By Paul V.

Black Eyed Peas - My Humps - A&M

Probably the most stupid song in the Top 40 right now, "My Humps" is Fergie's ode to her "lovely lady lumps" (don't make me explain it). Just when you wanna hate it, ya can't get this damn junk in the trunk funk out'cha head! Think Trio's "Da Da Da" meets Peaches?

Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better - Sony

You're probably thinking: Didn't Franz Ferdinand just put out their first record, like, a year ago? Well, like the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot, and Franz's iron is as hot as they come. Just 18 months after their debut made them 2004's most feted band, their follow-up is a more energetic record. The tempos are faster and the lyrics are more venomous, yet loaded with wit and imagination. Our fashionable Glasgow boys arrive cockier with a hunger to prove themselves, lest we forget that Franz Ferdinand makes "guitar music for girls to dance to," mangled with those clever twists that make them so enticing to listen to. They still nod hard to Talking Heads and Gang of Four ("You're The Reason I'm Leaving" is a blatant surf rendition of GO4's "Damaged Goods"), but they clearly stretch out with varied inspiration from The Kinks ("Eleanor Put Your Boots On"), Bowie's Berlin phase ("I'm Your Villain"), classic Blondie ("Outsiders"), or even The Knack (the deliriously stomping "Do You Want To"). Probably the biggest difference with FF 2005 is they manage a few sad, wistful, and even romantic moments, notably pronounced on the tender "Fade Together." Add a more fleshed-out production sound, and this just begs for repeated spins to reveal the intricate skins inside this onion. And when the hero-killing British press refuses to rip them a new one, you know it's gotta be pretty damn good.

Timo Maas - Pictures - Ultra/WB

One of the most respected purveyors of floor-filling club tracks, German über-producer Timo Maas drops his second "artist" collection of original tracks, and it's an eclectic listen from start to finish. Never one to regurgitate trends, Maas' new effort isn't about over-used generic electro basslines slapped over dull, played-out house beats. Rather, edgy guitars, new-wave vocals and relaxed percussion bravely fuse with Maas' creepily ethereal soundscapes and electronic quirkiness. Placebo's Brian Molko is an omnipresent lead vocal on three of the best tracks; the immediately irresistible "First Day" (along with sultry vocalist Jo Kate Benson, who also sings on three tracks), the funky, near-industrial "Like Siamese," and the blatantly fearless, homoerotic title track, which pounces and hums like a sexy John Rechy novel come to life over throbbing, pulsating synths. Elsewhere, the wonderful Neneh Cherry guest stars on the blissfully breakbeat strains of "High Drama" (Goldfrapp fans will adore this), and longtime pal Kelis drops sassy science on the vibrant "4 Ur Ears." With even more diversity in his grooves -- the dancehall bounce of "Release" (featuring Rodney P.), the electro Brit-pop of "Devil Feel," and the hazy world beat of "Enter My World" -- Maas easily rivals some of the best works of the Chemical Brothers and elicits the same joy of discovery we once felt from Fatboy Slim's earliest works. Pictures is as accessible and familiar sounding as it is worthy of complete underground praise -- a rare feat indeed. Highly recommended.

Living Things - Ahead Of The Lions - Jive

OK, so that's not a painting of a young Mick Jagger on the cover of this band's disc. However, Mr. Mick -- along with Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan, Kurt Cobain, and Joey Ramone -- would be most proud of this St. Louis-to-L.A. band's awesome debut. Three brothers with weird first names -- Eve, Bosh, and Lillian, the singer -- anchor the quartet. Together (along with second guitarist Corey Baker), these siblings grab every storming punk, metal, and glam riff they can get their grubby hands on, and ferociously spit them back out like a cobra commandeering a Corvette. Finally, a balls-out rock band that not only sounds dangerous, their f**k-the-world, pummeling bluster is perfect for media-fried adolescents who make up what the band calls "the blackout generation." Opening track "Bombs Below" goes balls-out ballistic on Bush, as Lillian throats-out the lyric "We're the monkeys / We're the show / Where do all the dead boys go?" Meanwhile, "Bom Bom Bom" practically steals the riff from The Stones' "Brown Sugar" but slowly reveals itself as another swaggering anti-war anthem. And just use your imagination as to which asinine religious zealot inspired the glammed-out "God Made Hate" or punkified "No New Jesus." With its relentless power chords, ass-whooping drum beating, and broken-glass edges (made rougher by producer Steve Albini) "Ahead Of The Lions" drops some serious political rock nirvana that can easily hold its own against the malaise of most teen attention spans.

Catch Paul V. spinning tunes in Silver Lake: "MegaMonday" at MJ's, Dragstrip 66 (second Saturday each month at 1160 Vermont Ave.), Spit (third Saturday each month at Faultline), and "Milkshake" Thursday nights at MJ's. Tune in for his "Smash Mix" on Indie 103.1 FM on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.dragstrip66.com.