THIS WEEK

Other new releases

Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackettes: Baby Caught the Bus (Vanguard)
Hard to resist that band name. Doubly hard to resist when the band (shown above) sounds just like the name, judging from the first single, “Love Letter.” A press release claims that Browne & the BRs can update everything — soul, R&B, jazz, doo-wop — and I don’t doubt it. Clairy sings lead, three more ladies back her up, and five guys make the noise. Winehouse? Yes, and why not.

Sqürl: EP #1 (ATP)
And I quote: “Sqürl are an enthusiastically marginal rock band from New York City who like big drums & broken guitars, cassette recorders, loops, feedback, sad country songs, molten stoner core, chopped & screwed hip-hop, and imaginary movie scores.” One of the three members just happens to be film director Jim Jarmusch. Track listing: “Pink Dust” (there’s the molten stoner core), “Dead Naked Hippies,” “Little Sister,” and “Some Feedback for Jozef Van Wissem.” Vinyl and digital only.

Darius Rucker: True Believers (Capitol Nashville)
His third country set.

Thirty Seconds to Mars: Love Lust Faith + Dreams (Virgin)
The band’s fourth release is a concept album exploring the four subjects in the title.

Scout Niblett: It’s Up to Emma (Drag City)
. . . “Emma” being the real first name of stripped-down indie rocker Ms. Niblett, heard here on her sixth album.

The Brand New Heavies: Forward (Shanachie)
First studio album in 7 years.

Man or Astro-man?: Defcon 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 (Communicating Vessels/Chunklet)
Blast off with the first studio album in 13 years from the aggressive surf/space-rock crew.

The Beach Boys: Live — The 50th Anniversary Tour (Capitol/UMe)
Speaking of surf, here’s a two-CD, 41-track set recorded during the 2012 reunion of Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston (with David Marks).

Bob James & David Sanborn: Quartette Humaine (OKeh/Sony)
Acoustic set, with the pianist and the saxophonist backed by bassist James Genus and drummer Steve Gadd on four originals by James, three by Sanborn, and two covers.

Michel Camilo: What’s Up? (OKeh/Sony)
Solo-piano outing, with seven originals and four covers (including “Take Five” and “Love for Sale”).

Emerson String Quartet: Journeys (Sony Classical)
Joined by violist Paul Neubauer and cellist Colin Carr, the ensemble performs two sextets from the 1890s: Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence and Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night.