Smoldering Arcade Fire and a cooler whiff of Air

What you’ll be talking about: The Arcade Fire returns. What’s not to love about the Arcade Fire? Its fans swoon over the drama of its first album and the power of its live show. “They play every song like it’s their first/last,” said one breathless enthusiast. This week it releases “Neon Bible,” a follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2004 “Funeral.” The buzz is “Neon Bible” is darker and slower than its first. (Tuesday)

What you could talk about: Larry McMurtry. McMurtry is one of those writers who can do everything. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel “Lonesome Dove” and an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay for “Brokeback Mountain.” This week his latest novel, “When the Light Goes,” comes out in hardcover. The protagonist is an aging Duane Moore, a character who first surfaced as a teenager in McMurtry’s 1966 novel “The Last Picture Show.” Reviews have been lukewarm.

Something else to talk about: The moment “Jericho” fans have been waiting for. What happened to Jake during those mysterious five years? Where did he go and what did he do? It’s the dead of winter, there’s no food anywhere, and Jake, Mimi and Stanley hit the road to find some game to hunt. There’s a big crash and they are left stranded on the road, with only crazy bandits around. This causes Jake to reflect and confess. (Wednesday)

What some people will be talking about: Air. Not the kind you breathe, the breezy French band you listen to when you sort of want to zone out or if you want to create “atmosphere.” The duo releases its sixth album, “Pocket Symphony.” (Tuesday)

What we’re sick of talking about: “Borat.” Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is a very funny, very smart guy, but we begin to grow weary of his Kazakh alter ego Borat Sugdiyev. This week brings the DVD release of last summer’s surprise hit “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (story on Page 19) but we look forward to meeting some of Cohen’s other characters shortly. (Tuesday)

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-- Deborah Netburn