Music of the Week

Elvis CostelloSecret, Profane and Sugarcane Declan MacManus has sported quite a few hats in the course of his 35-year career. There was the porkpie of his wired, venomous punk era, the bowler of his late-70s pitch-perfect pop, and the fedora throughout some ill-advised latter-day releases. Now The Other Elvis is donning a cowboy hat with his 36th album, and treading into the rich waters of Americana. The rootsy rock on his latest album comes courtesy of T-Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), but isnt Costellos first time at the rodeo: hopefully this marks the return to mid-80s heights of King of America. Inexplicably, the same fellow who sang that the music industry was in the hands of people trying to anesthetize the way you feel is releasing Secret through Starbucks. EelsHombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire One-man band Mark Oliver Everett would be intolerable for his seeming affectation, were he not so talented. Known mostly by Eels or simply E, Everett immersed himself in the palpable, near-painful yearning that comes along with desire for his eighth album, a sort of concept record. Inspired by the dog-faced boy that featured prominently on 2001s Souljacker, this album is an imagining of that character all grown up, and now living as a dignified werewolf (referenced in the albums title). The Beck-infused garage rock and summery pop tunes are an emotional respite following 2005s Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, an exploration of his parents deaths and his sisters suicide, but his latest still packs the emotional wallops that have become his calling card. Dave Matthews BandBig Whiskey and The GrooGrux King Say what you will about Dave Matthews Band, youve got to give them credit for their staying power. Between the fickleness of frat boys and the engineering advances of the Jetta, Dave Matthews should have been a flash in the pan, post-Spin Doctors, pre-Rusted Root. Their seventh album sees them recording in New Orleans, and its title serves as a nod to saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died last year in an ATV accident, whos nickname was the GrooGrux King. While the band have seemed to peter out over the course of several albums, producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) has a focusing effect, creating a leaner pop album with elements of jazz, rather than the too-long, kitchen-sink compositions of yore.