Although we have before us another rather short list of new album releases this week, there are quite a few interesting ones to consider. The biggie this week is of course the new one from Beck — produced by Danger Mouse no less. Our own Josh "Meet Him At Mary's Place" Hathaway will be along shortly to talk about that.

Also worthy of note is the new one from Patti Smith, a collaboration of her poetry set to the soundscapes of My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields. Perhaps more worthy to regular readers of NAR however, is that Mark Saleski has returned to the fold following a long sabbatical to give his thoughts on the Smith/Shields collaboration.

Some of the other more interesting things you'll find this week at the record store include the new solo release ¿Como Te Llama?, from Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., which is said to sound quite a bit like a Strokes record itself. From the Melvins — these are the guys who put the "sludge" in Seattle's nineties grunge sound — comes their latest, Nude with Boots. Jordan Richardson has a full review of that one up on the site which you can check out by going here.

The trend of expanded versions of albums, classic or otherwise, continues this week with last year's Maroon 5 album It Won't Be Soon Before Long getting the deluxe treatment with the usual additional live tracks. Billy Joel's landmark multi-platinum The Stranger gets itself a full boxed set on the 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition, that includes a previously unreleased DVD performance from Carnegie Hall recorded just before the album was recorded in 1977.

And now to talk about the new Patti Smith, we welcome back our missing brother in action, Mark Saleski.

Saleski's Choice: Patti Smith & Kevin Shields - The Coral Sea
I've always loved it when Patti Smith busts out the poetry notebook. Long before I ever knew what the hell she was talking about, I loved the passion. Aside from a few of the more mainstream poets (Robert Frost, etc.), poetry has always been considered a fringe sort of art.

So be it.

This is the kind of release that might send a few people screaming out of the room. Patti Smith puts on a live performance of her long form prose poem/requiem for friend and icon Robert Mapplethorpe. Guitarist Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) provides the backing soundscapes.

Two discs. Not for the faint of heart.

Josh Hathaway's Fanboy Pick: Beck - Modern Guilt
There are dozens of artists who've been labeled innovative and original. Only a few are deserving - and Beck is one of them, which is an amazing and ironic achievement considering his albums are pastiches of familiar sounds and ideas. Also amazing is that a long line of superstar producers have helmed his records – Modern Guilt marks the first collaboration with Danger Mouse – yet each of them sounds uniquely Beck.

On MG, he takes a step forward using his technical wizardry to create soundscapes that express more than the hipster wisecracks of Odelay or heartbreak of Sea Change (both of which I love), and does it in a mere 33 minutes.