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Sex and drugs and rock & roll have figured prominently in Placebo's glitterered-up, androgynous music. Sleeping with Ghosts is a little more coy than past recordings, dealing more with the torturous psychological aspects of relationships than with the exchange of body fluids. Not that there isn't any room for fetishism. "This Picture," for example, apparently dwells on sado-masochism and comes over as just the sort of trash-glam pop stomp once associated with Suede. "The Bitter End" ("Since we're feeling so anaesthatized") is a big, bruising, fatalistic rocker. At times it's hard to tell whether Brian Molko is repulsed or perversely inspired by his subject matter, although he's definitely bored with the bloody weather (the cheerless "English Summer Rain" is a subdued pop tune driven by rhythmic electronic jolts) and the waltz- time, Doors-influenced "Protect Me from What I Want" finds him praying to be delivered from his own personal temptations. Sleeping with Ghosts, however, is as much an album for slam-dancing nights out at Goth haunts as it is music for the psychiatrist's couch. --Kevin Maidment

After ten years together, eight of those spent on the U.K. charts, Placebo exhume their past with Once More With Feeling: Singles 1996-2004. This 19-song collection includes all of their biggest hits, most notably "Nancy Boy" and "Pure Morning." It's also

Musically, there are bits of The Stone Roses, "What's The Story Morning Glory", and "Nevermind". As catchy as those reference points are, it's the songwriting that has won the band a fiercely dedicated following; a mix of the observational storytelling of Davies and Weller crossed with the harsher documentary eye of Mike Skinner of The Streets and "Ghost Town" era Specials. Two #1 UK singles. Press already lined up with Rolling Stone, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, and Interview, to name a few. Three more US/Canadian tours planned for this year, including headlining Domino's label showcase at SXSW.

NY's Slackers have captured the power of live performance in the studio. Recording the rhythm tracks while performing live in one of their favorite venues - Ernesto's in Sittard, Holland - The Slackers then overdubbed vocals, horns, and guest spots in the studio. Combining the clarity and balance of a studio record with the spirit and fever they've generated live onstage across the globe, "Peculiar" showcases a band at the height of their powers after nearly fifteen years of constant touring. With an amazing batch of new tracks, alongside the familiar social and political songs, The Slackers have made the album of their career; one that'll both satisfy and surprise their rabid fan base. For fans of Rancid and Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, The Skatalites, and The Clash.

With Show Your Bones, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs follow up to the heralded Fever to Tell Karen O economizes on the screaming that so marked the trio's debut EP. And oh how she exceeds her oft-noted influences (PJ Harvey and Chrissie Hynde, for two): Whether she's hanging back with a staggered beat on "Phenomena," or riding on the kick-drum-pounded opening to "Honeybear," she's always ready to disappear in a burst of Nick Zinner's guitars and Brian Chase's drums. The YYYs thrill precisely because of their keen mix, Karen O spiking the upper ranges (dig the caterwaul in "Mysteries") with a sharply cut vocal line or a simple, full-bodied singsong delivery while the guitars spin thick storms of sound before retreating to atmospherics (try the transition from the quick throttle of "Cheated Hearts" into the Cure-ish "Dudley," for one example). And marvel at how well radio would be served by blasting the acoustic, pleading vibe of "Warrior." Fabulous. --Andrew Bartlett

Array

Before the Breeders and Frank Black, there was this Boston quartet, playing hardcore's rush and terseness against the acoustic grit and the minor-key flourish of Latin pop. Their first full-length album is their starkest, harsh and trebly, with the drums right in your face, and songs edited to eliminate any note that's not absolutely necessary. Singer Black Francis yelping away about destroyed bodies and the river Euphrates, alternately acting cryptic and crazed. Kim Deal, then calling herself "Mrs. John Murphy," contributes the highlight, "Gigantic," a creepy anthem about childhood voyeurism. The playing is snarly and tricky but unfailingly tuneful, and the hooks come out of nowhere, hiding behind the noise, and bite down hard. --Douglas Wolk

Japanese Version featuring Two Bonus Tracks: "Off with Your Head", and "Lions and Tigers".

Release Date: 2002-08-15, Audio CD, Latino Bugger Veil

The sixth and most accessible album to date, featuring a star-studded cast of players including Deerhoof, Sufjan Stevens, Sereena-Maneesh, and more. What began as a senior thesis project a decade ago has evolved into a musical world so rich with musicality and merrymaking that the first six albums and ten years of touring pomp alone could nourish the most scrutinizing of thrill-seekers. There's no hard distinction between the visuals (costumes and graphics) and the music from this suburban New Jersey group. "One enters your heart through your eyes, one through your ears," says Daniel. On tour May through September throughout the US.