Stone Temple Pilots' reunion album is out today.

In the end, every band that breaks up eventually gets back together, right? Unless an important member passes away…and even then, sometimes the reunion is too hard to resist. At any rate, after a two-album stint as lead singer of Velvet Revolver, a couple of solo records and a rap sheet that rivals DMX, Scott Weiland has rejoined the rest of Stone Temple Pilots. Their latest album (the first in nearly a decade) arrives in stores today. I was a pretty huge STP fan back in the day, but I lost interest after that “Tiny Music” album when Weiland stopped imitating Eddie Vedder an started imitating David Bowie. You can stream this album just about anywhere, so head over to AOL or wherever and see if Weiland can keep it together clean.

Elsewhere, it’s a fairly light week for new releases. A couple of things that you might be interested in checking out include the new album from R&B singer Leela James. “My Soul” contains contributions from Kanye West and Raheem DeVaughn. There’s also the debut album from Truth & Salvage Co., a band out of California that’s been mentored and produced by The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson. I’ve also read quite a bit (and got a tip from a buddy of mine who’ll be glad to see a mention of him in this column) about this new album by Bettye LaVette, on which the soul singer covers some 60s rock classics.

If you need a laugh (and who doesn’t), my suggestion is that you check out the new David Cross record, “Bigger & Blackerer”. I’m pretty new to the cult of Cross, thanks to some friends who hipped me to the genius of “Arrested Development”. If this guy’s stand up is anything close to the way he portrays Tobias Funke, he’s some kind of a fucking genius.

Pause and Play is the place to check out for all your new release needs. Make sure you check ’em out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDSqcCPRsW0