Friday: FLOPHOUSE JR Houseboat (Northern Electric)
Daydream gentle folk-country ditties wound up in plucky banjo and sweet melodies–fans of Sufjan Stevens will be pleased to pick this one up.

Saturday: (DVD) PIXIES Sell Out (Rhino)
It’s good to see these guys get their due after so many years as handed down cult heroes, the secret engine that motored Nirvana and about a million other bands that followed. This dvd–mostly taken from a concert in Belfort, France, but with an extra disc culled from various locales, shows Black Francis and company at the height of their 2004 reunion tour, playing to the massive and adoring crowds that eluded them during their mid ’80s existence. Every "hit" you ever needed is pulled out (save "Dig for Fire"), including two of "Wave of Mutilation," "Bone Machine" and "Here Comes Your Man," all cranked out with expected professionalism. It’s a nice trip down memory lane, but really nothing more than a souvenir of a band retracing glory days.

Sunday: DANGERDOOM The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
Considering the hype–Aqua Teen Hunger Force/Adult Swim skits, MF Doom and Danger Mouse collaborating–this really doesn’t have the edge you’d expect. In fact, it’s a bit of a letdown, a throwaway joke that feels hastily strung together. Still, it does have its charms: goofy rhymes, off-the-wall production, a warped sense of humour, plus a few unintelligible mutterings from the Aqua Teen’s Meatwad–just not enough to make this worth more than a few listens.

Monday: VARIOUS ARTISTS Soundtrack of a People (EMI)
Three CDs worth of First Nations’ music, from traditional dances and chants handed down through the generations to contemporary examples–Link Wray, Robbie Robertson, reggae artist Casper Lomayesva. It’s tough slogging at times, but well worth it for such obscure pearls as the Mandaree Singer’s startling "Chicken Dance" or Mildred Bailey’s soulful "Rockin’ Chair."

Tuesday: MY MORNING JACKET Z (RCA)
Those expecting explicit southern fried Skynyrd-isms on the order of 2003’s It Still Moves might be baffled at this strange, sideways step taken into Flaming Lips territory. Sonically it fits them, though, and the songwriting has never been stronger–from the throbbing "It Beats For You" to the reggae-pop of "Off The Record," there’s not a bad song in the bunch–while the group’s usual jam band inclinations are thankfully curtailed. It’s great–no, it’s really great–and constant listening hasn’t dulled the pleasure of first hearing it.

Wednesday: RICKY MARTIN Life (Sony/BMG)
Six or so years after his one big claim to fame and he’s grasping for credibility with a truckload of "now" producers, songwriters, styles–anything that’ll shoot him back to the top of the charts where he no doubt feels he belongs. That may very well happen, and God knows we can’t stop it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t say exactly what Martin is–a record company whore with the soul of a weasel. Oh, and the album? Exactly the piece of toxic, brainless crap you imagine it is, and that’s being charitable.