• My big pick of the week is this Tuesday's release of And The Word Became Flesh, the new album from Public Enemy's architect of sound, Professor Griff. The new Right Stuff Records album, his first in three years, is a fantastic return of the beat believer and system cheater, extending his legacy of ground-shaking boom-bastics into a new territory of smooth R&B and mature, jazz-flavored grooves.
• This Friday night at midnight the fun folks at The Cartoon Network will broadcast Toonami Midnight Run Special Edition, an hour-long block of all-animated music videos. Hosted by TOM the computer-generated host, the program will feature three cool videos from the Gorillaz and four videos from Daft Punk, including the world premiere of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
• This Tuesday the Universal label issues a fantastic three-CD set of live recordings from the Velvet Underground as the debut of a planned series of rare live recordings to be sprinkled throughout the coming year.
• New solo projects abound this Tuesday from members of Giant Sand, Shudder to Think, and Buffalo Tom - all showcasing a different side of their musical pasts. Howie Gleb of Giant Sand makes a unique departure from his band's Arizona desert psychedelia this Tuesday.
• Joe Jackson is getting the royal treatment on A&M Records' re-issue of his first two albums this Tuesday. Both albums from 1979 are seminal pop songwriting, combining Jackson's touching melodies and heartbroken sneer in hits such as "Is She Really Going Out with Him," "It's Different for Girls," and "Fools in Love.
• This Tuesday brings the super-sweet campaign by Rhino Records to re-present Elvis Costello's stunning career. From the snot 'n' sneer youngster of his 1977 Columbia Records debut through the seasoned-songwriting-statesman years on the Warner Bros.
• The long-awaited return of the Butthole Surfers is set with the August 28 release date of the band's Weird Revolution set on the Surfdog/Hollywood label. The group's signature sound of deep-shag acid audio scratch 'n' sniff has been scaring audiences since 1984, and this outing features founding members Gibby Haynes on bullhorn, guitarist Paul Leary, and drummer King Coffey.
• This Tuesday brings the long-awaited release of Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and its new Live Frogs: Set Two. The CD is hot on the tails of the April release of Live Frogs: Set One, and this one dives straight into the heart of the sun.
• Details of the upcoming Tori Amos album are out, and as a connoisseur of covers, I'm psyched: The entire album is a covers affair. Strange Little Girls is due September 18 and reveals a bit of the pixie dust beneath her scarlet cap.
• Never underestimate the value of your fan base. Two bands from the UK are taking a unique stance on the production of their new albums, with their fans directly involved in footing the bill. Fans of Marillion set the stage for things to come back in 1997, when the band's fan base was informed that a proposed North American tour wasn't financially feasible.

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