Here's a rundown of the essential albums available online and in record stores today:

At most gigs, "We're going to play a new song" is code for "If you need a bathroom break, now's the time!" But when the new songs are as excellent -- and as plentiful -- as they were at Islands' tour opener Wednesday night at Brooklyn's Bell House, the call of nature must wait.

New York City's intimate Cake Shop isn't normally a venue for stand-up comedy, but last night's first-ever set from folksy duo Human Highway -- a.k.a., ex-Unicorns and current Islands bandleader Nick Thorburn and singer-songwriter Jim Guthrie -- could have been easily mistaken for a regular laugh-in.

What? If you've ever taken any sort of dreamy downer drug -- recommended Benedryl dosage included -- we can safely assume you're familiar with the warm-blood-surge, numbed-spine, ocular zoom-out beauty that can softly sweep through your veins.