New Music : July 6, 2010 - July 12, 2010

M.I.A. "MAYA"
As a provocateur and culture jammer, Sri Lankan performer M.I.A. merits high marks. The music on her third full-length, "/\/\ /\ Y /\" ("MAYA") is as revolutionary - or at least entertaining - as her politics. Aside from its killer singles, Blaqstarr-produced banger "XXXO" and Suicide-sampling battle cry "Born Free," the record feels well mixed with eclectic sounds. Consider this - late '70s/early '80s pioneers like Cabaret Voltaire does a similar job cobbling together the type of jarring collages M.I.A. uses as backing tracks with old-fashioned tape recorders and analog synths, not laptops and ProTools. Several songs here a hint at unrealized potential, particularly the lilting reggae of "It Takes a Muscle" and "Tell Me Why" (which has all the makings of a great Rihanna song ... except for the echoing and charismatic vocal).

Sting "Symphonicities"
This favorite rocker turned soloist classical musician gives his relationship with the Deutsche Grammophon label a predictable turn with his latest. While the 58-year-old singer's previous outings for the prestigious classical imprint include a surprisingly bleak "Christmas" album and a set of tunes by 16th-century English bard John Dowland, this time he's opted to have career highlights -- both with the Police ("Roxanne," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic ") and without -- orchestrated by several notable arrangers, including David Hartley, Vince Mendoza, and three-time Oscar winner Michel Legrand. The perfect complement for Sting's ongoing North American tour, which finds him accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra under the direction of Steven Mercurio.

Paul Wall "Heart of a Champion"
Mr. Wall puts his money where his mouth is. His diamond-encrusted dental work helped propel Nelly's "Grillz" into the charts in 2005 -- but he also relies on his rhymes to drum up greenbacks in the first place. The latest and fifth studio album from the Houston rapper showcases cameos by Bun B, Kid Sister, Jim Jones, Devin the Dude, Slim Thug, Raekwon and Jay Electronica to say the least. In addition, Chamillionaire, with whom Wall recently reconciled, also makes an appearance. Featuring 14 tracks, the follow-up to last year's "Fast Life" was produced primarily by Travis Barker of Blink-182 and Beanz N Kornbread.

Korn "Korn III: Remember Who You Are"

Nü-metal icons Korn are back after a pretty long hiatus and semi-break up. With their ninth album, they reunite the band with Ross Robinson, who produced their first two albums and helped define the rap-rock sound. In a twisted bit of serendipity, the album's artwork evokes Korn's roots in the oil community around Bakersfield, Calif., as does their single "Oildale (Leave Me Alone)." Having grown up in the shadow of this industry, Korn have been surprisingly vocal about BP and the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. While they are co-headlining the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour this summer, they won't be fueling up their vehicles at BP or any of its affiliates. They've persuaded myriad other tours to boycott BP, too, including such unlikely bedfellows as New Kids in the Block and Lady Gaga.

Carissa's Wierd "They'll Only Miss You When You Leave"

This Seattle ensemble began confounding spell-checking in the mid-'90s, and bravely soldiered on until 2003, issuing three full-lengths and a couple EPs of arty, somber songs that were defiantly quiet in the waning years of alt-rock. The band turned out to be something of a finishing school for Emerald City musicians -- critical faves band of Horses, Grand Archives, S and Sera Cahoone all emerged from its ashes. But even in their heyday CW was always one of those acts more folks had heard about than actually heard. The superb new anthology, featuring 16 gems culled from all their records, should rectify that oversight.

Danger Mouse "Dark Night of the Soul"

This producer and recording artist has made a career out of unpredictable collaborations and this newest creation is among his oddest to date, pairing him with director David Lynch and haunting songwriter Mark Linkous, better known as Sparklehorse. The team completed the project, an all-star album accompanied by a book of photos, in 2009, but the music got held up by label politics (the book was published with a blank CD-R in its stead) and is only now being released, four months after Linkous' suicide. The album is a lovely capper to his career, bristling with Sparklehorse's unsettling, psychedelic hybrid of folk, rock and dream-pop, and featuring performances by Iggy Pop, Suzanne Vega, Frank Black and members of the Shins, Flaming Lips, Interpol, Grandaddy, the Cardigans and more.

Other New Releases Worth Checking Out:
(Have not listened to, but please feel free to post a review)

• Mystery Jets "Serotonin"
• Chatham County Line "Wildwood" 
• The Innocence Mission "My Room in the Trees" 
• Hellyeah "Stampede"