New releases: J Mascis, Pet Shop Boys, Primal Scream, Black Francis, Nick Lowe

Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.

ARTIST: J Mascis
RELEASE: Several Shades of Why
BACKSTORY: The Dinosaur Jr guitar god largely unplugs this week delivers his first-ever studio solo album, a mostly acoustic collection on venerable Sub Pop Records that features  guest turns by Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, Kurt Vile and Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell, among others (see full tracklist here).
BUY IT: Amazon.com, iTunes

ARTIST: Pet Shop Boys
RELEASE: The Most Incredible Thing
BACKSTORY: The synthpop duo this week releases in the U.K. a 2CD set featuring their score to the Hans Christian Andersen adaptation “The Most Incredible Thing,” the duo’s first-ever full-length “narrative ballet,” set to debut in London later this week. The CD arrives in the U.S. next week (see full tracklist here).
BUY IT: Amazon.co.uk, iTunes UK

ARTIST: Primal Scream
RELEASE: Screamadelica: 20th Anniversary Edition
BACKSTORY: The genre-hopping C86 grads this week reissue, in the U.K., their landmark 1991 album in both 2CD and 2LP sets, plus a massive 4CD/1DVD/2LP deluxe box set highlighted by “a new cut of the album” remixed by none other than part-time Scream member Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine (see full tracklist here).
BUY IT: Amazon.co.uk, iTunes UK

More from Black Francis, Nick Lowe and Eleventh Dream Day after the jump…

ARTIST: Black Francis
RELEASES: The Golem, Abbabubba: B-Sides, Etc.
BACKSTORY: The Pixies frontman this week releases a few titles he’s been selling on his website, including a collection of recent B-sides, as well as a condensed single-disc version of his score to the silent 1920 German expressionist film “Der Golem.” The scored film also is being released on DVD.
BUY IT: The Golem, Abbabubba: B-Sides, Etc. via Amazon.com

ARTIST: Nick Lowe
RELEASE: Labour of Lust
BACKSTORY: The U.K. singer-songwriter’s second solo album, originally released in 1979, is reissued this week, and includes the former Brinsley Schwarz member’s only major U.S. hit “Cruel to Be Kind,” plus the originally U.K.-only ”Endless Grey Ribbon” and the U.S.-only ”American Squirm,” as well as the bonus B-side ”Basing Street.”
BUY IT: Labour of Lust via Amazon.com

ARTIST: Eleventh Dream Day
RELEASE: Riot Now!
BACKSTORY: The Chicago indie-guitar heroes — original members Rick Rizzo, Janet Beveridge Bean and Douglas McCombs — return this week with their 10th studio album, which Thrill Jockey Records is hailing as “a call back to the urgency of 1988’s Prairie School Freakout.” It’s the band’s first new record in five years (see tracklist here).
BUY IT: Amazon.com, iTunes