Beck “Modern Guilt” (DGC)

Teaming up with superstar producer Dangermouse, Beck turns in a thick hazy collection of modern moody psychedelia with Modern Guilt.

Albert Hammond, Jr. “¿Como Te Llama?” (Red Ink)

Albert Hammond, Jr.’s first solo album Yours to Keep borrowed from Buddy Holly, the Beach Boys and Guided by Voices to make whimsical pop that was a pretty far cry from Hammond’s regular gig as the Strokes’ guitarist. ¿Como Te Llama?, however, sounds a lot more like an album from his main project – and while that’s far from a bad thing, especially for diehard Strokes fans — it makes the album a little less unique than what came before it.

Billy Joel “The Stranger” [2CD Deluxe Edition] (Sony Legacy)

Billy Joel’s 1977 blockbuster The Stranger is given a Legacy Edition treatment this week, as it’s reissued as a double-disc set featuring a previously unreleased concert at Carnegie Hall and a triple-disc set that adds a DVD of vintage live performances to the equation.

Willie Nelson/Wynton Marsalis “Two Men with the Blues” (Blue Note)

Two Men With The Blues captures highlights from a two-night stand at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2007 by Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson. The two musicians are ideal foils for each other, as they make music that’s lively, lovingly reverent, occasionally surprising and altogether delightful.

Street Dogs “State of Grace” (Hellcat)

Boston punk revivalists release their fourth album. “Street Dogs combines the drive of Bad Religion with Against Me’s balance of catchy, layered songwriting and critical appeal.” – The Charlotte Observer

Del McCoury “Moneyland” (McCoury Music)

Bluegrass

Melvins “Nude with Boots” (Ipecac)

Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal

Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Medium Rare” (Junket Boy)

Alternative Pop/Rock, Ska-Punk

Original Soundtrack Weeds: Music from the Series, Vol. 3 (Lions Gate)

TV Soundtracks, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Ratatat “LP3” (XL)

Indie Electronic

Ron Sexsmith “Exit Strategy of the Soul” (Yep Roc)

Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter

Patti Smith/Kevin Shields “The Coral Sea” (TBC)

Experimental Rock, Poetry

The 21-year-old Shawnee, Okla., native makes music that is undeniably mature beyond her years. She carries an earthy Neil Young vibe and sounds a little like Bjork on certain tracks (though I’m not sure where the English accent comes from.)

When asked about her upbringing, she said her father was her biggest influence.

“I generally listened to whatever my dad was listening to,” said Crain, whose father played guitar. “A lot of Grateful Dead, Dylan and CCR.”

Her new five song EP, “The Confiscation” (July 22), is a ‘music novella’ made up of tuneful folk songs with lyrics based on her own short stories. The songs are a step above the average coffehouse fair, with solid song structures and great instrumentation choices.

“Every second, everybody is being fulfilled or robbed, and when that happens, there is a story,” Crain said in a release. “Everybody has a story and they are stories of redemption or they are stories of betrayal.”

Crain, whose quartet features a drummer, electric bass player and an acoustic guitarist, has already logged six national tours in her two years as a full-time musician.

“It’s definitely something that requires a lot of vitality,” she said. “I figured I’d get it done now while I’m young.”

SAMANTHA CRAIN & THE MIDNIGHT SHIVERS with Cassie Morgan

Cicero’s, Tonight, 8 pm

6691 Delmar Blvd.

www.myspace.com/samanthacrain

The band, founded in 1998 by former members of Harry Connick’s band, features a four trombone assault on its front line (hence the name, Bonerama.) A rapid-fire sousaphone, drummer and guitarist round out the sound. They play a mix of New Orleans’ jazz inflected originals and trombone-ized classic rock covers by the Beatles, Led Zep, Hendrix and others. At Sunday’s show, expect to hear some new originals and a cover of “21^st century schizoid man” by King Crimson.

Though many of the band members are in their 30s and 40s with kids, Bonerama tours extensively, most recently playing a festival in Brazil.

“After we left Harry Connick’s band to do this full-time, the other guys in the band saw the effort we were putting into it and they followed along,” said co-founder Craig Klein, who has a wife and four kids of his own. “Everybody made a dedicated effort and it’s paying off.”

In 2005, the band lost its bass trombonist Brian O’Neal when he had a heart attack while performing a solo piano gig.

O’Neal was one of the original members shortly after the band was conceived during a 15-person “trombone blowout.”

“He was a casualty of the storm,” said Klein. “Katrina affected people in many different ways and I can tell you he was extremely stressed about it even though he didn’t lose his house.”

The band is touring on this year’s release, “Bringing It Home,” recorded at Tipitina’s Uptown in New Orleans. They last played here during Mardi Gras 2007.

Bonerama

Broadway Oyster Bar, Sunday, 9 pm

736 S Broadway St.

314-621-8811

The Roundups, Sandrina’s

Friday

Midwest Avengers, 2 Cent Plain

Saturday

Gentleman Auction House CD Release Party, Bluebird

Irene Allen and the Roundups, Pop’s Blue Moon

KDHX Ska’s The Limit Rock n’ Ska Independence Party featuring Deal’s Gone Bad; The Tripdaddys; The Pinstripes; Zeda’s Beat Box; Tommy Halloran; D.J. Chuck Wren, Off Broadway

Sunday

The Mae Shi (L.A.), Bluebird

Bonerama (New Orleans brass), Broadway Oyster Bar

Monday

Shout It Loud 2008; Less Than Jake; Goldfinger, Pageant

***

The Auction House will release its debut full-length, “Alphabet Graveyard,” a few weeks early at the Bluebird show (out in stores nationwide on July 22). Also on the bill are the Hibernauts, Colourmusic and Jumbling Towers. They have been touring the country throughout the year to some enthusiastic crowds.

www.gentlemanauctionhouse.blogspot.com

The Roundups will be playing songs off their fantastically rowdy vintage country album, “Twelve Shots.”

He’s so ticked, in fact, that he has launched his own design contest where entrants can submit creative plate designs and compete for prizes.

It’s all for fun of course, as Streeter admits he has no pull in Jeff City among license plate design deciders.

Here are the prizes:

The Winner will get a $50 Gift Certificate to the Royale bar, a $150 Gift Certificate to The Improv Trick and various other items. The next 3 runners up will each get a Lo-Fi Saint Louis T-Shirt and a Sticker. The contest ends July 10.

More info: http://lofistl.ning.com

Here’s the video for the first single off the new album from Spiritualized — its first release in five years. Songs in A&E came out last month.

From 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on South Grand Boulevard, three participating businesses will host Southside Rocks Off 4, a benefit for 88.1 FM KDHX.

Wristbands are $5 and can be purchased at the venues the night of the event.

Erato Wine and Martini Bar (Begins at 9 p.m.)

The Long Shot, Sarah McCracken, Common Roots

Mangia Italiano (Begins at 11 p.m.)

Dub Kitchen, The Epic Mayhem, Strawfoot

Mekong Restaurant (Begins at 11:00 p.m.)

Tomorrow’s Rumor, The Humanoidsm, The Monads

The quintet, which has the energy and melodicism of Steel Pulse, is making their first appearance in St. Louis since playing the 2002 Warped Tour. The current tour is in support of their 10th album, “Mission in Progress” (VP Records), released in April. The album reached #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Top Reggae Albums Chart. They have racked up several hits in Jamaica and elsewhere, thanks in part to collaborations with veteran Jamaican producers like Lloyd “King Jammy” James and Bobby Digital.

They previously toured Africa where they were welcomed by the President of Gambia and played to crowds of 40,000 people in Senegal.

Morgan Heritage

Studio Hitz, tonight

8927 Riverview Dr. (at Bellefontaine Rd.)

Info: 314-867-1844

Alkaline Trio have long moved past the raw, drunken rants of their past and into a more polished, considered approach that adds more pop to their pop-punk attack. Even knowing that and despite the presence of quite a few catchy and enjoyable songs, their sixth full-length album Agony & Irony may be just a bit too slick and contented sounding to make the same impact fans of the band have come to rely on.

Earlimart “Hymn and Her” (Shout! Factory)

After taking three years to create 2007’s Mentor Tormentor, Earlimart whipped through Hymn and Her in a quick 12 months. But don’t expect such a speedy approach to replace quality songwriting; bandmates Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray have simply tightened their grip on lush, textured indie pop, which lends focus and mellow immediacy to this record.

John Mayer “Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles” (Columbia)

Recorded live at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles finds the singer-songwriter/blues guitarist performing in three different musical settings: acoustic trio, electric trio and large ensemble. Essentially designed to showcase Mayer’s ability to move from melodic soft rock and pop to soulful rockin’ blues, the concert, while somewhat overly ambitious and sprawling, does shine a light on Mayer’s virtuosic musical chops.

Los Lonely Boys “Forgiven” (Epic)

Roots Rock, Tex-Mex, Rock & Roll

My Chemical Romance “The Black Parade Is Dead!” (Reprise)

Emo, Punk-Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock