You know you’re in trouble when a vampire movie soundtrack is your best hope for musical life. The first day of summer is about two weeks away, but we are already in the summer musical doldrums, where all the Big Music Machine hot air in the world can’t provide inspiration.

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Maybe I just can’t handle the crash from last week’s musical high, but this week is a bust, plain and simple. Yes, Jack Johnson will lullaby himself all the way to the bank with his new album. Yes, Clay Aiken fans will rejoice at his retelling of American standards. But I’m not buying it.

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We are nearly halfway through the year’s new music releases. And it is exactly at this point that the musical line is clearly drawn between art and commerce. Stone Temple Pilots summon the major label gods for a ’90s rock makeover, Smashing Pumpkins prove that some things are better left in the ’90s, Hank Williams III unleashes his granddaddy’s punk spirit, jazz giants Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden prove that some words are best left unspoken, and soul stirrer Bettye LaVette fights the last battle of the British Invasion on her own turf. Guess who wins? Please press play now, and thank me later.

This week, the Big Music Machine is raising the musical dead. The Black Keys bring the blues back from the grave one more time, while the Rolling Stones reanimate a rock classic, Tracey Thorn returns from Everything But the Girl purgatory, and Nas & Damian Marley summon African ghosts.

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The change of musical seasons is upon us. The Big Music Machine is pushing out albums that will make you want to run away with a rock band for the summer. Keane is back with more of their dream-pop piano anthems. Jack White and the Dead Weather return with more of their “Clockwork Orange,” apocalyptic, Delta blues mash-ups. The National make the darkness danceable. Jackson Browne unplugs with David Lindley, Spanish style. And Meat Loaf gets a mainstream summer makeover. It’s time to play. Unless you skip.

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The week, the Big Music Machine is a virtual mosh pit primed for a smack down. In one corner, an aging diva battles with a Dixie Chick twosome. In the other, a former R&B heavyweight is ready to feud with a couple of old folkies. And in the middle, a group of Massachusetts metal-heads cranks up the volume loud enough to drown ‘em all out. It’s time play. Unless you skip. Ready to roll?

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The Big Music Machine is spitting out new releases from music veterans looking for another taste of the big time. Melissa Etheridge yearns, Peter Frampton gets autobiographical, Mary Chapin Carpenter gets reflective, and Courtney Love is . . . well . . . Courtney Love. Plus, Georgia rapper B.o.B. reminds the old folks of the new school. Read on and pick the ones you want to play…and skip. Dig?

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This week, the Big Music Machine helps ease our Tax Day pain by giving us a shot of welcome nostalgia. Madonna gets the “Glee” treatment, the Grateful Dead are raised and Ratt spins round and round in a big ’80s circle.

Too much tie-dye, pop and metal for you? Don’t worry, there are also some good country sounds from Willie Nelson and Shelby Lynne to bring you back to Earth. Read on and pick the ones you want play — if you have any money left over from the tax man.

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