Stripes, Rabbit, Hendrix Lead New Releases

Spring is almost here and for some reason this time of year always brings with it a whole crop of new releases. Here's a sneak peak at what's going to hit the market over the next month or so -- Oh, where to start?

Well, might as well start with what's being released soonest, which would be The White Stripes' Under the Great White Northern Lights. Lucky fans can get a sneak peak of the movie of the same name when it premiers in Chicago at the Music Box Theater tonight, and this first live CD by the Stripes has expectations high. The release on CD contains 16 songs that cut across the WS catalog. Icky Thump gets the most attention with the title cut, "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues," "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Work," and "I'm Slowly Turning Into You" getting their live debut. None of the cuts are available for preview listening but you can catch them at NPR.org today through March 16 during All Things Considered's "First Listen" series. You can preorder a limited edition box set ($200+)or you can get it in CD, DVD or vinyl.

Also out soon is Frightened Rabbit's follow-up to their critically acclaimed second CD, The Midnight Organ Fight. Titled The Winter of Mixed Drinks, the CD sounds like it might just pick up where Organ left off, then go a little bit further if the single released in February is any indication. That cut, titled "Swim Until You Can't See Land," shows the band working with less sparse arrangements, greater melody, and an almost lush studio sound. And lead singer Scott Hutchison likes it. "It's better than the last one," he said on the record company's website.

Next up is Valleys of Neptune, a "new" release from the vaults of the Jimi Hendix curators. And while any more releases from the Hendrix catalog have to be viewed cynically -- there's not a worse example of catalog exploitation out there, whether the rock star is dead or alive (though both Elvises come close) -- this collection might just be worth the experience. Recorded in 1969, familiar cuts such as "Fire" and "Stone Free" reportedly get a stripped-down, revved up treatment, and covers such as "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Bleeding Heart" reportedly hint at the direction Hendrix might have been heading.

For all you Lady Gaga fans out there, you can get your fix straight from the pseudo-Diva's mouth on X-Posed, a spoken word interview-only CD that reportedly offers insights into "how she developed her own style," how she achieved "such huge popularity," and "why her image is just as important to her as her sound." Supposedly "candid" and "somewhat risque"... As if she's not over X-posed already. Madonna, anyone?

And if that's not quirky enough for you, maybe Graham Parker's Imaginary Television is what you need. A New Wave rocker who hit it big and then faded to low-impact status, Parker can write great tunes and knows how to turn a phrase, so maybe this new foray is worth a listen. Seems Graham got tired of sitting around watching TV and listening to TV theme songs "chosen by idiots." So "inspired by the grossly lame themes used for sitcoms and television dramas" he created his own ideas for TV shows -- then proceeded to write the theme songs for each show. No lyrics on the CD cover but you do get the TV show plots. "It's the story, of a lovely lady..." I can hear it now...

And that's just a few...more to come!