Chamillionaire's <i>Ultimate Victory</i>
Photo: Motown

Twenty-four years ago Tuesday (September 18), Kiss went on MTV and unmasked themselves for the first time. The stunt coincided with the band's Lick It Up LP and had fans of the glam-rockers salivating all over again. So in commemoration of that revealing day, here are this week's new releases, unmasked.

Resurrecting the Cham-P: It's unlikely Chamillionaire will be ridin' his way to the top of the Billboard albums chart anytime soon, given the sales aftershocks that are likely to result after last week's epic showdown between Kanye West and 50 Cent. But that isn't to say the Houston rapper didn't try to live up to the title of his second album, Ultimate Victory — Lil Wayne, Devin the Dude and UGK's Bun B and Pimp C all rear their heads on the effort, as does Slick Rick, who is featured on the lead single, "Hip Hop Police." But that track hasn't made a huge impact at radio, so maybe the MC should start thinking in terms of thousands and not millions ...

Let's Be Blunt: But Cham isn't the only one sweating the sophomore slump this week — James Blunt has even more to measure up to with All the Lost Souls. That album chases 2004's Back to Bedlam, which went twice platinum in the U.S. and had an even bigger impact elsewhere in the world. The album's collage cover is comprised by hundreds of small images of Blunt, but the negative reviews the LP has been garnering might be even more dizzying for the artist.

Oh, H.I.M.: Moody Finnish goth-rockers H.I.M. might surprise everyone by making Venus Doom the highest-charting Billboard debut among this week's contenders — despite such gloomy songs as "Dead Lovers' Lane," "Sleepwalking Past Hope" and "Love in Cold Blood." The group's latest LP has fewer keyboards than previous releases, and the limited-edition version comes with a DVD boasting remixes and more.

From Them 2U: It's been almost 10 years since U2 stirred a sports stadium full of fans at Mexico City's Foro Sol venue, so what better time to revisit the landmark event with a spiffy new DVD? "PopMart Live From Mexico City" is hitting the format for the first time and has been shined up with revitalized video and audio. A special limited-edition version takes it one step further by adding a bonus disc with unreleased concert material, plus four documentaries, a tour-visuals montage, wallpapers, screensavers and more.

That's a Rap: Speedy MC Twista roped Pharrell onto "Give It Up," the first single from his seventh studio album, Adrenaline Rush 2007 — but he also convinced R. Kelly, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Cee-Lo, E-40, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Kanye West to lend their skills as well. Mobb Deep's Havoc went the underground route for The Kush, his solo debut, going light on featured artists and crafting the project on his own. Beyond his Mobb mate Prodigy, "I did not want a bunch of big stars on [The Kush], as it would have taken away from the real objective of the LP, which is grimy and down to earth." Watch him clue in MTV News' Shaheem Reid about the disc:

Also this week, there's a raft of artists cropping up in places you wouldn't expect, and a few more under-the-radar surprises too:

· Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazzarra, Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, Cartel's Will Pugh and Lisa Loeb (!) help New Found Glory burn through their favorite soundtrack songs on From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II.

· Justin Timberlake and Kelly Clarkson pay unexpected visits on Reba McEntire's Duets — the country singer's 25th album, impressively.

· Jay-Z gets an unexpected shout-out on "What Would Jay-Z Do?," a track featured on the new album by Ben Lee. Ripe, the singer/songwriter's sixth opus, also bristles with guest spots by Benji Madden, Mandy Moore, Rachael Yamagata and more. (Let's see how Lee's Ripe fares against Alvin Lee's Saguitar.)

· Elvis Costello chalks up a surprise cover of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" while Sarah McLachlan touches up XTC's "Dear God" on the "House" soundtrack. Even more eyebrows will be raised when people hear a cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" that features the show's star, Hugh Laurie, performing alongside Greg Grunberg ("Heroes"), Bob Guiney ("The Bachelor") and more.

· Speaking of TV stars taking to the mic, Rosie O'Donnell does a duet of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Barry Manilow on his The Greatest Songs of the Seventies. OK, that one might be too much for anyone to handle.

· Eddie Vedder steps away from Pearl Jam for a sec to conjure up the soundtrack to Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" flick — "no other voice flows, bleeds or rejoices the young American's land and heart so passionately as Vedder's," Penn said in a statement.

· Babyface is using his 11th album, Playlist, as an opportunity to reimagine some of his favorite songs — and they're probably not what you'd expect. Kenny Edmonds puts his R&B polish on Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" and Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle," among other selections.

· Angie Stone and Anthony Hamilton share their gifts with urban-jazz saxophonist Boney James on his Christmas Present.

· Carlos Santana and — sure, why not? — actor Andy Garcia surface on Gloria Estefan's 90 Millas.

· Celtic punks the Dropkick Murphys go green on their The Meanest of Times LP, reining in the Pogues' Spider Stacy and former Dubliners singer/guitarist Ronnie Drew.

Song Title of the Week:

"Slash in the Snake Pit" from Pre's Epic Fits

Album Cover of the Week:

Drug Rug's Drug Rug

Other Notables:

Kevin Drew's Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If ...
Don't be confused by all those guest spots by Broken Social Scene members and affiliates — this is in fact a solo release by the Toronto collective's frontman. Recorded at Do Make Say Think multi-instrumentalist Ohad Benchetrit's house over the past two years when BSS were on break from touring, the songs are more stripped down than the ones typically found on the band's releases. Also participating in the affair are Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, Scott Kannberg (Pavement), Metric's Joules Scott-Key and more.

Les Savy Fav's Let's Stay Friends
The colorful New York post-punks barrel back with their first album since 2001's Go Forth, bringing some unlikely homies along for the ride: "Saturday Night Live" actor Fred Armisen, who plays drums on two tracks, plus fellow arty spazz-outs Enon, Metric's Emily Haines and members of Modest Mouse, Fiery Furnaces and more. The album, which leaked online last month, features "The Year Before the Year 2000," "What Would Wolves Do?" and "Scotchguard the Credit Card."

Rogue Wave's Asleep at Heaven's Gate
After releasing two albums on Sub Pop, the Bay Area indie-rockers hopped over to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Recordings for their third one, which was produced by Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney). The band's music has been featured on "Heroes," "Weeds" and other TV shows, but lineup changes, health problems and other developments have tripped up the band a bit lately. Maybe this album — and its guest appearances, including ones by John Vanderslice and Nada Surf's Matthew Caws — will help get Rogue Wave flowing smoothly again.

New Releases:

· A Life Once Lost - Iron Gag (Ferret)
· A.A. Bondy - American Hearts (digipak; Superphonic)
· Ahleuchatistas - Even in the Midst ... (Cuneiform)
· Akron Family - Love Is Simple (with DVD; Young God)
· A-Sides - Silver Storms (digipak; Vagrant)
· Sérgio & Odair Assad - Jardim Abandonado (Nonesuch)
· Athletic Automaton - A Journey Through Roman's Empire (Skin Graft)
· Babyface - Playlist (Mercury) [Buy Now]
· Bella - No One Will Know (Mint)
· Between the Buried and Me - Colors (Victory)
· James Blunt - All the Lost Souls (Custard/Atlantic) [Buy Now]
· Doyle Bramhall - Is It News (Yep Roc)
· Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory (Motown) [Buy Now]
Read: "Chamillionaire Ditches Bad Attitude; Hooks Up With Snoop, Busta For LP"
· Alison Chesley - Helen Money (available at MusicStem.com; self-release)
· Cipes and the People - Conscious Revolution (KG2 Music)
· Billy Clyro - Puzzle (Roadrunner)
· Dan Colehour - Straight to the Highway (digipak; MCA Nashville)
· The Donnas - Bitchin' (Purple Feather) [Buy Now]
· Kevin Drew - Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If ... (Arts & Crafts)
· Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest of Times (Born & Bred) [Buy Now]
· Drug Rug - Drug Rug (Black & Greene)
· Gloria Estefan - 90 Millas (Sony BMG/ Burgundy)
· Jeremy Fisher - Goodbye Blue Monday (Wind-Up)
· Flugente - Flugente (Mootron)
· Four Year Strong - Rise or Die Trying (I Surrender)
· Mary Gauthier - Between Daylight and Dark (Lost Highway)
· Tom Gillam - Never Look Back (Burnside Distribution Corporation)
· The Grey Race - Give It Love (Unfiltered)
· Gringo Star - Gringo Star (EP; self-release)
· Hard-Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
· Havoc - The Kush (Nature Sounds) [Buy Now]
· Health - Health (Lovepump United)
· Hezekiah - I Predict a Riot (Rawkus/Soulspazm)
· High on Fire - Death Is Our Communion (Relapse)
· H.I.M. - Venus Doom (limited edition comes with bonus DVD; Sire) [Buy Now]
· Holler, Wild Rose! - Our Little Hymnal (Backlight)
· Jesca Hoop - Kismet (Red Ink)
· Hope Waits - Hope Waits (Radarproof)
· Jana Hunter - Carrion (Gnomonsong)
· Michael Hurley - Ancestral Swawp (Gnomonsong)
· Boney James - Christmas Present (Concord)
· The Jazz June - The Scars to Prove It (comes with DVD; MVD Audio)
· Robert Leo Johnson and Gregg Bendian - Who Knew Charlie Shoe? (Cuneiform)
· Kids in the Way - Love Hate Masquerade (Flicker)
· Mark Knopfler - Kill to Get Crimson (Warner Bros.)
· Jim Lauderdale - The Bluegrass Diaries (Yep Roc)
· Christine Lavin - Happydance of the Xenophone (Yellow Tail)
· Alvin Lee - Saguitar (Rainman)
· Ben Lee - Ripe (New West) [Buy Now]
· Leiana - No Going Back (Page)
· Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends (French Kiss)
· The Lucky Tomblin Band - Red Hot From Blue Rock (with DVD; Texas World)
· Magnet - The Simple Life (Filter)
· Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs of the Seventies (deluxe-edition DualDisc due same day; Arista)
· Mannequin Men - Fresh Rot (Flameshovel)
· Carolyn Mark - Nothing Is Free (Mint)
· Jonah Matranga - And (Limekiln)
· Reba McEntire - Duets (MCA Nashville)
· Metro Station - Metro Station (Red Ink)
· Ingrid Michaelson - Girls & Boys (Red/ Original Signal)
· Ministry - The Last Sucker (13th Planet/ Megaforce) [Buy Now]
· Pat Monahan - Last of Seven (Columbia)
· Thurston Moore - Tress Outside the Academy (Ecstatic Peace)
· Mother and the Addicts - Science Fiction Illustrated (Chemikal Underground)
· Motion City Soundtrack - Even If It Kills Me (Epitaph) [Buy Now]
· Mt. St. Helens - Of Others (Two Thumbs Down)
· New Found Glory - From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II (Drive-Thru) [Buy Now]
· Plasticines - LP1 (Caroline)
· Pre - Epic Fits (Skin Graft)
· The Project - The Truth Today (Amalgam)
· Radio Massacre International - Rain Falls in Grey (Cuneiform)
· Rammstein - Volkerball (with DVD; Interscope)
· Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate (Brushfire) [Buy Now]
· Schoolyard Heroes - Abominations (Stolen Transmission)
· John Scofield - This Meets That (Emarcy)
· Jake Shimabukuro - My Life (EP; Hitchhike)
· Alina Simone - Placelessness (54º 40' or Fight!)
· Sleeping States - There the Open Spaces (Misra)
· Strings of Consciousness - Our Moon Is Full (Central Control)
· Sultan - Yoshitoshi Montreal Mixed by Sultan (Yoshitoshi)
· Th' Legendary Shack Shakers - Swampblood (Yep Roc)
· Thousand Foot Krutch - The Flame in All of Us (Tooth & Nail)
· Time of Orchids - Namesake Caution (Cuneiform)
· KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic (deluxe edition with DVD available same day; Virgin) [Buy Now]
· Twista - Adrenaline Rush 2007 (Atlantic)
Read: "Twista Raps For 'My People In My 'Hood' On New LP With R. Kelly, Pharrell"
· Matt White - Best Days (Geffen)
· Zerobridge - Havre de Grace (EP; Third Life)
· Various artists - Healing Force: The Songs of Albert Ayler (Cuneiform)
· Various artists - The Simpsons: Testify (Shout! Factory)
· Various artists - "Across the Universe" soundtrack (Interscope)
· Various artists - "House" soundtrack (Nettwerk)
· Various artists - "Into the Wild" soundtrack (J)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Bee Gees - Greatest (two CDs; Reprise) [Buy Now]
· John Coltrane - Interplay (five-CD box set; Prestige)
· The Crystal Method - Vegas - Deluxe Edition (two CDs; Geffen/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Emmylou Harris - Songbird: Rare tracks & Forgotten Gems (box set with four CDs and one DVD; Rhino)
· Kurious Jorge - A Constipated Monkey (Amalgam)
· Diana Krall - The Very Best of Diana Krall (Verve)
· Various artists - Song of America (three CDs; Spiritrock/Thirty One Tigers)

Music DVDs:

· Deep Purple - "In Concert With the London Symphony Orchestra" (Eagle Rock)
· DJ Krush - "History of DJ Krush" (three-DVD box set; Red Ink)
· D.O.A. - "Smash the State: The Raw Original D.O.A. 1978-81" (Sudden Death)
· Marianne Faithfull - "Dreaming My Dreams" (Eagle Rock)
· Marvin Gaye - "Greatest Hits: Live in '76" (Eagle Rock) [Buy Now]
· David Gilmour - "Remember That Night: Live at the Royal Albert Hall" (Columbia)
· Roger Hodgson - "Take the Long Way Home: Live in Montreal" (Eagle Vision)
· Bert Jansch - "Fresh as a Sweet Sunday Morning: Live at Sheffield Memorial Hall" (MVD Visual)
· Elton John - "Someone Like Me" (Eagle Rock) [Buy Now]
· Dennis Locorriere - "Unique Voice of Dr. Hook: Hits and History Tour Live" (MVD Visual)
· Pink Floyd - "The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story - Deluxe Edition" (two DVDs; MVD Visual) [Buy Now]
· The Polyphonic Spree - "Live From Austin TX" (New West)
· U2 - "PopMart Live From Mexico City" (limited edition come with bonus DVD; Island/Interscope/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Vital Remains - "Evil Death Live" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "The 25th Anniversary of the Marquee Club" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "All My Loving" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Selena" (with bonus DVD; Warner Home Video)

Digital Releases:

· Edit - Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)
· Bo Diddley - I'm a Man: The Chess Masters (Hip-O-Select)
· Plastique De Reve - Jeux Sans Frontieres (Kitty-Cuts)

Coming Attractions:

September 25:
· Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (RCA) [Preorder]
Read: "Dave Grohl May Be Fond Of String Quartets, But Foo Fighters Haven't Gone Soft"
· PJ Harvey - White Chalk (Island) [Preorder]
· Hell Rell - For the Hell of It (Koch)

October 2:
· Dashboard Confessional - The Shade of Poison Trees (digipak; Vagrant) [Preorder]
· J. Holiday - Back of My Lac (Capitol) [Preorder]
· Soulja Boy - Souljaboytellem.com (Interscope) [Preorder]

October 9:
· Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus (Atlantic) [Preorder]
· Jennifer Lopez - Brave (Epic) [Preorder]
· She Wants Revenge - This Is Forever (Geffen) [Preorder]

• Chamillionaire
• H.I.M. (His Infernal Majesty)
• U2
• James Blunt
• Twista

Bobby Valentino's <i>Special Occasion</i>
Photo: Def Jam

With everyone still reeling from Saturday's riveting de la Hoya/ Mayweather match — we wanted more blood, but UFC has been spoiling us — what better time for another edition of New Releases face-offs? Here are the record-bin battles you can expect to see this week:

Calling Timbaland - Fight for the Crown: Bobby Valentino's Special Occasion vs. Björk's Volta
>>> The Mississippi R&B singer made a stunningly auspicious debut with his 2005 eponymous LP, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard albums chart. Valentino has invited even more friends to his new Special Occasion — Timbaland ("Anonymous"), Fabolous ("Let Him Go") and Ludacris ("Rearview [Ridin']") among them. Also featured is a cover of Babyface's "Soon as I Get Home," as well as a boatload of hit-making producers and songwriters: Sean Garrett, Bryan Michael-Cox, Dre & Vidal, Timbaland and Rodney Jerkins.

>>> Björk's Volta is also spewing with collaborators, chiefly producer Timbaland, who is behind three of the tracks: "Earth Intruders," "Innocence" and "Hope." With Antony Hagerty of Antony and the Johnsons duetting on two songs — "The Dull Flame of Desire" and "My Juvenile" — plus a 10-piece brass section, a band from the Congo and other diverse guests, Björk is ready to break out. That her last studio LP, 2004's Medúlla, was her highest-charting one yet in the U.S. only helps poise her for even greater success.

As Not Seen on TV - The "Idol" Contest: Paris Bennett's Princess P vs. Paula Abdul's Greatest Hits: Straight Up!
>>> While Jordin, LaKisha, Blake and Melinda keep hashing out on season six of "American Idol," one of last year's contenders doesn't want you to forget about her. Fifth-place finisher Bennett has at last dished up her solo debut, named after the nickname Ryan Seacrest endowed her with during the competition. Adding even more frothy "Idol" goodness is a guest spot by fellow contender Kevin Covais on "Let Me Rap"; other tracks on the LP, partly produced by Rodney Jerkins, include "All Hail the Princess," "Burnt Up" and "Get Bizzy."

>>> Meanwhile, "Idol" judge Abdul doesn't want you to forget that she's got pipes of her own — her Greatest Hits: Straight Up! bundles together 18 selections by the Grammy-winning singer, including "Opposites Attract," "Forever Your Girl" and "Rush, Rush." The clips for her six #1 singles are also coming out this week, so be on the lookout for MC Skat Kat.

A Bone to Pick - The Rap Battle: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Strength & Loyalty vs. Bone Brothers' Bone Brothers 2
>>> Cleveland's Thugs have clocked roughly 40 million CDs sold worldwide, but they've been on the wane lately — last year's Thug Stories barely scraped the top 25 on the Billboard albums chart. But with a new label — they were on Koch but now call Interscope home — and a litany of high-profile peeps lending support (Mariah, Akon, Bow Wow, Swizz Beatz, Will.I.Am), the now-trio are aiming a bit higher. The Best Buy edition of Strength & Loyalty, originally called The Bone Thugs Story, has the exclusive cut "Just Vibe," while Hastings Entertainment's version features an exclusive "I Tried" remix.

>>> While those guys are hoping for a resurgence, two other bros — founding members Bizzy Bone and Layzie Bone — have a few things of their own to say with Bone Brothers 2. While Layzie has kept it real with Bone Thugs, Bizzy has since been ousted — which should make the first song on their LP, "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony," pretty interesting. Also featured is "We Are Warriors," "Thugs Need Luv" and "Bone Thug 4 Life."

Lest You Forget - Vying in the Vaults: Elliott Smith's New Moon vs. H.I.M.'s And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004
>>> Smith fans got a raft of unreleased material with 2004's From a Basement on the Hill, which culled 15 songs the singer/songwriter was on the verge of releasing before he passed away in 2003. Digging a little deeper, his label Kill Rock Stars has chalked up 24 more songs he recorded from 1994 to 1997, including "Looking Over My Shoulder," "All Cleaned Out" and an early version of "Miss Misery." Let's just pray that this is the final word on Smith and that his estate doesn't plunder the vaults ad nauseum à la Jeff Buckley's.

>>> While New Moon showcases material up through 1997, Finnish goth gushers H.I.M. begin at that year and take their best-of set through 2004. The band pours its heartagrams out on two new songs, "And Love Said No" and a cover of — yes, they really did it — Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man." Fans pining for more unreleased material can hold their collective breath for two weeks, when Uneasy Listening Vol. 2 hits stores.

Ahoy, Mateys — Battle on the High Seas: The Sea and Cake's Everybody vs. Sea Wolf's Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low
>>> While Chicago indie cognoscenti Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt and John McEntire are always rearing their heads in one form or another — via side projects, collaborations, etc. — it's taken them four long years to crank out another opus. This one marks the first time in the band's 14-year history that it's looked outward for production help — the honors go to Brian Paulson (Wilco, Slint). Songs include "Up on Crutches," "Middlenight" and "Introducing."

>>> Look deeper in the underground ocean and you'll find Sea Wolf, who got their handle from the Jack London book of the same name. Roaming California troubadour Alex Brown Church is actually the man at the heart of the band, and he sews together guitar, cello and other lush sounds for his five-song debut EP. "You're a Wolf," "The Garden You Planted" and "I Don't Know if I'll Be Back This Time" are featured on the disc, which is issued by the red-hot Dangerbird Records (Silversun Pickups, All Smiles).

Yo Momma - Family Feud: Mother Mother's Touch Up vs. Mothernight's Mothernight
>>> Last Gang Records — which brought you Metric and Death From Above 1979 — rolls out the carpet for its latest hopefuls, Vancouver, British Columbia's jazz- and classical-influenced popsmiths Mother Mother. Better yet, they really are a family affair — singer/guitarist Ryan Guldemond is the brother of singer Molly. Their first set was produced by New Pornographers collaborator Howard Redekopp and features "Polynesia," "Oh Ana" and "Ball Cap."

>>> Also being introduced are Mothernight, an industrial-metal band from Warsaw that sounds nothing like the above. Fronted by Freya, the four-piece found a strange time to put out its maiden release — after all, Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote a book called "Mother Night" died less than a month ago. The song titles featured on Touch Up, however, don't quite mesh with Vonnegut's dark comedy — among them are "Someone to Feed On," "Shadowsblack" and "Infect Your Soul."

Song Title of the Week:

"Crackle Rotcha Tee Thout" from Chasing Victory's Fiends

Other Notables:

Lavender Diamond's Imagine Our Love
These country folksters have been making some pleasant noise in their Los Angeles hometown and beyond lately, and Matador is hoping they become the label's next Belle & Sebastian or New Pornographers. Giving Lavender Diamond — who are led by cool singer Becky Stark — an extra boost is their recent performance at South by Southwest, overseas deal with Rough Trade and recent tour with the Decemberists.

The Mary Timony Band's The Shapes We Make
Timony's former band Helium were one of Matador's key '90s linchpins, as a matter of fact, but after many subsequent years of obscurity, she's hoping to rebound with this release produced by Jawbox's J. Robbins. Timony enlists keyboards, banjos, analog synths, the melotron, viola, and even an old Casio PT1 for the LP, which was crafted in Robbins' Baltimore studio and Timony's attic studio in her Washington, D.C., home.

Wooden Stars' People Are Different
This Canadian band nabbed the Juno Award for Best Alternative Album for its collaborative effort with Julie Doiron in 2000 — and it celebrated the prize by disbanding for four years. Now the Wooden Stars are shining bright again with their first release in eight years, which sounds something like XTC jamming with the Clash. If these guys can count the Arcade Fire among their fans, surely they can count you as well.

New Releases:

· Keren Ann - Keren Ann (Blue Note)
· The Bad Plus - Prog (Heads Up)
· Bassnectar - Underground Communication (Om)
· The Bellamy Brothers - Jesus Is Coming (Curb)
· Paris Bennett - Princess P (306)
Read: "Idols Now: Paris Bennett Debut Includes Rapper ... Kevin Covais?"
· Steve Bertrand - Pain Is a Megaphone (enhanced; Icon)
· Björk - Volta (Atlantic) [Buy]
Read: "Tsunami, Timbaland Help Shape Bjork's Forthcoming Volta"
· Bone Brothers - Bone Brothers 2 (Real Talk/ Koch)
· Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Strength & Loyalty (Full Surface/ Interscope) [Buy]
Read: "Bone Thugs Dropping Two New LPs; Second Disc To Feature Dre, Kanye, Mariah"
· The Boggs - Forts (Gigantic) [Buy]
· The Brakes - The Beatific Visions (enhanced; Rough Trade)[Buy]
· The Breakers - Here for a Laugh (Funzalo)
· The Brokedowns - New Brains for Everyone (Thick)
· Chanticleer - And on Earth, Peace: A Chanticleer Mass (Warner Classics)
· Chasing Victory - Fiends (Mono vs Stereo)
· Circus - Labertino (Locomotive)
· The Clientele - God Save the Clientele (Merge)
· Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings (Carpark)
· Linda Draper - Keepsake (Planting Seeds)
· Earthless - Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky (Tee Pee) [Buy]
· Edge of Dawn - Enjoy the Fall (Metropolis)
· Electrelane - No Shouts No Calls (Too Pure)
· DJ Encore - Unique (Koch)
· The Exies - A Modern Way of Living With the Truth (Eleven Seven)
· Fields - Everything Last Winter (Atlantic)
· Scott Fisher & 1 a.m. Approach - Step Into the Future (1 a.m. Approach)
· Foreverinmotion - The Beautiful Unknown (111)
· Sage Francis - Human the Death Dance (Epitaph)
· Lisa Gerrard - Silver Tree (High Wire)
· Goon Moon - Licker's Last Leg (Ipecac)
· Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara (Nettwerk)
· Harper - Day by Day (Blind Pig)
· Dave Hole - Rough Diamond (Blind Pig)
· The Ike Reilly Assassination - We Belong to the Staggering Evening (Rock Ridge)
· Jackiem Joyner - Babysoul (ARTizen)
· Kotipelto - Serenity (Candlelight)
· Jimmy LaFave - Cimarron Manifesto (Red House)
· Lavender Diamond - Imagine Our Love (digipak; Matador)
· Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio - Terminal Valentine (Atavistic)
· Hamilton Loomis - Ain't Just Temporary (Blind Pig)
· Lord Belial - Revelation (Regain)
· Maxïmo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures (Warp)
· Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours - Trailercana (DPR)
· Mother Mother - Touch Up (Last Gang)
· Mothernight - Mothernight (Locomotive)
· Mystery Jets - Zootime (Dim Mak)
· Neon Horse -- Neon Horse (Tooth & Nail)
· New Years Day - My Dear (enhanced; TVT)
· No Second Troy - Narcotic (None)
· Page France - Page France and the Family Telephone (Suicide Squeeze)
· Chuck Ragan - Los Feliz (Side One Dummy)
· Rush of Fools - Rush of Fools (Midas)
· Sage Francis - Human the Death Dance (Epitaph)
· The Sea and Cake - Everybody (Thrill Jockey)
· Sea Wolf - Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low (EP; angerbird)
· Richard Shindell - South of Delia (self-release)
· The Stranger's Six - A Date With Daylight (Orange Peal)
· Barbra Streisand - Live in Concert 2006 (two CDs; Columbia)
· Tarwater - Spider Smile (Morr)
· The Mary Timony Band - The Shapes We Make (Kill Rock Stars)
· Travis - The Boy With No Name (Epic)
· Bobby Valentino - Special Occasion (Def Jam) [Buy]
Read: "Bobby Valentino Looks Out For The Ladies With New Album, Jean Line"
· The Voyces - Kissing Like It's Love (Planting Seeds)
· Wax Tailor - Hope & Sorrow (Decon)
· Weatherbox - American Art (Doghouse)
· Wooden Stars - People Are Different (Sonic Unyon)
· Shannon Wright - Let in the Light (Quarterstick)
· Yacht - I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real. (Marriage)
· Various artists - New Arrivals, Vol. 2 (MPress)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:
· Paula Abdul - Greatest Hits: Straight Up! (Virgin/EMI) [Buy]
· The Coasters - The Definitive Soul Collection (Rhino) [Buy]
· Easy Rider - Lo Mejor de Easy Rider (Locomotive)
· The Heptones - Sweet Talking (Heartbeat/Rounder) [Buy]
· H.I.M. - And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004 (Universal Republic)
· Jethro Tull - The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull (Capitol/EMI)
· Carole King - Love Makes the World - Deluxe Edition (two CDs; Rockingale)
· KMFDM - Adios and Symbols (Metropolis)
· Dave Mason - Live at XM Satellite Radio - The Deluxe Edition (Friday Music)
· Master P - Ghetto D - 10th Anniversary Edition (two CDs; Priority)
· Radiohead - Com Lag (2Plus2IsFive) (enhanced EP; Capitol) [Buy]
· The Rascals - The Definitive Pop Collection (Rhino)
· Leo Sayer - The Definitive Pop Collection (Rhino)
· Elliott Smith - New Moon (two CDs; Kill Rock Stars) [Buy]
· Terry Strafford - Say, Has Anyone Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose (Koch)
· Tankard - Disco Destroyer (Locomotive)
· Dale Watson - The Little Darlin' Sessions (Koch)

Music DVDs:
· John Coltrane - "Trane Tracks: The Legacy of John Coltrane" (Jazz Movie Classics) [Buy]
· Dinosaur Jr. - "Live in the Middle East" (Image)
· The Knack - "On Stage at World Cafe Live" (Decca)
· Living Colour - "On Stage at World Cafe Live" (Decca)
· Rhett Miller - "On Stage at World Cafe Live" (Decca)
· David Poe - "On Stage at World Cafe Live" (Decca)
· Baden Powell - "Self Portrait - 1990" (DRG)
· Rainbow - "Up Close and Personal" (with book; Hurricane)
· Spooky Tooth - "Nomad Poets - Live in Germany 2004" (Koch)
· Thin Lizzy - "Up Close and Personal" (with book; Hurricane)
· Grover Washington Jr. - "Live From Atlantic City" (Immortal)

Coming Attractions:

May 15:
· Megadeth - United Abominations (Roadrunner) [Preorder]
· Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight (Warner Bros.) [Preorder]
Read: "Linkin Park Finish Apocalyptic Album, Revive Projekt Revolution Tour"
· Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (enhanced; Nonesuch) [Preorder]

May 22:
· Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life (with bonus DVD; Hellcat)
· The Bravery - The Sun and the Moon (Island) [Preorder]
· KRS-One and Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives (Koch)
· Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long (Octone) [Preorder]
Read: "Maroon 5 Back With 'Harder' Album After Adam Levine Gets Sick Of Partying"
· Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain (Epic)

May 29:
· Les Claypool - "Fancy" DVD (Prawn Song) [Preorder]
· Danzig - The Lost Tracks of Danzig (two CDs; Megaforce) [Preorder]
Read: "Glenn Danzig Preps 'Final' Tour, Film, Box Set And, Uh, Dolls"
· R. Kelly - Double Up (Jive) [Preorder]
Read: "New R. Kelly LP Includes Akon, Jeezy, 'Flirt' — But No 'Closet' Till July"

• Bobby Valentino
• Björk
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• Paris Bennett
• Elliott Smith