Not a lot out there this week. In addition to these, the most noteworthy re-releases are Sad Days, a re-issue of New York band Alice Texas' 2003 sophomore effort on Fargo; six late 80s/early 90s Aerosmith albums and five 80's Pat Metheny Group albums on Universal Japan; Great George Jones and Great Mahalia Jackson on Rajon; and a pair of 1990's Maria Muldaur albums, Meet Me At Midnite and Louisiana Love Call, on Shout Factory. Other noteworthy released include:

     

They Might Be Giants: User's Guide To They Might Be Giants (Rhino; May 3, 2005) ****
Cheepskates: It Wings Above (Manic Music; May 3, 2005) ****
Tim Hardin: Bird On A Wire (Sony Japan; May 3, 2005) ***
Deep Purple: Burn [Bonus Tracks] (Rhino, May 3, 2005) ****

They Might Be Giants: User's Guide To They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants, from New York City, is one of those bands you either love or hate. Their wry, quirky, nerdy brand of humor and their immense catalog of what are essentially novelty tunes can be pretty funny, and they back it up with unusually canny and musicianly experimentation. However, a little of it goes a long way, the same way funny nerds are likable in small doses, before they start to grate. In short, exactly the type of band that anthologies suit well, and A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants is a typically well-packaged effort from Rhino to provide the first career-spanning single disc retrospective on this long-lived, prolific duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell. As an overview, its 29 tracks (most under 2 minutes) focus on their poppier, most accessable work, including the well-known "Don't Let's Start," "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," "Birdhouse in Your Soul," and "Ana Ng", and a wise assortment of lesser-known nuggets, representing the gamut of their styles. Probably the best way for newcomers to acquaint themselves with They Might Be Giants without having to dig through two decades worth of releases.

Cheepskates: It Wings Above

Cheepskates, led by Shane Faubert, were part of the garage-band revival movement on the East Coast in the early-mid 80's. They released a pair of albums on Midnight records in 1984 and 1986 as a quartet before changing labels and paring down to a trio, releasing four more albums in a power-pop vein from 1987-1990. Those four albums: Remember (1987), It Wings Above (1988), Waiting For Unta [live] (1989), and Confessional (1990) have been given no-frills re-release this week by Music Maniac, who are also re-releasing three 90's Shane Faubert discs. While the band was never destined for stardom, and are barely remembered today, It Wings Around, their best and best-selling album, is an engaging listen, worthy of a second look. Still retaining some garage band sound, with more of a surf bent than a punk style, it's uptempo and tuneful stuff, worth it for power-pop and neo-garage band fans alike.