Basement Jaxx are back — and they brought friends as usual.  Their new release, Scars, features a laundry list of guests, including Santigold, Yo! Majesty, and Yoko Ono.  Make sure to check out “Raindrops”, “Feelings Gone”, and “Twerk”.  Basement Jaxx Scars ($14)

People have been doing the Monster Mash for nearly fifty years now.  Enough is enough.  It’s time for some new Halloween classics.  And that is exactly what Dead Man’s Bones is here to deliver.  Ryan Gosling (yep, that guy from The Notebook) and Zach Shields teamed up with the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir to put together a macabre album about all things ghoulish and ghostly.  If you turned Joy Division and Arcade Fire into a pack of flesh-eating zombies, their music would sound something like this.  Stand out tracks include Dead Hearts, Pa Pa Power, and My Body’s a Zombie for You.  Dead Man’s Bones ($13)

Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire

It’s hard to believe we didn’t hear about this album earlier.  It came out in 2008, and is Italian composer Ludovido Einaudi’s 9th release.  It has been featured across the globe by Sony, Top Gear, The BBC, the film The Reader, and even in recent NBA playoff commercials.  Standouts include “Divenire”, “Andare”, “Primavera”, and “Fly”.  Classified by most as classical, this album features minimalistic composing combined with modern sounds akin to Sigur Ros, along with haunting piano and string arrangements.  The perfect album to add some culture to your 80’s hair band collection.  Divenire ($22)

While the satisfaction of giving money to a non-profit group is always great, we do like the kind of philanthropy advertised as “all proceeds go to”–you know, the kind where you get something cool AND donate to a good cause.  We have been long-time supporter’s of Seattle’s non-profit music station 90.3 KEXP, both listening on the radio, and streaming online.  So it’s been with much anticipation that we have been waiting for today, when Live at KEXP Volume 5 finally hits stores.  All tracks are by artists who have performed live at KEXP’s studios, and reflect the stations always diverse, always hip, song choices.  Featured on volume five are bands such as DeVotchKa, Of Montreal, The Hold Steady, Zion, and The Moondoggies.