Kevin Bryan delivers his verdict on some of this week's CD releases Nils Lofgren Band,"Weathered"(Cattle Track Road Records/Wienerworld)- Nils Lofgren is best known these days for his longstanding role in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, but the Chicago born singer and guitarist was actually a fairly significant solo performer in his own right during the seventies, and he's continued to release material under his own name on a regular basis since those days. "Weathered" was recorded on the road at a variety of U.S. venues as Nils set out to promote his "Blue With Lou" album, showcasing a blend of freshly minted new material and bittersweet gems from his illustrious back catalogue such as "Like Rain," "No Mercy" and the euphoric closer,"I Came To Dance."

"Peephole in My Brain-The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1971" (Grapefruit/Cherry Red)- This eccentrically assembled 3 CD set ranges far and wide in its choice of subject matter as it strives to present an authentic portrait of the wildly eclectic musical culture of Britain in the early seventies. A vast array of interesting obscurities dominate the proceedings, although the good people at Grapefruit have also found the space to include a string of bona fide archive gems from the likes of Kevin Ayers, Atomic Rooster, The Move and Curved Air,whose insidiously memorable offering,"Back Street Luv," is one of the highlights of the entire package.

The Strokes,"The New Abnormal" (Cult Records/Columbia)- The New York indie rockers return to the fray after a seven year absence with the release of the Rick Rubin produced "The New Abnormal," the group's sixth studio album and arguably their finest offering since their creative heyday almost two decades ago. The musical content betrays the influence of everyone from Tom Petty to New Order and Tom Verlaine's Television as vocalist Julian Casablancas and his cohorts serve up potential crowd pleasers such as "Bad Decisions," "Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus" and "Not The Same Anymore."