Monday was Presidents' Day so, naturally, this week we're going to painstakingly describe 43 new releases that are hitting stores.

OK, we're kidding. But all the same, we are going to have some fun with the holiday, to make sure this new-releases rundown isn't a total snoozer. Since some of the latest discs simply belong together, this week we're presenting the latest titles in the form of tickets for the presidency (in real life, we're already endorsing Tancredo/Gravel for '12). Who earns your vote? Check out the candidates and cast your ballot ...

Prez: Jim Jones' Harlem's American Gangster
· "The title of this mixtape is a bit controversial," Jim recently told Mixtape Monday about his response to Jay-Z's American Gangster. "[Roc-A-Fella co-founder] Dame [Dash] feels the same way I do about American gangsters: If you snitch, you're not an American gangster. Understand me. That's what we're doing it for." Dame actually crops up on the mixtape — he surfaces in the intro and in a series of skits — while Byrd Gang flagship member Max B did some co-writing. Don't miss "Byrd Gang Money," "Love Me No More" and "Up in Harlem."

VP: Tha Dogg Pound's "Dogg Pound Chronicles: The Cleveland Edition"
· With a dearth of hip-hop happening this week, it wasn't easy to find a running mate for Mr. Jones, but the Pound will do. This video 'zine is an 11-track video mix of songs the group played at a show in Cleveland. For good measure, there's also footage of Daz Dillinger, Kurupt chilling out before the show, as well as artist chats that reveal what they'll be sinking their teeth into next.

Prez: "About a Son" DVD
· "All I knew was that he was a guitar-smashing junkie who screamed," Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad told MTV News about Kurt Cobain and the 1992 interview he did that eventually helped spawn this Cobain biopic. Culled from more than 25 hours' worth of interviews with the doomed star, the film made a sizable impact in the music world last year and is hitting stores via Shout! Factory.

VP: "About a Son" soundtrack
· In an ideal world, the Cobain flick might have been accompanied by a disc of rare Nirvana tunes. But while that didn't transpire, we're still gifted with an original score crafted by Death Cab for Cutie captain Ben Gibbard and Steve Fisk, who collaborated with Nirvana on the production end in the past. The score is coming out in digital form this week, but Nirvana enthusiasts might want to hold out for a limited-edition vinyl version due in April.

Prez: Various artists' Kidz Bop 13
· If recent years have taught you anything in terms of the Billboard albums chart, it's never to underestimate the Now That's What I Call Music! series ... or this one, for that matter. With Kidz Bop 12 having debuted at #7 in the summer, big things should be expected from its successor, which features child-friendly renditions of Plain White T's' "Hey There Delilah," Jordin Sparks' "Tattoo," Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" and more. And there's a bonus: The disc is enhanced with a video montage for the song "Kidz Bop World" that includes footage from last year's Kidz Bop Live tour.

VP: No Kids' Come Into My House
· The first release by this Vancouver, British Columbia, trio was recorded in their hometown — thanks in part to a grant from the Canadian government — and embraces everything from R&B and pop to disco and avant-garde. Oh, and in case you're not already sold, the group copped the album title from Queen Latifah's 1989 dance single of the same name.

Prez: Secondhand Serenade's A Twist in My Story
· This acoustic rock project revolves around one guy, John Vesely, and he teamed with two big-name producers — Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails) and Butch Walker (Avril Lavigne) — for the follow-up to his self-produced debut. The MySpace-adored Secondhand Serenade — in six months, they landed 27 million plays on the social-networking site — have 11 songs on their new one, including "Stay Close, Don't Go," "Like a Knife" and "A Twist in My Story."

VP: Atlas Sound's Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel
· This ambient project revolves around one guy — Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox — and the new album was created and produced entirely by him. With sounds ranging from drone punk to techno beats, Mbira loops and more, songs on the 14-track effort include "Small Horror," "Ready, Set Glow" and "Recent Bedroom." "I want to make music that could be 'healing' or therapeutic to people who relate to it," Cox said in a statement.

Prez: Kingdom of Sorrow's Kingdom of Sorrow
· This side project by Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and Down's Kirk Windstein dished up 11 tracks of straight-up metal for its debut, including "Hear This Prayer for Her," "Screaming Into the Sky" and "Demon Eyes (Demonized)."

VP: Ascension of the Watchers' Numinosum
· This project features Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell and keyboardist John Bechdel and also has 11 tunes' worth of heavy goodness, including "Canon for My Beloved," "Moonshine" and "Quintessence."

Prez: 3's The End Is Begun
· The New York prog-rockers have been getting a big push this year thanks to their deal with Metal Blade — and in fact, Jordan Mancino, drummer for As I Lay Dying, which is another MB band, recently told MTV News that he's been digging 3 lately too. This re-release of their 2007 effort has a cover of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play," as well as a bonus DVD that culls assorted live performances.

VP: 5ive's Hesperus
· The Bostonian experimentalists are indirectly related to 3: 5ive are on Tortuga Recordings, a sister label of Hydra Head, which counts Chicago instrumental act Pelican among the acts on its roster. Pelican previously toured with Opeth, who will be trekking with 3 this summer as part of the Progressive Nation tour. Anywho, the seven-year-old duo of 5ive are back, and for their latest outing, they enlisted Grammy-nominated producer Andrew Schneider (Cave In, Scissorfight).

Prez: Growing's Lateral
· The drony ambient band built its reputation touring with Animal Collective, Black Dice, OOIOO and others, and now it has a new label home in the Social Registry. For Growing's first proper release on the label, they came up with four songs: "Swell," "First Contact," "Lateral" and "After Glow."

VP: Flying's Faces of the Night
· OK, we'll admit it: The only thing this band has in common with the above one is that both their names are the present participles of two verbs. This album by the idiosyncratic pop group was recorded in one week in July 2006 in a studio recently occupied by the Fiery Furnaces.

Bonus ticket: Judging by their album covers, Flowers Forever and Hellogoodbye are a match made in heaven.

Song Title of the Week:

"Which Witch Wuz" from Apes' Ghost Games

Album Cover of the Week:

What a Terrible Thing to Say by Four Letter Lie

Other Notables:

The Raveonettes' Lust Lust Lust

The Danish surf-pop-sters dropped their fourth album overseas last year, and now they're bringing it Stateside with two extra tunes: "My Heartbeat's Dying" and "Honey, I Never Had You." The album has been getting, er, rave reviews already and is the minimalist group's most stripped-down one yet. Check out "Expelled From Love," "Aly, Walk With Me" and "Dead Sound."

Danava's Unonou

The groovy psych group is as its sludgiest yet on this latest slab o' riffage. It only has seven songs, but with just two under the five-minute mark, this is an exhausting effort. Titles include "Down From a Cloud, Up From the Ground," "One Mind Gone Separate Ways" and "Where Beauty & Terror Dance."

The Heavenly States' Delayer

Think you have problems with your in-laws? Check this out — three of the four members of this San Francisco group are related through marriage. The Heavenly States were also the first rock band to play Libya, according to their publicist, and a Libyan-American producer is actually writing a screenplay based on the band's tour there. And, oh yeah, the States have a new album too — the self-produced Delayer is their first effort on their new label, the Rebel Group, and boasts 12 tunes.

New Releases:

· 5ive - Hesperus (Tortuga)
· A Cursive Memory - Changes (Vagrant)
· Ahleuchatistas - The Same and the Other (Tzadik)
· American Music Club - The Golden Age (Merge)
· Apes - Ghost Games (Gypsy Eyes)
· Arson Anthem - Arson Anthem (Housecore)
· Ascension of the Watchers - Numinosum (13th Planet)
· Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (Kranky)
· Bel X1 - Flock (enhanced; Yep Roc)
· The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever (French Kiss)
· Shauna Burns - The Moon and the Fire (Red Rock)
· Chris Cagle - My Life's Been a Country Song (Capitol Nashville)
· Company - Old Baby (Jagjaguwar)
· Sean Costello - We Can Get Together (Delta Groove)
· Crushed Stars - Gossamer Days (Simulacra)
· Cryptacize - Dig That Treasure (Asthmatic Kitty)
· Danava - Unonou (Kemado)
· Ray Davies - Working Man's Café (limited deluxe edition comes with DVD; New West)
· Dead to Fall - Are You Serious? (Victory)
· Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious (ATO) [Buy Now]
· Ekotren - Light the Fire (Blind Prophecy)
· The Epochs - The Epochs (Rebel Group)
· Eyes Set to Kill - Reach (Break Silence)
· Dennis Ferrer - My World as They Remixed It (King Street Sounds)
· Fight Amp - Hungry for Nothing (enhanced; Translation Lost)
· Flowers Forever - Flowers Forever (Team Love)
· Flying - Faces of the Night (Menlo Park)
· Four Letter Lie - What a Terrible Thing to Say (Victory)
· Giacomo Gates - Luminosity (with DVD; DoubleDave)
· Genghis Tron - Board Up the House (Relapse)
· Anthony Gomes - Live (Ruf)
· Grand Archives - Grand Archives (Sub Pop)
· Graveyard - Graveyard (Tee Pee)
· Grief of War - A Mounting Crisis ... As Their Fury Got Released (Prosthetic)
· Growing - Lateral (EP; The Social Registry)
· Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping (Polyvinyl)
· The Heavenly States - Delayer (The Rebel Group)
· Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
· Jim Jones - Harlem's American Gangster (Koch) [Buy Now]

Read: "Mixtape Monday: Jim Jones Drops His Own Gangsta; Jail Doesn't Scare Tony Yayo"
· B.B. King - Live (Geffen/UMe)
· Kingdom of Sorrow - Kingdom of Sorrow (Relapse)
· Justus Köhncke - Safe and Sound (Kompakt)
· Kula Shaker - Strange Folk (Cooking Vinyl)
· Jim Lauderdale & the Dream Players - Honey Songs (Yep Roc)
· Gary Louris - Vagabonds (Rykodisc)
· Megafaun - Bury the Square (Table of Elements)
· Monade - Monstre Cosmic (Too Pure)
· Allison Moorer - Mockingbird (New Line)
· Morcheeba - Dive Deep (Ultra)
· Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride (4AD) [Buy Now]
· Neptune - Gong Lake (Radium/ Table of Elements)
· No Kids - Come Into My House (Tomlab)
· Pacific UV - Longplay 2 (Warm)
· Paint It Black - New Lexicon (Jade Tree)
· Panther - 14k God (Kill Rock Stars)
· Tom Paxton - Comedians & Angels (Appleseed)
· The Picture Show - Shatters Into Discontent (10 Spot)
· Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (Vice) [Buy Now]
· Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity - Santiago's Vest (Electrokitty)
· Arlen Roth (featuring Levon Helm) - Toolin' Around Woodstock (two CDs; Aquinnah)
· Secondhand Serenade - A Twist in My Story (Glass Note) [Buy Now]
· Seven Mary Three - Day&NightDriving (enhanced; Bellum) [Buy Now]
· Sian Alice Group - 59.59 (The Social Registry)
· Steve Smith - This Town (Gas)
· Donita Sparks + the Stellar Moments - Transmiticate (Redeye)
· This Is Hell - Misfortunes (Trustkill)
· Paul Thorn - A Long Way From Tupelo (Perpetual Obscurity)
· Throw Me the Statue - Moonbeams (Secretly Canadian)
· Time Again - Darker Days (Hellcat)
· Various artists - Kidz Bop 13 (enhanced; Razor & Tie)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· 3 - The End Is Begun (special edition with bonus DVD; Metal Blade)
· Lúcio Alves - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Lúcio Alves (Verve)
· Average White Band - Soul & the City: Recorded Live at B.B. King's (Copycats/Koch)
· Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode: His Complete '50s Chess Recordings (four-CD box set; Hip-O Select)
· Carla Bruni - No Promises (enhanced; previously available on iTunes only; Downtown)
· The Damned - The Chaos Years: Live and Studio Demos 1977-1982 (Cleopatra)
· Vinicius de Moraes - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Vinicius de Moraes (Verve)
· Lee Dorsey - Funky as I Can Be! (Great American Music)
· Envy - Compiled Fragments 1997-2003 (Temporary Residence)
· Marianne Faithfull - No Regrets (Great American Music)
· Hellogoodbye - Hellogoodbye EP/DVD Split and Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! And More! (Drive-Thru)
· iio - Rapture Reconstruction: Platinum Edition (two CDs; Made)
· Antonio Carlos Jobim - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim (Verve)
· KMFDM - Brimborium (Metropolis)
· Nara Leão - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Nara Leão (Verve)
· Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool (Yep Roc)
· Carlos Lyra - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Carlos Lyra (Verve)
· Magic Mushroom Band - Live '89 (Zeit Media)
· Roberto Menescal - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Roberto Menescal (Verve)
· Os Cariocas - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Os Cariocas (Verve)
· Tamba Trio - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Tamba Trio (Verve)
· Sylvia Telles - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Sylvia Telles (Verve)
· Billy Vera & the Beaters - Hopeless Romantic: The Best of Billy Vera & the Beaters (Shout! Factory)
· Walter Wanderley - Pure Bossa Nova: A View on the Music of Walter Wanderley (Verve)
· Jessica Williams - Nothin' but the Truth (Black Hawk)
· Pete York - Pete York & Friends (three-CD collector's edition; Inakustic)
· Various artists - Don't Press Your Luck! The Sound of '60s Connecticut (Sundazed)
· Various artists - Hard to Find Jukebox Classics: 1957 - Pop Gold and Rhythm & Rock (Hit Parade)
· Various artists - Let's Hear It for the Boy Vol. 7 (two CDs; Megahit)
· Various artists - New York Blues and R&B (two CDs; Acrobat)
· Various artists - Putumayo Presents: Euro Groove (Putumayo World Music)

Music DVDs:

· America - "Live in Central Park" (Eagle)
· Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen - "Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen" (ATA Trading Corp)
· Kurt Cobain - "About a Son" (Shout! Factory)

Read: " 'About A Son' Conversations Give A Glimpse Into The Kurt Cobain Few Knew"
· Earl Thomas Conley - "Greatest Hits" (Quantum Leap)
· Deep Purple - "Live at Montreux 2006" (Blu-Ray; Eagle)
· Fairport Convention - "Maidstone 1970" (Neptune)
· Flipper - "Live: Target Video 1980-81" (Target Video)
· Genesis - "Remember Knebworth 1978: A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Voiceprint)
· B.B. King - "Live" (Geffen/UMe)
· The New Seekers - "Live at the Royal Albert Hall" (ATA Trading Corp.)
· Santana - "Hymns for Peace: Live at Montreux 2004" (Blu-Ray; Eagle)
· Society 1 - "Fearing the Exit"/ "The Creation of Sound" (two DVDs; Earache)
· Tad - "Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears" (Music Video Distributors)
· Tangerine Dream - "Live at Coventry Cathedral" (Video Music)
· Tha Dogg Pound - "Dogg Pound Chronicles: The Cleveland Edition" (Capture Motion)
· The Wake - "Blacklist" (with CD; Cleopatra)
· Yes - "Live at Montreux 2003" (Blu-Ray; Eagle)
· Various artists - "A Tribute to Edith Piaf: Live at Montreux 2004" (Eagle)
· Various artists - "Burn to Shine 5: Seattle, WA 1.27.07" (Trixie)
· Various artists - "Hymns for Peace" (Blu-Ray; Eagle)
· Various artists - "iCrusher Complete" (Earache)

Digital Releases:

· Billy Boy on Poison - Sweet Mess (EP; available at iTunes; Ironworks)
· Bonnie Bramlett - Beautiful (available exclusively at RockinCamel; Rockin' Camel)
· Marc Broussard - Must Be the Water (EP; available on iTunes; Atlantic)
· Ben Gibbard and Steve Fisk - "About a Son" score (Barsuk)
· Mobius Band - Love Will Reign Supreme (EP; available for free on MobiusBand)
· The Postmarks - By the Numbers (ongoing 12-part series of free songs available exclusively at eMusic)
· Ursula 1000 - Undressed (ESL Music)

Coming Attractions:

February 26:
· Erykah Badu - New Amerykah (Motown)
· Missy Higgins - On a Clear Night (Reprise)
· Janet Jackson - Discipline (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Island)

March 4:
· The Black Crowes - Warpaint (Silver Arrow/ Megaforce/ Sony)
· Flogging Molly - Float (Side One Dummy)
· Stephen Malkmus & Jicks - Real Emotional Trash (Matador)

March 11:
· Fat Joe - The Elephant in the Room (Virgin)

Read: "Fat Joe Nixes Planned Eddie Murphy Cover, Salutes 'Hood Spartans On '300' "
· Meshuggah - obZen (Nuclear Blast America)
· Rick Ross - Trilla (Def Jam)

Read: "Rick Ross Recruits Jay-Z, T-Pain, Lil Wayne To Help Him Thrill On Trilla"