery"

April 24:
· Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino) [Preorder]
· The Nightwatchman - One Man Revolution (Epic)
Read: "Nightwatchman, Rage Reunion Have Morello Fired Up For Political Fights"
· Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (limited-edition version due same day; Atlantic)
Read: "Porcupine Tree's Wilson Talks Complex New LP, Project With Opeth's Akerfeldt"

May 1:
· Tori Amos - American Doll Posse (special edition comes with DVD; Epic) [Preorder]
Read: "Tori Amos Forms Anti-Bush Posse By Mutating Into Greek Goddesses"
· Ne-Yo - Because of You (Def Jam) [Preorder]
Read: "Ne-Yo Getting To Know Jennifer Hudson While He Waits For Britney"
· Various artists - "Spider-Man 3" soundtrack (Record Collection)
Read: " 'Spider-Man 3' Soundtrack Features Killers, Snow Patrol"

• Bright Eyes
• From Autumn To Ashes
• Blonde Redhead
• Army of Me
• The Panthers

Dave Matthews
Photo: Carlo Allegri/ Getty Images

For jam-band enthusiasts, it's become something of an annual tradition. Like backyard barbecues, baseball and lazy days spent soaking up the sun, sand and surf, it just wouldn't be summer without Dave Matthews Band. That's because the band has consistently toured, summer after summer, since 1998. Likewise, the arrival of each spring usually brings with it a slew of amphitheater gigs. It's an unswerving pattern you could set your watch to.

Of course, Matthews isn't one to disappoint his loyal fans — meaning, this summer won't be any different. The rocker will crisscross the U.S. with his namesake band, packing them into one arena after another starting July 8 in Bridgeview, Illinois.

The 36-show run will conclude with a two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl on October 1-2.

A host of support acts — including the Roots, Guster, Stephen Marley, Xavier Rudd, Toots & the Maytals, Umphrey's McGee, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, the Wailers, Robert Earl Keen Jr. and Pete Yorn — has been tapped to join DMB on various dates along the way. Presale tickets will be available to members of the band's fan club, the Warehouse, through April 9, with tickets going on sale to the general public April 21.

But before Dave Matthews Band can explore the 50, they'll be spending much of May in Australia and Europe, where Matthews has lined up several shows with longtime pal Tim Reynolds for late April.

DMB have been working on material for their next studio LP — the band's seventh — which is expected to hit stores before the end of the year. No additional details about the effort have been publicized. The offering follows 2005's platinum Stand Up.

Dave Matthews Band tour dates, according to the band's Web site:

· 7/8 - Bridgeview, IL @ Toyota Park
· 8/1 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
· 8/2 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
· 8/4 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
· 8/5 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
· 8/7 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
· 8/8 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
· 8/10 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
· 8/11 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge
· 8/14 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
· 8/15 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
· 8/17 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
· 8/18 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
· 8/20 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
· 8/22 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
· 8/23 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
· 8/25 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
· 8/26 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
· 8/28 - Bonner Springs, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
· 8/31 - George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
· 9/1 - George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
· 9/2 - George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
· 9/11 - Gainesville, FL @ University of Florida/ Stephen C. O'Connell Center
· 9/12 - Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre
· 9/14 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheatre
· 9/15 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheatre
· 9/18 - Raleigh, NC @ Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek
· 9/19 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
· 9/21 - The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
· 9/22 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Centre
· 9/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
· 9/26 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
· 9/28 - Chula Vista, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
· 9/29 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
· 10/1 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
· 10/2 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

• Dave Matthews Band
• The Roots
• Pete Yorn
• Guster

Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee
Photo: Ray Mickshaw/ Fox

Anyone who watches "American Idol" knows the show has a long list of celebrity fans.

Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, Rebecca Romijn, Rachel Bilson and Tori Spelling are among the famous faces caught by cameras at recent tapings. Even more, though, watch the show like the rest of us on their living room couches with the TiVo remote on near-constant pause to allow for maximum commentary.

Well, we couldn't score an invite to any of those viewing sessions, but we did track down a few celebs who were willing to share their pick for who's going to win this thing. And it appears there's no clear front-runner.

 Jessica Alba
"Katharine is gorgeous and has a great range. She looks like an 'American Idol.' My parents like Taylor. There's a lot of popular musicians or singers that couldn't do a quarter of what those singers do on 'American Idol.' ... I'll make dinner and have my parents and some friends over and we'll watch the show. If my family had a favorite 'American Idol,' Katharine definitely is the most appropriate. I think she can sell records and she has a beautiful voice, beautiful range, and she's a beautiful girl."

 Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy bassist)
"I did watch it in the past, but now I pretty much just watch 'American Inventor.' I watched the guy with the shaved head [Chris Daughtry] get kicked off, and I was like, 'Well, now the guy who looks like George Clooney is probably going to be the guy who wins.' Everyone tells me that he's the top runner, which just boggles my mind."

 Green Day
Singer Billie Joe Armstrong: "I don't know, but I had an idea. I think how America votes on 'American Idol,' the next presidential election they should vote in the same way and have a massive TV show that's once a week that keeps you updated. ... The new way of voting. Screw singers. Let's go for the politicians this time."
Drummer Tre Cool: "That's a good idea, Billie. And for 50 cents a pop, all those calls could pay for all the campaigning."

	Watch the "American Idol" roundtable only on Overdrive
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	Photos Of The 12 Finalists
	Check out everything we've got on "American Idol"

 Tommy Mottola
"It's hard to predict. I think Taylor has this amazing vibe. He's like the ultimate entertainer. He's like a modern-day Huey Lewis and Michael McDonald, and he's got all of that wrapped up in one. Great, great singer, but really a great performer and a great entertainer. And I think Katharine, she has that magical gleam in her eye. She's got an incredible voice and she's got a presence that comes across like 'I could captivate the whole world.' So I think she has huge potential. I think both of them are really big potential stars."

 Papa Roach
Singer Jacoby Shaddix: "Honestly, I like Taylor, the guy with the gray hair. I think he's badass. Is that his name? I think he's tight."
Drummer Dave Buckner: "He sang really good. I saw his audition."

 Jaret Reddick (Bowling for Soup singer)
"I actually called it from the beginning. I don't want to jinx her, so I won't say her name, but I think I know who's going to win. I picked her really, really early on. I think they've given her a hard time every once in awhile, but I think she's a star."

 Sophia Bush ("One Tree Hill")
"I'm in love with McPhee. I think she's great. She's wonderful! Every time she's performed, she's knocked me off my feet."

 Dr. Luke (producer, Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone")
"I like the underdog in Taylor, but there's a lot of like, 'Yeah, wooh.' Not a lot of range. [Katharine's] more of a singer. I feel like I could do more with her than with him, but that's purely selfish reasons."

 Mitch Allan (producer, Bo Bice's "Real World"; former SR-71 singer)
"Taylor's got soul. The guy can sing. I'd work with him in a heartbeat."

 Beverly Mitchell ("7th Heaven")
"I've always been a Katharine McPhee fan. I think she's an amazing performer. She's got a great recording voice, and I think that on those aspects she's a little bit better than Taylor. I like Taylor. He's an amazing performer. I could see Taylor having his own long-lasting show in Vegas. You just want to see him. He's great to hear, but you really just want to see him because he brings such charisma to that stage."

 Chris Styles (producer, 50 Cent's "Disco Inferno")
"I'm going with Taylor. Yo, I liked his energy from the first time I saw him. He looked like an underdog. No one even thought he'd go this far."

 Andrew McMahon (Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate singer)
"Well, all of us in Jack's Mannequin were rooting for Elliott because he is a good friend of our bass player, Dr. J. That being said, I'm pretty sure we've got the McPheever."

 Ryan Miller (Guster singer)
"Even though Taylor had me, the McPheever's gonna take it, because in the end, America knows he's just a wedding singer. And she's purty."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Green Day
• Ciara
• Fall Out Boy
• Papa Roach
• Bowling For Soup

<i>Hustle & Flow</i> Soundtrack
Photo: Atlantic

For new and emerging artists, scoring a spot on a film soundtrack can be the gateway to mainstream recognition. The "Garden State" compilation was singled out for including artists like the Shins, and now the "Hustle & Flow" and "Wedding Crashers" soundtracks will try to follow suit.

T.I., who's releasing the soundtrack for "Hustle & Flow" through his Grand Hustle imprint, hopes the musical accompaniment to the film about a Memphis hustler struggling to make it as a rapper will accurately represent what it's like to live in the South. Featured artists include Mike Jones, Trina, Webbie, P$C and Trillville.

The soundtrack to the Vince Vaughn/ Owen Wilson flick "Wedding Crashers" showcases indie rock, featuring songs by Death Cab for Cutie, Robbers on High Street, Bloc Party and college favorites Guster. There's also an exclusive track from the Flaming Lips and a rendition of "Hava Nagila" by Vaughn, Wilson and the Klezmer Juice Band.

Out Tuesday, July 12:

• A Love Ends Suicide - The Cycle of Hope (Brand Name)
• About the Fire - Six Anthems From the Comfortably Jaded EP (HCNL)
• The Adolescents - O.C. Confidential (Finger)
• All-American Rejects - Move Along (Interscope)

Read:
Buy Now: Move Along (Interscope)

• Michael Andrews - "Me and You and Everyone We Know" soundtrack (Everloving)
• Bronson Arroyo - Covering the Bases (Asylum)
• Astronautalis - You and Yer Good Ideas (Fighting)
• The Bel Airs - Got Love (HighTone)
• Adrian Belew - Side Two (Sanctuary)
• The Black Dahlia Murder - Miasma (Metal Blade)
• Pat Boone - Ready to Rock (Oak)
• Bow Wow - Wanted (Columbia)

Buy Now: Wanted (Columbia)

• Meredith Bragg and the Terminals - Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, Vol. 1 (Kora)
• Paul Brown - The City (GRP)
• Buckshot & 9th Wonder - Chemistry (Duck Down)
• Bury Your Dead - Alive (Victory)
• B.C. Camplight - Hide, Run Away (One Little Indian)
• Capone - Pain, Time & Glory (FastLife)
• Brian Capps - Walk Through Walls (HighTone)
• Brandi Carlile - Brandi Carlile (Red Ink)
• Philip Catherine - Meeting Colours (Dreyfus)
• Circle of Dead Children - Zero Comfort Margin (Willowtip)
• Darkane - Layers of Lies (Nuclear Blast)
• The Decemberists - The Tain EP (Kill Rock Stars)
• Deep Dish - George Is On (Thrive)
• Brett Dennen - Brett Dennen (Flagship)
• Dew-Scented - Issue VI (Nuclear Blast)
• Dipset - Diplomats & DukeDaGod Present: More Than Music (Koch)
• The Domino Kings - Some Kind of Sign (HighTone)
• Down to Nothing - Splitting Headache (Thorp)
• The Dream Is Dead - Hail the New Pawn (Escape Artist)
• Driving East - A Black Eye or a Broken Heart EP (Brand Name)
• Embrace Today - We Are the Enemy (Deathwish)
• The Endless Blockade - Turn Illness Into a Weapon (Sound Pollution)
• Terry Evans - Fire in the Feeling (Valley Entertainment)
• Fabric Live 22 - Scratch Perverts (Fabric)
• Fatty Koo - House of Fatty Koo (Columbia)
• Federation X - Rally Day (Estrus)
• Flipsyde - We the People (Interscope)
• Forensics - Hogback Mountain, Vol. 1 (Magic Bullet)
• Susan Gibson - OuterSpace (For the Records)
• The Giraffes - The Giraffes (Razor & Tie)
• Gorod - Neurotripsicks (Willowtip)
• Gravy Train!!!! - Are You Wigglin? (Kill Rock Stars)
• The Heart Attacks - Heart and Scissor Killers (Brand Name)
• Hot Karl - The Great Escape (Headless Heroes)
• How It Ends - Beloved (Thorp)
• William Hung - Miracle: Happy Summer From William Hung (Koch)
• Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes - Fused (Sanctuary)
• JamisonParker - Sleepwalker (Interscope)
• The Junior Varsity - Wide Eyed (Victory)
• Carole King - The Living Room Tour (Rockingale)
• Kinski - Alpine Static (Sub Pop)
• Jeff Klein - The Hustler (One Little Indian)
• The Knitters - The Modern Sounds of the Knitters (Rounder/Zöe)
• Al Kooper - Black Coffee (Favored Nations)
• Daniel Lanois - Belladonna (Anti/Epitaph)
• Lee Lessack - In Good Company (LML Music)
• Lion Fever - Haunted Water (Dim Mak)
• The Del McCoury Band - The Company We Keep (McCoury Music)
• Metalux - Victim of Space (5 Rue Christine)
• Mixel Pixel - Contact Kid (Kanine)
• The Morells - Think About It (HighTone)
• The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer (Arts & Crafts)
• Natalise - I Came to Play (Collateral Damage)
• Willie Nelson - Countryman (Lost Highway)
• Neon Blonde - Headlines EP (Dim Mak)
• The New York Rifles - Faraway Faster (Empty)
• Nor Am I - Cause Above the Conquest (Brand Name)
• Paul Oscher - Down in the Delta (Blues Fidelity)
• The Oxford Collapse - A Good Ground (Kanine)
• Dave Peck - Good Road (Let's Play Stella)
• Piglet - Lava Land EP (Team Av)
• Poet Name Life - Calm Before the Storm (Immergent)
• Prefuse 73 - Reads the Books EP (Warp)
• Primes - Primes (Action Driver)
• The Quarter After - The Quarter After (Bird Song)
• Recourse - Weakening the Structure (This Dark Reign)
• Röyksopp - The Understanding (Astralwerks)
• Rufio - The Comfort of Home (Nitro)
• The Michael Schenker Group - Heavy Hitters (Cleopatra)
• Sirone - Live (Atavistic)
• Slim Thug - Already Platinum (Geffen)
• Slum Village - Prequel to a Classic (Barak)
• Snow & Voices - Snow & Voices (Bird Song)
• Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot (Transmit Sound/ Legacy)
• Rick Springfield - The Day After Yesterday (Gomer/DKE)
• Statistics - Often Lie (Jade Tree)
• Liz Story - Night Sky Essays (DMI)
• Suzukiton - Service Repair Handbook (Crucial Blast)
• Sweet Honey in the Rock - Raise Your Voice (Rhino)
• Swift - The Absolute Uncontrollable (Tribunal)
• Through the Eyes of the Dead/ The Knife Trade - The Annihilation of Expectation (Lovelost)
• Travers & Appice - Live at the House of Blues (New Media Studio)
• Unto Ashes - Grave Blessings (Projekt)
• Chris Walker - I Know It's Love (Canvas)
• Nick Warren - Shanghai (Global Underground)
• Jaguar Wright - Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul (Artemis)
• Xiu Xiu - La Forêt (5 Rue Christine)
• Zucchero & Co. - Zucchero & Co. (Concord/ Hear Music)
• Various artists - An All Star Tribute to Shania Twain (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Fragile: The Piano Tribute to R.E.M. (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Hands in the Air (Water Music)
• Various artists - Pick This Way: A Bluegrass Tribute to Aerosmith (CMH)
• Various artists - Pickin' on Montgomery Gentry, Vol. 2 (CMH)
• Various artists - The Piano Tribute to John Legend (Vitamin)
• Various artists - "Hustle & Flow" soundtrack (Atlantic)
• Various artists - "March of the Penguins" soundtrack (Milan)
• Various artists - "Stealth" soundtrack (Epic)
• Various artists - "The Cave" soundtrack (Lakeshore)
• Various artists - "The Wedding Crashers" soundtrack (New Line)
• DVD: "Paper Chasers" (Koch)
• DVD: "Crazy Club Chicks: Back From Rehab" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Chris Cunningham - "Rubber Johnny" (Warp)
• DVD: Mickey Gilley - "In Concert" (Goldenlane)
• DVD: Various artists - "Kill Rock Stars Video Fanzine III" (Kill Rock Stars)
• DVD: Various artists - "Tino Vision" (Music Video Distributors)

July 19:

• Frank Black - Honeycomb (Back Porch)

Read: "Frank Black Covers Elvis, Duets With Ex-Wife On Dylanesque Album"
• DMX - Here We Go Again (Ruff Ryders)

Read: "Mase Advises DMX To Rap Again, Wait For The Lord's Call"

July 26:

• Babyface - Grown & Sexy (Arista)
• Jason Mraz - Mr. A-Z (Atlantic)

Read: "Jason Mraz Turns His Tongue-Tripping Surname Into An Asset For Next LP"

August 2:

• Faith Hill - Fireflies (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Penn - Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947 (spinART)

Read: "Free At Last, Michael Penn Attempts A Comeback With Mr. Hollywood Jr."

• The All-American Rejects
• Bow Wow
• T.I.
• Bloc Party
• Willie Nelson

Alanis Morissette (file)
Photo: Maverick

The race for #1 on the next Billboard 200 chart will be a tough one to handicap, as the platinum pack of New Found Glory, Method Man, Lenny Kravitz and Alanis Morissette all have new horses shooting from the gate Tuesday.

New Found Glory's latest, Catalyst, already has some momentum from the single "All Downhill From Here," and they'll be touring on the Vans Warped Tour this summer.

Meanwhile, Method Man enlists the aid of performers Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and RZA for Tical 0: The Prequel, his first studio album since 1999's Blackout!

Lenny Kravitz also returns after a lengthy absence, as the sensual soul-rocker's Baptism marks his first album since 2001's Lenny.

Two tormented singers with somewhat similar names also release albums this week. The heavily hyped Morrissey album You Are the Quarry is the brooding singer's first studio LP since 1997's Maladjusted. And Alanis Morissette's new So-Called Chaos finds the singer equally thoughtful, if somewhat less angst-ridden.

The Streets' A Grand Don't Come for Free follows up 2002's Original Pirate Material. George Michael gets his faith back with Patience, his first album since 1999's Songs From the Last Century, and Tori Amos releases a DVD called "Welcome to Sunny Florida," which includes the bonus CD Scarlett's Hidden Treasures.

Out Tuesday, May 18:

• Alice Donut - Three Sisters (Howler)
• Amen - Death Before Musick (EatURMusic)
• Athlete - Vehicles & Animals (Astralwerks)
• Beyond the Embrace - Insect Song (Metal Blade)
• Johnny Budz - Hit Factory (Tommy Boy)
• Joey Cape and Tony Sly - Acoustic (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Catheters - Howling ... It Grows and Grows!!! (Sub Pop)
• Delays - Faded Seaside Glamour (Rough Trade)
• Dieselboy - The Dungeonmaster's Guide (System)
• André Ethier - Andre Ethier With Christopher Sandes Featuring Pickles & Price (Sonic Unyon)
• The Fever - Red Bedroom (Kemado)
• Fulanito - La Verdad (Cutting)
• Gomez - Split the Difference (Virgin)
• The Good Life - Lovers Need Lawyers (Saddle Creek)
• Guster - Guster On Ice: Live From Portland, Maine (CD/DVD combo, Palm/Reprise)
• Juliana Hatfield - In Exile Deo (Zoe/Rounder)
• Kees Hazevoet - Pleasure (Atavistic/UMS)
• Heavils - Heavilution (Metal Blade)
• Doug Hilsinger with Caroleen Beatty - Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy (DBK Works)
• Gregory Isaacs - Open the Door (Ras)
• Sean Jones - Eternal Journey (Mack Avenue)
• JW-Jones Blues Band - My Kind of Evil (NorthernBlues)
• Lenny Kravitz - Baptism (Virgin)
  Read: "Lenny Kravitz Ditches Funk, Feels Reborn On Baptism"
  Buy Now: Baptism (Virgin)
  
• Jim Lauderdale - Headed for the Hills (DualTone)
• Alvin Lee - In Tennessee (Rainman)
• Michael Lington - Stay With Me (Rendezvous)
• Charlie Mars - Charlie Mars (V2)
• Harvey Mason - With All My Heart (Bluebird)
• McLusky - The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire (Beggars Banquet)
• Mekons - Honky Tonkin' (Quarterstick)
• Method Man - Tical 0: The Prequel (Def Jam)
• George Michael - Patience (Epic)
• Monofader - Frost (Metropolis)
• Montgomery Gentry - You Do Your Thing (Columbia)
• Alanis Morissette - So-Called Chaos (Maverick)
  Buy Now: So-Called Chaos (Maverick)
  
• Morrissey - You Are the Quarry (Sanctuary/Attack)
  Buy Now: You Are the Quarry (Sanctuary/Attack)
  
• Sam Myers - Coming From the Old School (Electro-Fi)
• New Found Glory - Catalyst (Drive Thru/Geffen)
  Read: "New Found Glory Keep It Real In The Face Of Success"
  Buy Now: Catalyst (Drive Thru/Geffen)
  
• The New Year - The End Is Near (Touch and Go)
• Ocean Size - Effloresce (Beggars Banquet)
• OCS - Two (Narnack)
• Paul Oscher - Alone With the Blues (Electro-Fi)
• Paco - This Is Where We Live (Unfiltered)
• Evalyn Parry - Unreasonable (Borealis)
• Piebald - All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time (SideOneDummy)
• Raising the Fawn - The North Sea (Sonic Unyon)
• Rival - State of Mind (Metal Blade)
• Mario Schiano - On the Waiting List (Atavistic/UMS)
• Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere (Sire/Reprise)
• Sixtoo - Chewing on Glass and Other Miracle Cures (Ninja Tune)
• Sleep Station - After the War (Eyeball)
• Slick and the Shock Mob - Product of My Environment (First Kut)
• Sly & Robbie - Riddim — The Best of Sly & Robbie in Dub: 1978 to 1985 (Sanctuary/Trojan)
• Darden Smith - Circo (DualTone)
• The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free (Atlantic)
• Thermals - F---in A (Sub Pop)
• To Rococo Rot - Hotel Morgen (Domino)
• Twiztid - Cryptic Collection 3 (Psychopathic)
• Two Dollar Pistols - Hands Up! (Yep Roc)
• White Boy - No Gray Area (Icee/Big Daddy)
• White Magic - Through the Sun Door (Drag City)
• Various artists - Modern Day Troubadours (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - True Notes Vol. 1 (Okayplayer)
• Various artists - Queer for the Ear: Extreme Makeovers for Disco Dance Classics (VI Music)
• DVD: Tori Amos - "Welcome to Sunny Florida" (includes CD, Epic)
• DVD: Project Pitchfork - "Live 2003" (Metropolis)
• DVD: Busta Rhymes - "Everything Remains Raw" (Eagle Vision)

May 25:

• Everlast - White Trash Beautiful (Island)
• Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (Arista)
  Read: "Avril Lavigne: No Looking Back"
• Slipknot-Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Slipknot Album Preview: More Structured, But Still Programmed To Kill"

June 1:

• Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur (Capitol)
  Read: "Ex-Hole Bassist Follows Orders From The Aliens In Her Head"
  
• Truth Hurts - Ready Now (Pookie)

June 8:

• The Calling - Two (RCA)
  Read: "The Calling Returning With New LP, New Hired Hands"
• Corrs - Borrowed Heaven (Atlantic)
• Gene Simmons - A--hole (Sanctuary)
• Velvet Revolver - Contraband (RCA)
  Read: "Velvet Revolver Album Preview: GN'R + STP = Uphill Battle"

June 22:

• Mobb Deep - Amerikaz Nightmare (Jive)
• Stevie Wonder - A Time 2 Love (Motown)

• New Found Glory
• Method Man
• Lenny Kravitz
• Alanis Morissette
• Morrissey

Guster
Photo: MTV News

SANTA MONICA, California — While not quite equal in scope to Bob Dylan switching to an electric guitar or Metallica cutting their hair, Guster using standard drums has caused a similar uproar among their dedicated fanbase.

On the just-released Keep It Together, the Boston trio all but abandon Brian Rosenworcel's signature bongos and congas in hopes that, as singer/guitarist Ryan Miller puts it, "our good fans will stay with us."

"I feel pretty confident in our artistic decision-making," Miller said. "The process that we went through in all of this, it was all fueled by sort of serving the music and not having rules about how many hands you can play with or what kind of method you have to make music."

"We went into a drum store to buy like, a drum head and I had like, mangled hands and the guy at the drum store was like, 'Have you seen these?' and held up two sticks," Rosenworcel added, joking. "No, it was more of just something we wanted to do for writing. It was really fun and inspiring to play new instruments. Ryan's playing bass, Adam [Gardner]'s playing piano. We're all just trying new things so I think the album just grooves better this way."

Guster's permissive approach, which also included collaborating with other musicians, including Ben Kweller, made the recording process more strenuous than ever.

It also took more than two years to finish Keep It Together, compared to the couple of months spent recording 1999's Lost and Gone Forever, which included the singles "Fa Fa" and "Barrel of a Gun."

"We still keep in touch with [Lost and Gone Forever producer] Steve Lillywhite and he saw us in the middle of the process and I was kind of [down]," Miller recalled. "He was like, 'Ah, the reinvention process, it's a difficult one. It takes two years usually.' And I was like, 'I've been doing this for eight months.' That sucks."

Guster first turned the album in last year, but after taking a few steps back, realized it needed the more uptempo, melody-driven songs the band usually gravitates toward. So, four more songs were written and recorded, including the title track and the first single and video, "Amsterdam."

"It's about your typical guy who's in an emotional state of heartbreak because his girlfriend has moved on to Amsterdam," explained Rosenwercel, who wrote the song the night before it was recorded. "Amsterdam is a metaphor for escape in the song, but it ends up being like a cage."

"It's typical 21st century American imperialism, really," Gardner added, confusing his bandmates.

With the exception of the classic rock ode "Red Oyster Cult" and a few others, Keep It Together is mainly an album about breaking up and moving on.

"Yeah, well, one of the members of the band was going through a break-up at the time and could only write songs about breaking up with the girl. [He] then ran right back to her," Miller explained, talking about himself. "That's the next record; it's called We Kept It Together."

"Our lyrics tend to be pretty cynical and kind of negative and pessimistic, but ironic," Rosenwercel added. "I think actually there are a few songs on this record that are more optimistic that actually aren't sarcastic. The last song is called 'I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today.' Granted, Ben Kweller wrote that lyric."

One of the other optimistic songs, "Keep It Together," inspired the album title, but only after Guster decided the band's favorite song, "Come Downstairs and Say Hello," was too long.

"My mom called me, she's like, 'Are you gonna call your album Going to Town to Get the Hello People?' " Miller said, imitating a confused woman. "I'm like, 'No, I guess we're not.' "

Not that Keep It Together doesn't fit the experience.

"There were definitely moments where we were like, 'Oh my God, where's the light at the end of the tunnel?' " Gardner said. "So it was appropriate for the process of the record and how we were feeling at the time, for sure."

• Guster

Guster
Photo: Danny Clinch

Boston roots-rock trio Guster will break from writing material for their next album to play a six-week tour of colleges and theaters across the country beginning in late March.

Kicking off in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on March 25, the 29-date outing will hit venues ranging from San Francisco's landmark Fillmore theater to small schools, like John Carrol University in Ohio.

As for the follow-up to 1999's Lost and Gone Forever, which included the singles "Fa Fa" and "Barrel of a Gun," percussionist Brian Rosenworcel said the band plans on shaking things up a bit.

"Everyone's feeling a bit ambitious," Rosenworcel wrote on the band's Web site (www.guster.com). "Everyone's trying to play every instrument but their own. We're hoping [the album] will be as much of a musical evolution as our latest ideas hint it may be." Guster's third major-label release will likely hit shelves early next year, a spokesperson for Sire Records said.

The band, which also includes singer/guitarists Ryan Miller and Adam Gardner, formed at Tufts University in the early '90s and gained a nationwide fanbase through relentless touring. Guster's second independent album, Goldfly, was picked up by Sire and featured the haunting single "Airport Song." Guster tour dates, according to Sire:

• 3/25 - Allentown, PA @ Muhlenberg College
• 3/26 - State College, PA @ Penn State University
• 3/30 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
• 3/31 - Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
• 4/2 - Portland, OR @ Roseland
• 4/3 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
• 4/5 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Bricks
• 4/6 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theater
• 4/7 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
• 4/10 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Bar-BQ
• 4/11 - Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room
• 4/12 - St. Louis, MO @ Pageant,
• 4/13 - Nashville, TN @ 328 Performance Hall
• 4/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 4/17 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
• 4/18 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
• 4/19 - Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo
• 4/20 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
• 4/21 - University Heights, OH @ John Carrol University
• 4/23 - Rochester, NY @ Auditorium Center
• 4/25 - Durham, NC @ Duke University
• 4/27 - Durham, NH @ University of New Hampshire
• 4/28 - Medford, MA @ Tufts University (day)
• 4/28 - Storrs, CT @ University of Connecticut (night)
• 5/1 - Burlington, VT @ Flynn Theater
• 5/2 - Albany, NY @ Palace Theater
• 5/3 - New Haven, CT @ Palace Theater
• 5/4 - Towson, MD @ University of Maryland
• 5/5 - Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theater

• Guster

Woodie Awards 2007 Winners and Presenters

• Annie Lennox
• Q-Tip
• Fall Out Boy
• Talib Kweli
• Motion City Soundtrack