Sorry we’ve been absent for a week or two. However, we’re back, and as committed as ever to letting you know about key new releases.

First up, The Arcade Fire. Win Butler and co. have gone from “everyone’s favorite indie band” to “everyone’s favorite band” period. Three hit albums, the last of which not only hit the top spot on Billboard’s album chart but won the Grammy for Album Of The Year. Reflektor, out tomorrow, finds the Canadian troupe facing ginormous expectations. Not much for convention, they’ve recruited James Murphy (AKA Mr. LCD Soundsystem) for production duties and all indications point to there being a strong dance-rock influence on this album. As someone who’s not a fan of LCD, I must say I’m a little worried about how much I’ll like Reflektor, but the CD is in the mail. Can’t turn back now!

Robert Glasper Experiment's "Black Radio 2" is one of this week's key new releases.

Robert Glasper Experiment’s “Black Radio 2” is one of this week’s key new releases.

I am significantly less worried about Black Radio 2, the latest album by fellow Grammy winners The Robert Glasper Experiment. Glasper is fusing jazz with soul and hip-hop like no other recent artist, and the first edition of Black Radio was one of last year’s biggest surprises (to me, anyway.) Handling vocal duties on Black Radio 2, you will find a who’s-who of modern music, from soul divas Emeli Sande, Jill Scott and Lalah Hathaway to rapper Yaasin Bey (formerly Mos Def,) pop/jazz chanteuse Norah Jones and soulful pop-punker Patrick Stump.

Those are my two purchases for the week, but you, dear reader, may also be interested in: a new Christmas album from Kelly Clarkson, a set of fresh tunes from country superstar Toby Keith, or a brand new covers album by Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall.

If those are not your style, how about the soundtrack to The Best Man: Holiday (the only Christmas 2013 album that has a snowball’s chance in hell of being purchased by me)? R. Kelly, Fantasia and John Legend all contribute. There’s also This Is What I Do, a brand new album from the elusive Boy George (which is also his first U.S. album release in almost two decades.) Finally, reissue freaks might be interested in several new entries in Sony Legacy’s Essential series. This latest batch contains entries from James Taylor, Boz Scaggs and Wu-Tang Clan, to name a few.

Full list of releases? Get it right chea: http://www.pauseandplay.com/oct-29-2013/