The Archies: The Archies Christmas Album featuring Betty & Veronica (Fuel)
I took a lot of shit a couple of Fridays ago for saying some negative things about the Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar” in a Chart Attack! entry. I still stand by what I said (I can’t remember what exactly that was, but I’m sure profanity was involved), but I’m all about giving the people what they want — so here, you tasteless dopes, is an album of Christmas songs from the fictional band led by vocalist Ron Dante. You can apparently hear samples of the album by following this link, but I can’t verify that, because nothing can make me click on it. You’d think The Archies Christmas Album featuring Betty & Veronica would be perfect for Mellowmas, and you’d be right — but there’s still no way I’m ever listening to this.

Joseph Arthur and the Lonely Astronauts: Temporary People (RED)
In which Arthur caps off a madcap year (he’s released four EPs) with the full-length record his fans have been waiting for. The AMG’s John Bush has already compared Temporary People to the Replacements and early Wilco. Personally, I’ve never heard much ‘Mats in Arthur’s music, but I’m still intrigued…despite People’s abominably crappy artwork. Hear some samples here.

Mary Chapin Carpenter: Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas (Rounder/ZOE)
Another Christmas record? In late September? You betcha. In fact, as you’ll soon see, this week brings seasonal releases from a slew of artists, most of whom would seem to make for rather unlikely yuletide singers. Not Carpenter — she can tackle an uptempo, country-flavored tune when she wants to, but she’s always been at her best when she slows down and drapes that beautiful voice in a ballad’s quiet spaces. She does just that here, delivering an introspective set of Christmas tunes that focus on the traditional (read: non-commercial) aspects of the season. Twelve tracks and not a “Rudolph” in the bunch — you’ve got to like that. (more…)

Alkaline Trio, Agony & Irony (Epic)
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These Chicago-bred emo pioneers have been gradually sanding down the rough edges of their sound for years — and with their Epic debut, a glossy sheen is officially all that remains. Longtime fans are already grousing about Agony & Irony, but the album’s FM-ready sound is already yielding dividends for the band: Alkaline Trio was featured on an episode of The Hills in May. That won’t be of much comfort to those pissed-off purists, but it should give a pretty big boost to the band members’ bank statements. By their next album, their transformation into the emo version of the Goo Goo Dolls should be complete; in the meantime, they should get a semi-credible hit or two out of Lit-esque tracks like “Love Love Kiss Kiss.” (MySpace)

James Brown, Gravity (Volcano)
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Not James’ finest hour, to be certain — but it does contain his last major Top 40 hit, the Rocky IV soundtrack anthem “Living in America,” and it probably represents his last more or less consistent album. It’s hard to decide which is more surprising: That Gravity was out of print, or that Volcano — the imprint that once was Scotti Brothers — is still in business. Those Survivor and “Weird Al” Yankovic royalties must be more lucrative than anyone could have imagined…

John Coltrane, Dakar (Prestige)
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One of Coltrane’s earliest albums gets the Prestige reissue treatment here — no bonus tracks, but it’s remastered, and considering that these sessions were recorded in 1957, the difference is probably noticeable, to say the least. Coltrane’s foils for Dakar are Cecil Payne, Pepper Adams, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor — and though Adams and Waldron contribute some solid songs, this isn’t one of Coltrane’s essential releases (check out the way his solo trips and falls down a flight of stairs on “Witches’ Pit”). For completists and jazz fanatics only. (more…)

Gerald Albright, Sax for Stax (Peak)
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He’s become known mainly for his smooth jazz sides, but Albright’s chops are too big for any single genre — and this collection, which finds him tackling Stax classics like “Cheaper to Keep Her,” “Knock On Wood,” and “Who’s Making Love,” promises to be at least twice as interesting as anything he did for Atlantic in the ’90s. Of course, this is still Gerald Albright we’re talking about, so don’t go into Sax for Stax expecting anything approximating actual grit, but it’s hard to mess up these songs too badly. Stream tracks from the new album at Albright’s MySpace page.

Deborah Bonham, Duchess (Rhino/Atco)
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In which the littlest Bonham cuts out on her own with a stack of sides influenced by classic soul and British Invasion rock. She doesn’t stand a chance of emerging from her dad’s shadow, but given that her big brother is drumming for Foreigner now, odds are it’s Deborah who will be sharing the best press clippings at the Bonham family table this Christmas. Listen to the album at her MySpace page.

Ry Cooder, I, Flathead (Nonesuch)
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Cooder’s crazy-ass California trilogy, which started off promisingly with Chavez Ravine before plummeting into the kooky depths with My Name Is Buddy, reaches its conclusion here, in a song suite about…well, who knows, really, but there is an appearance by an “alien who races around in a souped-up flying saucer on the desert salt flats.” Dear Lord. This time around, Cooder has penned a 104-page novella to go along with the music; some of us liked it better when he just played guitar.

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Chicago - Stone of Sisyphus (Rhino)
Fifteen years after Warner Bros. rejected Stone of Sisyphus, leading to Chicago’s departure from the label and kicking off over a decade of crass, fan-bilking compilations, the band’s “legendary lost” album finally sees the light of day…on Warner-owned Rhino! Hey, why is the record industry in the tank again?

Coldplay - Viva La Vida (Capitol/EMI)
Speaking of “in the tank,” here comes EMI’s great white hope for the second quarter of 2008! Are garish artwork and echoes of U2 enough to keep the label’s top shareholders from having to sell off their third chateaus? Judging from the second single (and title track), the answer is an unqualified “yes.” Judging from most of the rest of the record, on the other hand…

Jason Falkner - Bedtime With The Beatles 2 (Adrenaline)
In which the terminally underrated power-pop superhero follows up his wonderful (and stupidly out of print) Bedtime With the Beatles, offering nine more lullaby renditions of classic tracks from the Fab Four, including “Norwegian Wood,” “Penny Lane,” and — oddly — “Here Comes the Sun.” My daughter can’t wait! (more…)