This one had a release date sometime this month, but finding it is more than a bit difficult - just order it from the man himself until it finds its way into regular stores.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand: This is one of those pairings that could go either way. Plant was inarguably one of rock's absolute vocal gods is paired with Krauss, who I hear is one of bluegrass/country's strongest vocalists. Here he takes a step out into her territory - not that bluegrass-tinged flavors are any stranger to the Led Zeppelin vet since the band often dipped into the genre. The odd thing here is that while Plant's legendary voice has changed and thinned through the years, it actually seems suited to the needs of this project even more. Expectations are running high for this one, but early reviews are saying that it actually meets them.

Ween - La Cucaracha: It's been four long years since Ween graced us with a new album of weirdness. In that time, they did slip out the fantastic Shinola Vol. 1, a collection of odds and ends that includes their Pizza Hut jingle that apparently didn't go over so well with the company ("Where'd the Cheese Go?") and a few months back released a five-song EP as a teaser for the new album. Questions remained, however - where would Ween be going with this new album? Their previous couple of albums, Quebec and White Pepper, had headed into slightly more serious territory (and this is relative, remember,) so there were some fears that perhaps Ween might have lost their edge.

Worry not - Ween is as Ween-y as ever and, in fact, it appears that La Cucaracha hearkens back to Chocolate and Cheese and Pure Guava at least in terms of spirit, if not sound. The band is as eclectic as ever - there's a gay anthem in "Friends" (found in an alternate version on the aforementioned EP,) metal ("My Own Bare Hands,") jazzy Latin-rock in "Fiesta," and a complete surprise is in store for pretty much everyone in "Your Party" when David Sanborn, of all people, shows up to add sax - he's a big fan of the band, believe it or not.

Why? Because they're awesome - they are weird and goofy but do so in entirely musical ways. Nothing ever feels like a joke - they're serious about making everything they do fun.