Queens of the Stone Age
Rated R 10th Anniversary Reissue
Interscope
Street: 08.03
QOSTA = David Bowie + Tool + Stone Temple Pilots
Reissued in a two-disc deluxe edition with such dandy bells and whistles as live tracks from the Reading Festival and some sweet B-Sides, frontman Josh Homme’s tracks still hold up 10 years later.  My introduction to QOTSA came with Songs For The Deaf, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear the darker and more widely branching musical reach of Rated R.  The Reading Festival tracks are all right, but they didn’t exactly leave me crying for more.  I found them difficult to listen to, since there are better-quality mixes of the live tracks on the first CD (although “Better Living Through Chemistry” stands out in the live tracks once the crowd decides to stop trying to keep a beat). The true gems of the bonus second CD are the B-Sides.  Covers of the likes of Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never” and The Kinks’ “Who’ll Be The Next In Line” caught my attention right away.  Homme’s vocal style is interesting and fun, while the QOTSA-driven riffs add an unexpected intensity to the songs that I wouldn’t have expected. Rated R combines an older-sounding jam sound with heavy, repetitive riffs. The two are melded together to create an insane climactic build that is hard not to take note of. –Ben Trentelman

Rakaa
Crown Of Thorns
Decon
Street: 07:20
Rakaa = Dilated Peoples + The Roots
This is Rakaa's first solo venture and with time put into it and a plethora of guest spots, it’s extremely well executed. The guest appearance list boasts Mad Lion, KRS One, Evidence, Fashawn, Aloe Blacc, Chali 2na, Defari, and Krondon. With a list like that, you will not be getting any number of repetitive songs or any lack of fresh. I really enjoyed the down-to-earth feel on songs “Human Nature” and “Aces High.” Surprisingly, I had a few people complain to me about this record, saying they expected more from it. The record is solid and gives variety to the masses, while holding a clean base of beat guests and flow. Whether or not that suits the needs of the ferocious, egotistical hip-hop-heads who think they know better, it really shouldn't matter. It’s a pretty all-around dope record with bounce meaning and stability. My hats off to Rakaa on this one. –Bethany Fischer

The Reactionaries
1979
Water Under the Bridge
Street: 02.20
The Reactionaries = The Minutemen + San Pedro, Calif. + a different singer
I remember the first time I heard the Minutemen. I couldn’t figure out how they were playing their instruments so fast. I wasn’t sure that what they were doing was even punk rock. I wasn’t alone in my confusion—this was a common reaction when the band crawled out of San Pedro in the early 1980s. They seemed to arrive fully formed, completely different from everyone else, and without a single misstep. This record by the Reactionaries is an incredible historical document, and it fills in some of the early musical story of the Minutemen. The only personnel difference between the two bands is the Reactionaries’ addition of singer Martin Tamburovich. This disc is 10 songs taken from a practice tape made in the shed behind George Hurley’s house in 1979. The sound is rough, but we are able to see the early, more traditional punk leanings of the future Minutemen. After Tamburovich left the band to take a more managerial position at New Alliance Records, the band became the Minutemen. Having already fulfilled their punk rock fantasies, the band proceeded to branch off into classic 70s rock and even John Coltrane-style jazz, all the while keeping up a punk vibe. After D. Boon’s death in 1985, Hurley and Mike Watt went on to form fIREHOSE. In addition to the remastered 10-track demo, the disc also includes newly recorded versions of the songs by Watt and other musicians who are or have been important to San Pedro. The players represent bands like the Secondmen, Black Flag and Saccharine Trust. For upstart Pedro record label Water Under the Bridge, this is one hell of a first release. –James Bennett

Secret Colours
Self-titled
Self-released
Street: 07.13
Secret Colours = Stone Roses + The Dandy Warhols
I am pretty sure that the psychedelic Brit rock revival happened about 14 years ago and when that revival happened way back when, it was annoying as hell. But apparently, in Chicago, where the Secret Colours are based, it doesn’t matter that you re-hash some shit-ass revival that was bogus in the first place. Secret Colours sound like The Brian Jonestown Massacre took a kaleidoscopic poop and called it a cover band. This band should have only been invented as a joke for the Austin Powers movies, but sadly, they are a real band and it kind of makes me want to cry. –Jon Robertson