There's nothing that jumps out of this week's new album releases as being especially promising music. Most interesting sounding pick this week is a stand-up comedy album. I generally don't care about such things, but Christopher Titus made one of the best sitcoms ever, so I might be interested in hearing from The Fifth Annual End of the World Tour on Comedy Central records. It's a two CD set. I'd be interested in hearing what Mr Titus has to say about "These Countries That Hate Us."

I didn't know that Comedy Central had a record label, but this week they also have an album by Joe Rogan whom I do not know from Adam Carolla, though he was apparently on The Man Show. I am amused by his album title though, Shiny Happy Jihad.

In the range of cute album titles, I am also digging on the "psychobilly" Nekromantix Life Is a Grave & I Dig It.

Bright Eyes has something of a reputation, though I don't remember any of their specific songs. They have a new album Cassadaga. I didn't realize they were any kind of commercial force, but I note that they are rated as high as #4 currently in Amazon sales.

In the range of big names who have never made any impression on me with actual music, there is the Grindermen album, which group consists of Nick Cave and most of the Bad Seeds.

There's a big ol' seven CD Collection from Sly and the Family Stone, which I believe covers all their original albums - though somehow they somehow managed to NOT include "Hot Fun in the Summertime," "Everybody is a Star" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."

Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases, courtesy AMG:

Blonde Redhead 23 4AD
Indie Rock, Dream Pop, Experimental Rock

Bright Eyes Cassadaga Saddle Creek
Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter

CocoRosie The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn Touch And Go
Indie Rock, Indie Electronic, Dream Pop, Post-Rock/Experimental, Trip-Hop

Grinderman Grinderman Anti
Punk Blues, Garage Rock, Rock & Roll

Maxïmo Park Our Earthly Pleasures Warp
Indie Rock, Britpop

Laura Veirs Saltbreakers Nonesuch
Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop, Americana, Alternative Singer/Songwriter

Army of Me Citizen Doghouse
Indie Rock

Au Revoir Simone The Bird of Music Moshi Moshi
Indie Pop, Dream Pop

Mig Mig Decca
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Remus Azoitel George Enescu: Complete Works for Violin & piano, Vol. 1 Haenssler
Modern Chamber Music

Alvin Batiste Marsalis Music Honors Alvin Batiste Marsalis Music/Rounder
Modern Creative

The Book of Knots Traineater Anti-
Post-Rock/Experimental

Henry Brant Henry Brant: Meteor Farm Innova
Modern Orchestral Music

Charles Brown An Introduction to Charles Brown Fuel 2000
Urban Blues, West Coast Blues, Piano Blues, R&B

Client Heartland Metropolis
Electronica, Neo-Electro, Indie Pop

Cliff Eberhardt High Above and the Down Below Red House
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Folk, Singer/Songwriter

Bob French Marsalis Music Honors Bob French Marsalis Music/Rounder
New Orleans Jazz, New Orleans R&B

From Autumn to Ashes Holding a Wolf by the Ears Vagrant
Punk Metal, Hardcore Punk, Screamo, Emo

Lesley Gore Ever Since Engine Company
Adult Contemporary, Pop, Girl Group, Brill Building Pop

Guster Satellite Reprise/Wea
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Jana Hunter There's No Home Gnomonsong
Acid Folk

Bob James Angels of Shanghai Universal
Jazz-Pop, Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Instrumental Pop

Stoney LaRue Live at Billy Bob's Texas Smith Music Group
Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Country, Country-Rock

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Mahler, Handel & Peter Lieberson
Wigmore Hall
Baroque, Post-Romantic and Contemporary Vocal Music

Limbeck Limbeck Doghouse
Indie Rock, Alternative Country-Rock

Love of Diagrams Mosaic Matador
Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Punk-Pop, Punk-Pop

Madlib The Other Side: Los Angeles Deaf, Dumb & Blind
Soul, Funk, Left-Field Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul, Underground Rap, DJ, Free Jazz

Nekromantix Life Is a Grave & I Dig It Hellcat
Psychobilly, Punk Revival

Anna Netrebko Anna Netrebko & Rolando Villazon: Duets Deutsche Grammophon
Operatic Duets

Andreas Scholl Handel: Il Duello Amoroso Harmonia Mundi
Baroque Vocal Music

Original Soundtrack Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Colon the Soundtrack Williams Street
Soundtracks, Alternative Rap, Alternative Metal, Novelty

Panthers The Trick Vice
Punk Revival, Indie Rock

Bucky Pizzarelli/John Pizzarelli Generations Arbors
Swing, Standards

Lou Rhodes Beloved One [Bonus Tracks] Cooking Vinyl
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter

Joe Rogan Shiny Happy Jihad Comedy Central
Standup Comedy

Rosebuds Night of the Furies Merge
Indie Rock

Shearwater Palo Santo [Expanded Edition] Matador
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock, Slowcore

Sly and the Family Stone The Collection [Box Set] Sony
Psychedelic Soul, Pop/Rock, Funk, Soul

Little Johnny Taylor Open House Fuel 2000
Northern Soul, Soul-Blues, R&B, Soul

The Terrible Twos If You Ever See an Owl... Vagrant/Poquito
Children's Folk, Sing-Along

Christopher Titus The Fifth Annual End of the World Tour Comedy Central
Standup Comedy, Observational Humor

Various Artists The Gospel Baby Fuel 2000
Southern Gospel, Black Gospel

Various Artists An Introduction to Texas Blues Fuel 2000
Folk-Blues, Acoustic Texas Blues, Texas Blues, Electric Texas Blues, Piano Blues

David S. Ware Renunciation Aum Fidelity
Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde

Foy Willing & the Riders of the Purple Sage Tumbling Tumbleweeds Varese Sarabande
Cowboy, Western Swing

XBXRX Wars Polyvinyl
Noise-Rock, Post-Hardcore

Xiu Xiu Remixed & Covered 5 Rue Christine
Indie Rock, Experimental Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental