Duo's Album Will Make You Hear Voices

· It's been nine years since the band's last full-length release, but advance word on the upcoming Utah Saints album sounds intriguing, with promises of a variety of guest vocalists - real, sampled, or digitally manipulated. The list is impressive in its diversity: Chuck D. of Public Enemy recorded live vocal tracks for "Power to the Beats" (featuring a healthy sample of Metallica's "Enter Sandman"), and the new solo vocal recording of "I Go to Sleep" by Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders finds its way into the first single, "Lost Vagueness." Or how about the invitation made to Edwin Starr of "War" fame to roar on "Funky Music," and Michael Stipe of R.E.M. contributing spoken-word vocals, treated liberally in the electronic duo's mad lab and scattered among four tracks? The album is simply titled Two and is due on the Nettwerk Records label in July.

· The Solarmanite Records label has tossed its hat into the ring of tribute/cover albums with its Many Miles Away collection, saluting one of my favorite guilty pleasures from the 1980s, The Police. Culling relatively unknown indie bands from across the country, the label pulls together a nice range of love letters to the band with highlights like the Ritalin-deprived Ed Kemper Trio's take on "Next To You," the howling buzz of The Paper Chase's knot of "Wrapped Around Your Finger," and The Sound of Reverse's full-tilt version of "Omegaman." I rather liked this one.

· The Caroline Records label has announced that later this summer it will be re-issuing two hard-to-find David Gray albums and a new collection of out-of-print EPs. The albums, A Century Ends from 1993 and Flesh from 1994, have been highly collectible treasures lately in the online-auction market.

· Fans of the seminal British new-wave legends The Stranglers should hunt down Hi Fi, the just-released solo album from founder Hugh Cornwell. The album bears the Koch Progressive imprint and features solo acoustic versions of The Stranglers' classics "Golden Brown" and "Always The Sun."

· If you've thrilled to the lush releases from the Buena Vista Social Club from the past few years, I recommend you check out Cachaito, the debut solo effort from founding member and bassist Cachaito Lopez. While the album features an array of talented Cuban guest musicians and Hugh Masekela of South Africa, one name on the guest list stands out: turntablist and French hip-hop producer DJ Dee Nasty.

Television Alert:

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes BBMak on Friday, Train on Monday, Blues Traveler on Tuesday, and Ben Harper on Wednesday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Lucinda Williams on Monday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien checks in with Weezer on Tuesday overnight; Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher digs deep with Dave Matthews on Friday overnight; and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn features Jeff Beck on Friday overnight.

New Releases Coming Tuesday, June 5:

... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.

.38 Special - Anthology (Hip-O) two-CD set of hits and Southern-rock rarities

Mark Adams Allison - Machine (Water Music) featuring a cover of 'Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry"

The Apex Theory - Shhh ... (Dreamworks)

Heidi Berry - Pomegranate: An Anthology (4AD/Beggars Banquet) 14-track collection and an enhanced video for "Up in the Air"

Manu Chao - Proxima Estacion: Esperanza (Virgin) new from the Franco-Spanish singer formerly of Mano Negra

Bootsy Collins - Glory B, Da' Funk's On Me! (Rhino) two-CD anthology

Continental Drifters - Better Day (Razor & Tie) the band's second album

The Cult - Beyond Good & Evil (Atlantic) all new and on the road this summer with Monster Magnet and Econoline Crush

The Fast & The Furious - original motion picture soundtrack (Def Jam) with Faith Evans, R. Kelly, Scarface, Ja Rule, and more

Forest for the Trees - Jellyfish (Dreamworks)

Gorillaz - Gorillaz (Capitol) featuring Damon Albarn of Blur, Del tha Funky Homosapian, Da the Automater, and Cibo Mato

Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky (Varese Sarabande) re-issue of the classic album with bonus demo tracks

Hatebreed - Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire (Victory)

Hinge - The Darker Side of Nonsense (Roadrunner)

Dave Hole - Looking in (Alligator) sixth album of blistering electric slide guitar from this Australian blues man

The Hoods - Time: The Destroyer (Victory)

INXS - Shine Like It Does (Rhino) two-CD anthology

Keb' Mo - Big Wide Grin (Sony Wonder/Epic) family-oriented project with interesting cover selections such as Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely"

Krystal - Me & My Piano (Geffen) with guests Kevin and Howie of the Backstreet Boys

Llama - Close to the Silence (MCA) from Nashville

Lush - Ciao! The Best of 1989-1996 (4AD/Beggars Banquet)

Mira - Apart (Projekt)

Murphy's Law - The Party's Over (Artemis)

Oskar - Idle Will Kill (Epitaph)

Pearl Harbor - original motion picture soundtrack (Warner Bros) featuring Faith Hill's "There You'll Be"

The Pernice Brothers - The World Won't End (Ashmont) new from Joe Pernice of Chappaquiddick Skyline and the Scud Mountain Boys

Pleasure Forever - Pleasure Forever (SubPop) formerly known as The Slaves

Poundhound - Pineappleskunk (Metal Blade) new from Doug Pinnick of King's X

Radiohead - Amnesiac (Capitol)

Tom Rush - Live at Symphony Hall, Boston (Varese Sarabande) recorded in 1971 and 1972

Seven Mary Three - The Economy of Sound (Mammoth)

Ron Sexsmith - Boy Blue (Spinart)

St. Lunatics - Free City (Reel/Universal) led by Nelly of Country Grammar fame

Tomb Raider - original motion picture soundtrack (Elektra) with music from U2, Nine Inch Nails, Moby, Outkast and a duet between Missy Elliott and Nelly Furtado

various artists - As Seen on TV (UTV) with Nick Drake, Trio, Buzzcocks, Groove Armada, and more

various artists - Ask Not What Rock & Roll Can Do for You, Ask What You Can Do for Rock & Roll (Redline/Red Ink) with Queens of the Stone Age, Nebula, Gluecifer, Nashville Pussy, Mother Superior, and more

Rufus Wainwright - Poses (Dreamworks) with guests Melissa Auf Der Maur of Hole and Alex Gifford of Propellerheads

Dee Dee Warwick - I Want to Be with You (Hip-O) 26-track collection of her 1960's soul recordings

The Webb Brothers - Maroon (Atlantic)

Lucinda Williams - Essence (Lost Highway)

Steve Wynn - Here Come the Miracles (Innerstate) all new two-CD set from the former Dream Syndicate founder