What a week! After this new hubbub about that "exhilarating" Britney Spears video come three new albums--all in their own way just as relevant to today's sizzling pop music climate, and certainly a much-needed breath of fresh air.

First, that new Radiohead album which costs as much--or as little--as fans want to pay!

Next, the long-awaited debut of the unconventionally named Naked Brothers Band!

And finally, the release of Electric Six's I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me From Being The Master--clearly the year's best album for its name alone!

Sadly, all three albums must be played to be fully enjoyed!

Kid Rock: Rock 'N' Roll Jesus (Lava/Atlantic) Love him or leave him, invite him to your awards show and watch him punch someone out, Detroit's own Kid Rock is a colorful character that you can't help rooting for! Rock? Rap? Country? Other? No problem! Predictions are the Kid will either soar to renewed superstardom or plummet into the depths of hell purely for

Well, this was the big week when rappers 50 Cent and Kanye West went head-to-head in their dramatic battle to sell the most records! And I know I wasn't alone in quivering with excitement! Best of all--as a special bonus to buying the CDs, consumers were actually allowed to listen to them!

So forget the sales brouhaha--let's talk quality! I was pretty excited by the 50 Cent album, mostly because of that great picture in the CD booklet showing him actually eating a gun from a dinner plate! And the Kanye West album was great because one of the three billion tracks it blatantly ripped off--er, I mean, one of the fab tracks it included prominently credited Can, the ultragreat German band, who'll probably be getting lots of unexpected royalty money as a result!

The real winner? I'd say it was journalists all over the world, who could spew meaningless copy everywhere during an otherwise dreary news week! Just like me! Hey, I'm not proud!

James Blunt: All The Lost Souls (Custard/Atlantic)

Newcomers, famous names, weirdos and veritable saviors of humanity are among the countless thousands who'll be releasing new albums this week--and it's now my honor to recount many of them!

But you know something? When I look at this list--which I haven't written yet, but I soon will--something strikes me. And that's the fact that it's likely there isn't a single person on this earth who would be a fan of all of these albums! It's true! Sadly, today's music fans have such divergent tastes, no one really seems capable of truly liking everything.

But I do. Yes, that's correct. I do indeed like everything, and in fact I probably like it more than you do!

But--and here's where it gets tricky--it has to start with a certain letter! And today's letter is Q!

Atreyu: Lead Sails Paper Anchor (Hollywood) Cleverly taking their name from the French pronunciation of "After You," these fun-loving hard-rockers will open the doors of your perception and more! With a massive fan base behind them-- I

The industry's a-buzzin' about the showdown coming in just a few weeks--when 50 Cent and Kanye West release their long-awaited new albums on the same day!  If Kanye outsells me, then I will retire from the music business, sort of, declared Mr. Cent himself! It's so dramatic that I can barely stand it, and I'm sure you feel the same way!

Maybe it's just me, but ever since they passed that new law declaring that every recording artist's worth is directly proportional to the number of album he or she sells, I'm starting to wonder if the artists I like are, well, you know, popular enough! Like, I don't want to back any losers, you know what I mean?

I think to play it safe we should all buy copies of both of those guys' albums! You know, maintain the status quo! Like, why make waves? Who knows--maybe one day they'll buy us dinner or something!

Aiden: Conviction (Victory) I knew something was up with this lovable Seattle band when I noticed they actually credited the person who gives them