This 16-track disc (complete with a brief intermission between 'sets') marks the first studio recording in a whopping 22 years for the Boston-based trio of Roger Miller (guitar, vocals), Clint Conley (bass, vocals) and Peter Prescott (drums, vocals), with production by Bob Weston and Rick Harte and additional instrumentation on two tracks by the band Rachel's.

One of the first Next Big Things of 2002, Sweden's The Hives follow last year's media darlings The Strokes and The White Stripes in bringing the rock back to alternative rock. The only catch is that the band has been around for over a decade, with this particular album actually dating back to 2000, when it gained a limited U.S. release on a tiny Epitaph imprint. However, the Swedes were able to benefit from the rush to capitalize on the neo-garage/punk-rock movement by scoring a major label deal in early 2002 and a rerelease of this, their second full-length. (They've got The Strokes beat on length, though, managing to release an even shorter album, at just 27 minutes.)

Mike McCarthy returns as producer for the Britt Daniel-led band's varied follow-up to their acclaimed 2002 outing 'Kill The Moonlight.' Spoon fans will not be disappointed.

Electric where the mellower 'Sung Tongs' was acoustic, 'Feels' is nevertheless another idiosyncratic outing for the freak-folk four-piece.

The rerelease of the debut album for the grunge band is the part of a planned rerelease of the rest of its albums, leading up to its 20th anniversary in 2011.

The Austin band serves up their latest album hoping fans go ga ga over it.

Sigur Ros' fourth album is the first to feature songs sung mainly in their native Icelandic, rather than their fabricated Hopelandish.

The soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's second feature film includes the first new music in over ten years from My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields (who scored much of the film), new music from Air, and older tracks from Squarepusher, Jesus And Mary Chain, and Death In Vegas.

Written for a Robert Wilson stage production of Georg Büchner's unfinished 1836 play 'Woyzeck,' 'Blood Money' is one of two Waits releases in May 2002 (the other being 'Alice,' which was similarly created for the stage).

Twenty-five years after its original release, this groundbreaking, sample-driven collaboration between Byrne and Eno has been remastered and enlarged with seven bonus tracks.

This is the fourth album for the African band.

'Crane Wife' marks the literate, Colin Meloy-led band's major label debut.

The singer-songwriter's third album finally sees the light of day after originally being shelved by her record label in 2003 and then leaked onto the Internet. This official 'Machine' is a newly-recorded version (with producer Mike Elizondo taking over for the original's Jon Brion), so if you've heard the leaked tracks, you haven't heard this. Let the comparisons begin!

It's a bit hard NOT to get noticed when your band consists of a couple dozen people dressed in white robes, but having one of the most memorable debut albums in recent years (think Mercury Rev + Spiritualized + Up With People) certainly doesn't hurt. This 10-song debut (which was originally intended as a demo) did in fact land the Austin, Texas band led by former Tripping Daisy member Tim DeLaughter a major label deal.

The Oklahoma band finally returns with a follow-up to perhaps their strongest effort to date, 1999's 'The Soft Bulletin.' Here, the Lips venture even more into electronic territory, working once again with producer Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev). Yoshimi of Japanese band The Boredoms guests on vocals on one track and lends her name to part of the album's title (the "Yoshimi" part, not the "Pink Robots" part).

'Ghosts' marks the debut of the latest band from Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters). Filling out the lineup are RHP drummer Anthony Koutsos, American Music Club drummer Tim Mooney, and bassist Geoff Sanfield (Black Lab).

The Welsh band releases its ninth album features Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy rapping in German on 'Inaugural Trams.'

The half American, half English four-piece make their debut with an album that, like Manitoba's Up In Flames, combines organic and electronic elements from a variety of genres into a unique psychedelic stew.

The famed guitarist and one-time Fairport Convention member reverts to plugged-in form for his latest collection of originals.

The second album for the rock duo from Bristol was produced by Andrew Weatherall.

The short-lived early 1980s Scottish band (who, like followers Orange Juice, are a strong influence on present-day bands such as Franz Ferdinand) are celebrated in a 22-track compilation that includes their singles for Postcard, cuts from their only two LPs, and recordings from a session for John Peel.

The debut full-length album for the New York artist who was discovered by Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond.

The San Francisco group's fourth album is its darkest in mood so far, perhaps a result of several changes in band membership since 2001's 'The Coast Is Never Clear.'

The Toronto, Canada-based quartet returns with a fourth LP of psychedelic post-rock instrumentals, divided, as the title suggests, into three movements.

The third album for the Austin-based singer Sam Beam.

This is the fourth album for the Washington-based indie group led by Ben Gibbard (also of the Postal Service) and Chris Walla.

Combine a singer who sounds more than a little like David Byrne, some solid indie-rock tunes, blurbs on all the right blogs, and a glowing review from Pitchfork and it all adds up to quite a buzz for this Brooklyn band's debut disc. Now all they need is a record deal.

The band's first album since 1997's 'This Is Hardcore' is produced by Scott Walker and features 12 new tracks.

The Manchester band follow their Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut 'Asleep In The Back' with this ambitious 11-track sophomore disc.

If you can picture an explicitly gay version of the Polyphonic Spree recording church music, then you have a general idea of this unconventional debut album from Toronto, Canada's Hidden Cameras.

The legendary English band, now re-formed, reunited and reinvigorated, return with their first LP in over a dozen years, with a sound that recalls the punk energy of their 1970s albums while sounding completely modern. Note that 7 of the 11 tracks here are also found in some form on 2002's twin "Read & Burn" EPs.

The last album from Madonna on the Warner Brothers label is a compilation of her greatest hits plus two new tracks.

Brendan Canty (Fugazi) produced this third album for the Oregon band, down to the duo of Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster after the departure of original drummer Jordan Hudson.

The latest solo album for the ex-The Jam member, includes The Jam's bassist Bruce Foxton, Clem Cattini, ELO's Bev Bevan, and My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields as guest artists.

'Inches' compiles A- and B- sides from nine different singles (originally released on nine different labels) dating back to the Rhode Island band's inception in 1995.

The fourth album for the London-born artist was produced by Marius de Vries.

Jim White and Paul Oldham are among the guests on prolific songwriter Will Oldham's latest Bonnie "Prince" Billy studio recording.

The London art rockers have changed their lineup for this sophomore release, dropping bassist Jon Ball for Tracy Bellaries. Alex Newport (At The Drive In, Icarus Line) produces.

The second proper album from the Canadian instrumentalists consists of four independent works(each 18-22 minutes long).... yes, that's 2 songs per CD.

Chris Goss (Kyuss) produced this second album for the UK rockers.

The 13-piece outfit from Nashville (that isn't a country band) returns with a concept album about the former president (that really isn't about the former president). It's one of those things that you have to hear to understand.

The London-based band follow their singles collection ('Suburban Light') with this, their first true studio LP, which continues their hazy, 60s-influenced sound developed in those earlier songs.

The Canadian singer-songwriter's fifth album finds Sexsmith experimenting with electronica for the first time.

This is the first album not produced by T-Bone Burnett for the California-born singer-songwriter Sam Phillips.

The second album for the quartet was produced with Richard Formby.

The sixth album for Mac McCaughan's other band (i.e., the one that isn't Superchunk) finds him joined by bassist Jim Wilbur and drummer/brother Matthew McCaughan. Tim Mooney produced.

This is the second album for the Portland, Ore.-based indie five-piece led by Colin Meloy.

The eclectic Washington, D.C.-based indie band follow their best-received album, 1999's 'Emergency & I,' with this, their fourth LP. The Plan announced their breakup subsequent to its release.

Brooklyn's Oneida has been around a bit longer (since 1997) than some of their fellow bands in the New York neo-garage/punk/new wave scene, and 'Secret Wars' marks their sixth LP.

This is the seventh release under the Six Organs name for Ben Chasny, who in recent years has also been a member of Comets On Fire.

The first solo outing for Portishead's Beth Gibbons finds her teaming up with former Talk Talk bassist Paul "Rustin' Man" Webb on a largely acoustic, melodic collection of 10 tracks.

A former member of Billy Childish's band Thee Headcoatees, Holly Golightly has gained a wider following in recent months due to her guest appearance on The White Stripes' 'Elephant.' New devotees will have a lot to discover: this is her ninth solo album since 1995.

The ninth solo album for the former punk rocker was produced by Tony Visconti.

This is the second album for the Peter Silberman-led band.

The latest release from GBV is a continuation of the band's new, more polished sound introduced on 1999's 'Do The Collapse.'

The Montreal band's Sub Pop debut was co-produced by Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock.

If the concept of "The Beatles, remixed" saddens you, know that original Beatles producer George Martin was at the helm for this project, which serves as the soundtrack to the Vegas-based Cirque du Soleil show of the same name. The 26 mashed-up tracks here were augmented with additional instrumentation and vocals performed by The Beatles themselves, culled from hours of original demo and master tapes, with pieces of 130 songs ultimately represented in some form.

The third album for the Los Angeles-area punk-rock band.

The third album for the Scottish rockers is already a big hit with UK music fans, helped by the success of lead single "You Held the World in Your Arms."

The first album credited to the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band since 1975 features Keigo "Cornelius" Oyamada, Yuka Honda (of Cibo Matto), and her son/producer Sean Lennon.

Album number two for the Canadian indie-rockers is their first for Jagjaguwar.

The Brooklyn-based collective (on this release, reduced to the duo of Avey Tare and Panda Bear) combine vocal harmonies, a pair of acoustic guitars, and diverse influences into a unique sound on this latest release.

Produced by Dennis Herring (Camper Van Beethoven), the latest release from the Seattle-based indie rockers sees a return of guitarist Dann Gallucci (last with the band on Sad Sappy Sucker) and a new drummer (Benjamin Weikel) as well as a guest spot from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

This 3-disc attractively-packaged retrospective on the groundbreaking New York band includes completely remastered tracks from each of their studio LPs as well as the same previously-unreleased-on-CD demos and new tracks included on the earlier 2-disc Sand In the Vaseline complilation. Also included are never-before-released alternate versions of five songs. The set also contains a DVD with an updated version of the Talking Heads music video compilation Storytelling Giant, with three additional videos not found on the original VHS release.

Search engines hate them, but !!! (pronounced "Chik Chik Chik," of course) are popular with live audiences for their funkier, dancier (yes, that's a word--trust us) approach to indie music. The Sacramento band shares three members with Out Hud, and this is their 2-song debut for Touch And Go (with a full album to follow in 2004).

'Escondida' marks the first solo studio disc for the Texas-born folk singer-songwriter who also co-founded the Canadian group The Be Good Tanyas.

Brothers Nick and Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy return for the Lilac Time's sixth LP. The Barenaked Ladies' Stephen Page also contributes to the album.

The British rock band uses a vast variety of musical instruments and styles for its second album.

Aside from the noisy "Cherry Chapstick," the tracks on And Then Nothing showcase a mellower sound for the Hoboken, NJ three-piece, which disappointed some long-time fans but certainly won over critics.

This is the first album since Jason Isbell left the band to pursue a solo career.

The Norwegian band led by Jorgen Munkeby has a sharper metal edge than Jaga Jazzist, which was Munkeby's previous band.

Beck's "official" follow-up to 'Odelay' is an even more eclectic mix of soul, electro, funk, folk, rock, and hip-hop, including more than one song that sounds an awful lot like Prince.

Don't be fooled by the title: While 'Identity Crisis' would have perfectly suited her poorly-received predecessor, 2001's Glen Ballard-produced 'Love, Shelby,' that's not the case here, as these 12 self-produced tracks are more likely to connect with fans of her breakthrough disc 'I Am Shelby Lynne.'

Don't know Bonnie "Prince" Billy? You may know him better by his given name, Will Oldham, who recorded under his name as well as Palace Music throughout the 1990s. This is his third album under the Billy moniker, and features contributions from members of Lambchop.

The Ontario, Canada band makes its Sub Pop (and U.S.) debut with this, their second LP, which mixes alternative rock with punk and soul.

The veteran Britpop outfit's first new album in four years is the result of tumultuous recording sessions in Morocco with producer Fatboy Slim, which saw a growing dispute between co-founders Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon culminate in Coxon's departure from the band. Fatboy Slim only wound up producing two tracks, with William Orbit handling some of the others.

The London-based art-rockers led by Eddie Argos make their official debut with this 12-song effort.

This self-titled disc is the first release for the new project from Nick Cave, who adds "guitar player" to his CV. Seeing as how most of the Bad Seeds join in as well, we're still not sure why the new name was necessary. (Actually, it sounds even more like their earlier band, The Birthday Party.)

The third album for the Brooklyn-based duo who met at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago.

The Scottish band's eagerly-awaited follow-up to their acclaimed self-titled debut is preceded by yet another insanely catchy single, "Do You Want To."

The Bronx's Joby Ford produces the Sacramento-based hard rock band's third full-length album.

The Southern rockers make their major-label debut with this 12-track effort.

The San Francisco, California-based duo releases its sophomore album.

John Darnielle recorded this 13-track Mountain Goats disc with the help of musicians John Vanderslice, Peter Hughes, Franklin Bruno and Scott Solter.