There are so many records out today that if you don’t find anything you like, I might question your commitment to music.

Bjork, Biophilia: If you’re an eMusic UK member, you’ve got a special treat this week: the entire editorial portion of the UK store has been taken over by Bjork in honor of her new album, Biophilia. We’ll be running the interviews she commissioned in the US eventually, but members on this side of the pond can in the meantime content themselves with another fascinating record, about which Dorian Lynskey says:

Björk is always interesting because she is always interested. Her enthusiasm for new ideas is so palpable that what in other hands might seem unwieldy and pretentious — like, say, an album about life on Earth, accompanied by apps, essays and other conceptual overflow — glows with almost childlike wonder. Ambitious yet understated, Biophilia feels like the record she’s been working toward all her career, with its celebration of contrasting impulses: nature and technology, order and chaos, thought and instinct, immediacy and mystery, beauty and noise. This is Björk’s territory alone. It’s not that nobody else would attempt something like this, it’s that you probably wouldn’t want to hear them if they did.

Mayer Hawthorne, How Do You Do?: eMusic fave goes from Stones Throw to Universal for this record, which moves past his crate-digging route to incorporate things like power pop and ’80s blue-eyed soul. eMusic’s Nate Patrin has more:

Maybe most engaging is Hawthorne’s sense of scope — he’s not just pulling from classic ’60s and ’70s Motown and Philadelphia International sides, but also from the rock and pop records they shared the charts with. “Dreaming” fits on a power-pop continuum somewhere between solo McCartney and peak ELO, “A Long Time” and “Finally Falling” divide Steely Dan by Hall & Oates to sleek effect, and closer “No Strings” plays out like Miami-borne, TK Records-style disco run through a Stevie filter. But while there’s still some fine nods to classic soul sounds — “The Walk” in particular nails Detroit ’66 to a T, albeit with a ton more comedic profanity — this isn’t an ossified, stuck-in-the-past affair.

Radiohead, TKOL RMX 1234567: Chances are, you already know everything you need to or want to know about this. Michaelangelo Matos fills in the rest:

Radiohead cool-hunted a double-fistful of early-’10s electronic-dance cult favorites — click through a few pages on FACT Magazine sometime and you’ll locate every contributor here. And what do you know — a few times, the remixers do more with the tracks than the group itself. The most obvious example is “Feral”: only rave-throwback prince Lone grabbed it (all the others are claimed twice or more), but when he bolsters the original’s breakbeat bed and layers it with snatches of Thom Yorke’s vocal and his own lambent synths and guitar plucks, questions of who did what to whom first fall to the wayside.

Various Artists, Norman: This is credited to Various Artists, but it’s mostly Andrew Bird, providing the minimalist soundtrack to an indie film I haven’t seen. The music here is slow and meditative, heavy on pirouetting violins and cellos.

Johnny Cash, Bootleg 3: Live Around the World: It is as it says: a collection of live Cash from places like, uh, Dallas, Maryland and Rhode Island. And while I could probably go my whole life and never hear “I Walk the Line” or “Ring of Fire” again, Bootleg 3 wins by including a bunch of rarer cuts as well that paint young Cash as a rockabilly sparkplug, revving up his good-ol’ country rock with rambunctious tempos and wild-eyed delivery.

Hull, Beyond the Lightless Sky: Pulling this one out of the Metal Box for a special call-out up here. Phenomenal Brooklyn metal band writes the kind of sprawling epics that Mastodon used to, full of tricky time signatures, polyrythms, dueling guitars and long, spiraling, complex instrumental passages. This record is their masterpiece, a tour de force that is both artfully constructed and mercilessly brutal. I saw them in NYC last night for the 4th time and was floored all over again. This one gets a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Phil Freeman concurs:

The spiraling guitars in the album’s 11-minute opener, “Earth from Water,” are Baronesque, and in the song’s final third, a female voice can be heard yelling from the back, bringing to mind Kylesa’s male-female vocal duality. Beyond the Lightless Sky alternates vocal tracks with instrumentals and short interludes (one of which features guest vocals from Jarboe); juxtaposes loosely strung, forcefully strummed acoustic guitars and roaring electric ones.

Ryan Adams, Ashes & Fire: Adams returns to familiar, country/folk territory after what seems like an endless series of inexplicable detours. I sometimes wonder if the latter part of Adams’ career was some sort of Andy Kaufmanesque stunt routine designed to alienate people en masse. Lovely, modest, largely acoustic songs that find Adams tiptoing gently back to his earliest days.

Xeno & Oaklander, Sets & Lights: Released on the very very good Wierd label, X&O deliver the kind of minimal wave folks like the Normal used to kick decades ago. This is really great: detached, clipped, spoken vocals and goopy retro synthesizers make for some distinctly spooky listening.

Ben Folds, The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective: Like most people who went to college, I went through a brief Ben Folds phase. Say what you will about Ben, but when he’s on, his turns of phrase can be both elegant and alarming. This retrospective gathers up songs from across his career that manage to showcase his bruised-but-beating heart rather than his egghead Mensa joker side. That’s meant to be a recommendation, but I’m not sure it came across that way.

Miles Davis, Blue Flame: Someone complained a few years back that I never even attempt to summarize jazz or classical releases. I will now make that person sorry they said anything: This is apparently a compilation of Davis tracks selected by fans by Liking songs on his Facebook page. I wish to holy God I were making this up. The cover, also, is a fan creation. It’s not bad. I am glad this one didn’t win. As for the songs: sounds to these green ears like the fans prefer mellow Miles: lots of smooth, sonorous trumpet, restrained piano, and very very little from his adventurous later years (which I actually know a bit of and enjoy.) I can’t imagine there’s any reason why Miles fans would want this, but for newcomers, let’s go ahead and give it a RECOMMENDED. Stay tuned for the Coltrane compilation fans will select by checking into his tomb on Foursquare.

Tubelord, Romance: Hyperactive combo slaps clanging keyboards against boxing-glove percussion for yelping pop songs full of exuberance and energy.

A Grave With No Name, Lower: I’m liking what I’m hearing here. Meditative outing from one-man British band focuses mostly on creating mood with gingerly plucked guitar, mournful piano and sheets of static and ambiance that make this a perfect accompaniment for a late-night highway drive.

Chris Letcher, Spectroscope: Combine the woozy psychedelia of Mercury Rev with the midnight-rollercoaster rock of late-period Okkervil River and you’ve got Chris Letcher, whose second effort, Spectroscope is full of flickering visions and dark omens. Though he never shies from orchestration – the songs are bursting with flutes and strings and organs and trumpets – Letcher’s sense for strange melodies ensures the flourishes never overshadow the song or crowd out his panicked yelp. This is strange, bewitching music — dazzling and desperate at the same time. I cannot get enough of this man’s music. This is your 2011 Hidden Treasure. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Marketa Irglova, Anar: Solo effort from one half of the Swell Season, this is mostly quiet and hushed — rolling pianos and Irglova’s tender voice make this a soundtrack for heartbreaks past and heartbreaks yet to come.

Erasure, Tomorrow’s World: This one kind of crept up on me! New one from Erasure finds them adopting some of the style and sonics of folks they influenced. According to Barry Walters, it’s a good decision:

Produced and partially played by Frankmusik, an English electropop upstart half their age, and mixed by Robert Orton, who twiddled the knobs for Lady Gaga’s The Fame, singer Andy Bell and keyboardist Vince Clarke’s 14th album changes that, finding the pair sounding like the synthpop kids who sound like them. It’s relentlessly catchy, like just about everything in Erasure’s catalog, but it’s also adamantly loud. While most Erasure hits accentuate the treble, Tomorrow’s World lays consistently heavy on the bass.

Future Islands, On the Water: I love this band, guys. Baltimore group top mellowed-out synths with growling vocals for a unique, and uniquely compelling, final product. The songs are disarmingly beautiful. I’m going to give this a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. eMusic’s Ian Cohen says:

On their second LP, the Baltimore-based Wham City vets up the drama, softening — but not shedding — their rep as synth-toting live berserkers. Sam Herring’s vocals are still an acquired taste, inflating and braying like a bagpipe, but dispersed through On The Water are quietly resonant anthems like “Where I Found You,” “Before The Bridge” and “Balance”; songs that maintain a sonic shimmer and emotional sensitivity, and subtly align Future Islands with a lineage of luxurious, grown and sexy sophisti-pop ranging from Roxy Music’s Avalon to Destroyer’s Kaputt

Rustie, Glass Swords: This is phased-out strange sounding synth stuff from Warp; hard-hitting electronic music, big beats and a kind of Red Bull energy that recalls both Daft Punk and Justice. For serious. Check it out.

John Wesley Harding, The Sound of His Own Voice: Full disclosure: I never really got into JWH. Clever songs and rustic instrumentation face-off in a battle to the death. There’s a track on here called “There’s a Starbucks (Where The Starbucks Used to Be),” and I feel like that’s enough to help you determine whether or not this is your cup of tea. Or Double Mocha Latte.

Joe Henry, Reverie: Joe Henry, on the other hand. I’ve been in this dude’s corner for a while now. He’s making the kind of world-weary-but-wise country records Elvis Costello only thinks he’s making. He even kinda sounds like Declan. There’s something haunted about Joe’s songs, a kind of shadowy, ominous ache. I am looking forward to spending some time with this one. And if you have never heard the song “Trampoline,” you need to get on that asap.

High Places, Original Colors: Look who it is! The VERY FIRST eMusic Selects band returns with another batch of shimmering brillians. Marc Hogan says:

The Los Angeles-via-Brooklyn duo of Michigan-reared bassoonist Mary Pearson and former Philly hardcore kid Rob Barber threw expectations out the window with 2010′s High Places vs. Mankind, which veered from the homespun found-sound patchworks, wispy schoolyard melodies and positive global vibes of their early records toward a moodier, more guitar-driven style. With Original Colors, they use that newfound freedom to dissolve their old selves even further. The result is an enigmatic but beguiling electronic swirl that floats Pearson’s lilting nature imagery amid Barker’s clubbiest home-studio beats yet.

Luke Haines, 9 1/2 Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s and Early ’80s: Former frontman of the great, underrated Auteurs and Black Box Recorder returns with — and based on what I’m hearing, I’m gonna assume the title is literal — a concept album based on wrestlers of the ’70s and ’80s. I liked the man’s previous work; this sounds perhaps a bit underbudget?

Thee Cormans, Halloween Album: YES. Raggedy surf rock spiked with SPOOOOOKY sound effects make this one a must at your next costume party. This is a whole lot of knowing fun, and is RECOMMENDED

Peter Murphy, The Secret Bees of Ninth: I used to be real into Peter Murphy (and into Bauhaus even more so). Time will tell if I still am. This is the first Murphy solo record in quite a while, and it actually doesn’t sound too bad — he’s still got that strange warlock’s voice, and the music sounds admirably restrained.

Laurel Halo, Antenna: Truly fascinating electronic producer turns in a batch of moody, ambient, unsettling drones. The stuff here is really engrossing, and fans of experimental electronic music would do well to check it out. RECOMMENDED

La Iaiai, Les Ratilles Del Banyador: I love this. Band from Barcelona traffic in the kind of feathery melodies that put Belle & Sebastian on the map, making indiepop as suble and soothing as a beach breeze.

Deas Vail, s/t: OK-sounding indie rock with yearning early-emo boy/girl vocals imagine Mates of State meeting early Death Cab at a summer arts program and making a record together.

The Moth & the Mirror, Honestly This World: Imagine Camera Obscura making a Joy Formidable record and you kind of get the idea here.

Casiokids, Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen: Third album from merry blipsters is analog madness, lots of ’80s monophonic synths and breathy vocals.

Evanescence, s/t: Brace yourself – this is the part of the writeup where I talk about the fact that I was kind of pulling for Evanescence for a while there. This is their first record in forever, and they’re pulling the classic move of self-titling it, as if to say HERE BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER. Any time an artist does this from this moment on, I’m going to refer to this as a reboot. So. In this reboot, Evanesence retain all the goth-metal grandeur of their earlier outings, and Amy Lee still croons and howls like a photonegative Stevie Nicks, but I don’t know how many people were waiting for this album to happen? Maybe I’ll be wrong? This mostly sounds like the kind of record Kelly Clarkson might make if she suddenly got really into Opeth. If you know me, you know that’s not a dis.

Nordic Nomadic, Worldwide Skyline: This is a strange one! Soft, unsettling, kind of folky, but with a slightly supernatural edge. The vocalists sing as if they’re connecting with the afterworld, and sudden rushes of fuzz and distortion make this the kind of acoustic record best suited for the fast-approaching Halloween.

Still Corners, Creatures of an Hour: Chilling, hallucinogenic pop music where whispery female vocals float from within a deep pillow of synths. Reminds me a lot of Julee Cruise. Apparently, this is about a breakup? Marissa Muller has more:

Creatures of an Hour is a psychological thriller. Panic lurks in the lyrics, time hazily contracts and expands within each song, and vocalist Tessa Murray tries to keep a grip on her own sanity as she navigates a tumultuous relationship. Despite these tensions, Creatures rarely feels strained because Murray, along with songwriter Greg Hughes, Leon Duffy and Luke Jarvis, offset the high-stakes narrative with detached vocals and subdued arrangements.

–> Singles & Eps
Dive, “Sometime”: There are a handful of labels whose new releases I will always write about, and Captured Tracks is one of them. This doesn’t stray too far from their time-honored format of gloomy/reverby vocals with spiderweb guitars, all of it sounding kinda late ’70s Manchester art school. In a good way.

Heavenly Beat, “Suday”: Here’s another one from the ol’ CapTrax, this one a bit lighter — skipping guitars and hushed vocals, wouldn’t have sounded out of place on TeenBeat way back when.

Minks, “Araby”: Captured Tracks again! New single from Minks sounds like the first New Order record: tentatively synthy, with plenty of guitars and doomy, downcast vocals.

Emperor’s Club, The Castle: This one swings from bratty to hooky and back again – the second song is a full-tilt harmony-laden summer sugarpop classic, the rest moves from moody to jubilant, always centered around big, gleaming choruses.

Terry Malts, Something About You: Slumberland releases this excellent forward-hurtling guitar-pop single; loaded with reverb but still as hooky and buoyant as an early Beach Boys single. Second song is called “No Sir, I’m Not a Christian.” HEAR HEAR.

Fishbone, Crazy Glue: A new Fishbone EP! Like the Miles Davis, this one has a fan-created cover. I am looking forward to the next Misfits record with fan-created songs. There’s a documentary on Fishbone coming out, which will probably be interesting. As far as this? It’s a new Fishbone EP.

Lana Del Rey, “Video Games”: The internet has been breaking its back to see who can fight over Lana Del Rey the loudest. You can Google it and re-enact the blogosphere’s latest version of the Spanish-American War with 10 of your favorite friends. Or you can wait it out, as there will likely be another version in four months. Or minutes. You can decide for yourself whether or not the music on this single is worthy of any kind of attention at all. I’ll let my silence speak for me.

–>Metal Box
Alaric, s/t: Oakland’s Alaric blend a decidedly blackened outlook and minor-key approach to music with vocals reminiscent of early Ozzy, if he’d taken his fascination with the occult to its logical conclusion.

Black Cobra, Invernal: Not to be confused with Black Tusk or Black Anvil, Black Cobra goes for a kind of A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste-era Ministry grind. Quasi-distorto vocals, corkscrewing riffs and jackhammer percussion. No film samples or keyboards tho. A band has to draw the line somewhere.

Absu Abzu: Utterly punishing new release from Absu features hyper-technical riffing, brain-breaking percussion and pit-of-hell howls and shrieks. The reviews on this have been overwhelmingly positive, no surprise given the band’s formidable discography. RECOMMENDED

–>Old Releases, New to Us
The Chameleons, Strange Times: There was a thing in the ’80s where, if bands from London came to the US and there was already a band in the US with their name, they were forced to change their name to “The ______ UK.” I hated it then, and I hated it now. So: THE CHAMELEONS (no UK) are one of the most underrated bands of the ’80s, blending the kind of crystalline guitars that Interpol would ride to mild-stardom in the early ’00s with dour vocals and haunting melodies for a batch of dark-rock classics. I personally prefer A Script of the Bridge and What Does Anything Mean…Basically, but Strange Times is not without its charms, particularly “Soul in Isolation” and “Swamp Thing.” RECOMMENDED

ESG, Come Away with ESG: 1983 record from great, groove-oriented group that invented The Go! Team two decades beforehand. Twitching grooves and schoolyard chant vocals — and not much else — make this sound just as lean and futuristic as it did when it was released. RECOMMENDED

A batch of new titles from today and yesterday after the jump.

Death Cab for Cutie Catalog: Relive the early days of indie rock with the Death Cab catalog. Chris Ryan delivered a thorough, insightful Icon hub that I’d invite all of you to read.

Tinariwen, Tassili: I love this band. The new record finds them settling down some, enlisting a few guests and making their bid for the Starbucks crowd. Michaelangelo Matos says:

The style Tinariwen plays is sometimes nicknamed simply “guitar” for a reason: All that six-string interaction has a dense weave that the group’s percussionists, Said Ag Ayad and Mohammed Ag Tahada, amplify more than push. The Malians get some outside help, too, and although “Ya Messinagh” doesn’t really need the extra oomph provided by a pair of horn players from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, it’s kind of nice to hear Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio show up in the midst of “Tenere Taqqim Tossam.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers, I’m With You: This band never really clicked with me, even in their heyday. Christina Lee begs to differ:

With new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, the Chili Peppers deliver a remarkable album with a clear-cut caveat: embrace the fact that they’re growing up. Traces of older melodies occasionally surface; Flea’s familiar, jittery bass drives opener “Monarchy of Roses,” and “Annie Wants a Baby” conjures memories of Stadium Arcadium‘s “Death of a Martian.” But Klinghoffer fills in on his own terms. As in the otherwise straightforward “Look Around,” his solos are brief and ethereal, mirroring the spirituality Kiedis sings about.

Beirut, The Rip Tide: Zach Condon returns with another outing but, unlike his past, this one finds him havign adventures close to home. We’ll have a Six Degrees of this live before too long. In the meantime, here’s what Jessica Suarez has to say:

If Condon’s past albums were expressions of worldliness, The Rip Tide wants to shut the world out. “This is the house where I can be alone/ Be unknown now,” he sings on the title track. Where once, on songs like “Postcards from Italy” or “A Sunday Smile,” his instruments of choice — violins, horns, ukulele — were bright and gliding, choreographed like dancers rather than arranged, here they sway and drift. Only the final song “Port of Call” demonstrates the same urgency of discovery (of a new sound, new location) that his songwriting once betrayed. Despite the continental references, Condon’s melodies always felt familiar. Now they feel like they’re at their purest; if he sounds less excited, it’s likely because he’s comfortable.

Lil Wayne, The Carter IV: Onetime king of hip-hop returns with what I’m hearing is a disappointing full-length. I love Wayne, but he has been clearly spreading himself a bit too thin over the last few years. I’ll listen to this nonetheless, but early word hasn’t been great. Ian Cohen mostly concurs:

Literally and figuratively, there isn’t enough Wayne — when he’s not sounding a less inspired version of himself, there’s the once unfathomable meeting of Tech N9ne and Andre 3000 (“Interlude”) that finds both of them on their A-game, and Nas and Busta Rhymes’ staggering speed raps closing the LP (“Outro”) — Wayne inexplicably sits out both of them. His lack of total investment seems apt; considering all the delays, Tha Carter IV feels like something that just needed to happen already so Wayne could put it behind him and move on.

Male Bonding, Endless Now: Really excellent second outing from bratty British band. eMusic’s Christina Lee says:

As evident from the get-go — and partially thanks to producer John Agnello (Kurt Vile, Thurston Moore Dinosaur Jr.) — these slightly scruffy punks have shed their music of its lo-fi fuzz. While still audibly inspired by the Buzzcocks, they’ve learned to relax a little; about halfway through the six-minute highlight “Bones,” they even veer off the trail and get lost in their own surprisingly gorgeous harmonizing, evoking a young Beach Boys. Unlike its predecessor, this studio effort actually sounds like a studio effort — ’60s pop with ’80s punk sensibilities that hint at a life outside seedy dive bars.

Cymbals Eat Guitars, Lenses Alien: Young upstarts return with a record that channels the sound of seminal emo. I saw them live a few weeks ago and was wondering if a Jade Tree revival might be on the horizon. Marc Hogan concurs:

Lenses Alien, the band’s second album and first for Barsuk, is at once more grandiose and more focused, and it draws on a different side of the ’90s. Despite a confrontational eight-and-a-half-minute opener, the songs here are mostly shorter than on the debut, but they now lean toward the intricate guitars, textured feedback washes, and juddering structural shifts of Sunny Day Real Estate, Shudder to Think, or Jawbox — worthy reference points that other ’90s revivals have mostly overlooked.

Jacuzzi Boys, Glazin’: Pretty great, trashy rock and roll, sarcastic delivery, scuzzy guitars, good news all around for fans of the new sound of garage.

John Doe, Keeper: Latest solo outing from X mainman travels down dusty country roads, allowing him to apply his rich, warm voice to wide-open songs. Some pedal steel, honky-tonk scoot and spry tempos make this a late-summer winner.

Coppertone, Kill & Relase: Somewhat surprised this isn’t on Not Not Fun! Spaced out synth-heavy outer space psych with kinda weirdo female vocals. I’m into what I’m hearing.

Dark Captain, Submarines: Hushed, soothing and tranquil as a forest stream, Submarines imagines Grizzly Bear if they were a bit more into pastoral ’70s folk. I suspect some folks here will flip their lids.

Juliana Hatfield, There’s Always Another Girl: Another lovely little record from Juliana, this sounds spare and restrained but tuneful nonetheless, with heavy emphasis on Juliana’s voice and guitar.

Corrdior, Real Late: Junk-fi rock-n-roll with expressionless, almost spoken-word vocals and music that swings from spiraling space rock to imposing doomy jams. Celestial and strange.

Barbara Jean English, s/t: Terrific Quiet Storm soul record cleaned up and remastered – slow, aching melodies sure to tug at the heartstrings.

–> Singles & EPs
Bleached, “Carter”: This sounds terrific: jangly, loose, limber, punky snarl with super hooky, guitar-heavy arrangements. Give it a shot.

Dunes, Old Souls EP: Peculiar, wobbly an atonal, Dunes will appeal to those who like their music sounding both haunting and unpracticed. This is amateurism at its finest, and the slapped-together feel sounds great to me.

–> Joe’s Metal Box
Balaclava, Crimes of Faith: Punishing, thrash-derived metal on the always-great Southern Lord. This is Balaclava’s debut, and from what I’m hearing here, their future is promising.

Cult Cinema, Iscariot: Love the album cover! Nasty, scraping metal with “holy shit you’re lighting me on fire?!?” vocals.

Let’s go, let’s go! I’m the Neil Hamburger of this shit!

Active Child, You Are All I See: I really like this dude. Pat Grossi returns with a sophomore effort that is grander in scope and richer in sound than its predecessor. Can I call him the Bon Iver of synthesizers? Bon Synthesizer? Well, too bad homies, cuz I just did. Ian Cohen has something more intelligent to say:

While peers like Autre Ne Veut and How To Dress Well fascinatingly warp and desexualize the form while drawing from memory, You Are All I See is hot-blooded and deceptively hooky in spite of its pillowy textures, retaining a visceral effect even with absolutely no tie to anything one might consider rock music. As showcases for Grossi’s forceful falsetto, singles “Hanging On” and “Playing House” (featuring a nervy guest vocal from HTDW’s Tom Krell) hit with such melodic clarity that they occasionally feel like they’re propping up the rest of [the record].

Pistol Annies, Hell on Heels: I am going to stump hard for this record. First off, Miranda Lambert is a current fave of mine, a firebrand country singer with fire and attitude and a knack for a pithy lyric. Every one of her records has been irresistible. This is a side project featuring singer-songwriters Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. This is old-time country music, lots of gallop and gallons of sass. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Paul White, Rapping With Paul White: This sounds great. Dank, banging hip-hop — claustrophobic production that boasts crazy world-music samples, outer-space drums and unsettling atmospherics. Guest shots from Homeboy Sandman, Moe Pope and Guilty Simpson make this one of the year’s more promising hip-hop records. RECOMMENDED

Ganglians, Still Living: New outing from Ganglians sounds lovely to me: reverby vocals, Britpop jangle and sad-sack melodies makes for a win on every possible front. eMusic’s Marissa G. Muller agrees. She sez:

Picking up where they left off with the surf-freak sound of their debut album Monster Head Room and their self-titled EP’s “Never Mind,” Ganglians tightened their production and cleaned up their aesthetic. Such a refined sound is a natural progression for fuzzy bands with a bigger budget (like West Coast contemporaries Wavves and the U.K.’s Male Bonding); in this case, it led to Ganglians asking Dirty Projectors’ Robby Moncrieff to produce their record.

Charles, “Packy” Axton, Late Late Party: Trust me: you want this. Packy was the son of Estelle Axton, one of the co-founders of Stax, and was a bit of a wild child — albeit one with undeniable musical taste. If you like greasy, gritty, unfussy ’60s soul, my friend, this compilation is for you. And if you don’t like greasy, gritty, unfussy ’60s soul — what in the hell is wrong with you? This one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. eMusic’s Dan Epstein has more:

The first-ever collection of Packy’s post-Stax work, Late Late Party compiles the intoxicating mid-’60s instrumental tracks he waxed as the leader of the Packers, the Pac-Keys and the Martinis (the latter of whom included members of the Hi Rhythm Section), as well as a handful of vocal sides where he and co-conspirator Johnny Keyes backed local soulsters Stacy Lane and L.H. & the Memphis Sounds. While those vocal cuts are primarily of archival value, the instrumentals all sound as vibrant and over-served as if they’d been recorded, well, last night.

Sonic Youth, Hits Are For Squares: Sure? I can’t think of too many more bands who refuse compiling as much as Sonic Youth, but what do I know. This, I guess, is for people who always wanted to get into SY, but don’t feel like listening to the albums? Who are those people? I dunno. Anyway, every one of these songs is fantastic, so maybe I’m disproving my own point.

Patti Smith, Outside Society: Speaking of hits collections: I rep hard or nearly every Patti Smith record, including her recent work which feels unfairly overlooked to me (check the duet with Michael Stipe, “Glitter in Their Eyes” included here). This is a good first stop for people who want a quick overview of Smith’s rightly-legendary career. (In the interest of full disclosure I should say that Smith’s longtime guitarist, Lenny Kaye, is an eMusic contributor.)

Game, The R.E.D. Album: I really liked The Documentary, but advance word on this unbelievably-delayed Game record has not been good. I’d encourage you all to go read the review of this record that Jayson wrote for the Voice pronto.

CSS, La Liberacion: New one from these guys. Barry Walters has more:

On their third album, the quintet immediately gets with the most hybrid genre of all — pop — and does it hardcore: Not even Britney at this point would sing a song called “I Love You,” even though this one is essentially an idealized Britney anthem complete with gratuitous AutoTune effects, synth power chords, an ingeniously dippy boy/girl refrain and a big fat cowbell.

Kourosh, Back from the Brink: Pre-Revoltution Psychedelic Rock from Iran, 1973 – 1979: So hilariously up my alley it might as well have my name in the title. The title says it all: this is laid-back Iranian psych, with gentle, mellow vocals and breezy instrumentation. Not a lot of heavy psych here, mostly pinwheel-eyed flower power weed jams. In Iranian. Check it.

Various Artists, Hidden Tracks: The Best of the Garage Punk Hideout Vol. 5: Outstanding! A bunch of super scuzzy, super no-fi garage and punk from the denizens of Garage Punk Hideout. This is some super nasty, super snarly, super greaser punk rock — loose, tough and ragged, and not for the faint of heart.

Various Artists, Cambodian Psych Out: There’s been some controversy around some of these comps amongst people (like me) who follow the scene — there’s been an influx of Cambodian rock comps where the music is re-recorded or dressed up with more ‘American’ instrumentation to make it more appealing to modern listeners. And I have to say, some of that does seem to be happening here, although songs like “Enjoy Now While You’re Young” sound like other versions I’ve heard, so who knows. If you like this music, though, it’s worth investigating. RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Radio People, Hazel: Atmospheric synthiness from the great Mexican Summer. Weirdo analog synth music that wouldn’t be out of place in an old Argento movie. I’m loving what I’m hearing here: loopy and imposing.

Chalk & Numbers, He Knew: Great surprise!! Sweet, hooky neo-girl-group stuff, charming, sugary vocals and light instrumentation. Some of the harmonies are not quiiiiiiiite there, but I like what they’re going for.

Various Artists, Gozalu, Vol. 4: The good people at VampiSoul come through again with the fourth installment in their excellent Gozalu! series, compiling the best in Latin boogaloo. If you’ve heard the other three, you know the deal: lots of bongos, lots of horns and lots of swinging vocals.

Darondo, Listen to My Song: The Music City Sessions: Alright!! A couple of years ago, Luv ‘n’ Haight put out a bunch of previously undiscovered Darondo songs, which sparked a resurgence in interest in this heretofore overlooked singer/songwriter (though I’m not sure if you can call it a resurgence if he never really surged in the first place). Anyway: this is great old sweet soul in the vein of Al Green and features the absolutely unmissable “Didn’t I (Treat You Right This Time).” Great, gritty soul that is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Grupo 2000, El Destape: Long out-of-print Peruvian cumbia album sees the light of day via the excellent folks at Light in the Attic. If you know cumbia, you know the drill: light, skipping guitars, euphoric vocals and rat-a-tat percussion. Light, limber, fun — perfect for the waning days of summer.

Dave Stewart, The Blackbird Diaries: Dude from the Eurythmics makes a solo record that, a the very least, is different from that monstrosity he’s in with Mick Jagger and Joss Stone and Damian Marley and the custodian who cleans the studio where they happened to be hanging out when this inexplicable band came together. So, yeah, this is not that. This is some kind of roots-rocky thing, a few super Dylany moments, a few moments that wouldn’t be out of place on New West. Stevie Nicks sings on one song, but Colbie Callait sings on another, so you’re basically two steps forward, two steps back.

Josephine Baker, BD Chanson: Two-disc compilation of songs recorded by Ms. Baker while in France. Sound quality is a bit scratchy, but the performances are spirited and impeccable, as you might imagine.

CSC Funk Band, Things Are Getting Too Casual: Big, blaring R&B big band from Brooklyn. The songs are OK, I just don’t understand what’s happening with the production here?

Barbara Streisand, What Matters Most: Acknowledging that this exists. Did you see Meet the Fockers? More like Meet the What the Focker Was That?!

–>Singles & EPs
Sea of Bees, “Gnomes” b/w “Don’t Fear the Reaper”: I really don’t understand why Sea of Bees isn’t hugely popular in indiedom right now. Charming voice, irresistible songs, huge choruses — just miles and miles of charm. The draw here is the B-side, which includes covers of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” (one of the best and creepiest pop songs ever written) and “With or Without You.” Consider this the first flirtation before your overdue Sea of Bees love affair. RECOMMENDED

Alton Ellis, “Ain’t That Loving You,” “Baby I Love You,” “Black Man’s World,” “Can I Change My Mind“: Four timeless singles from this reggae master. Sound quality is sliiightly iffy, but all of these are so gorgeous and classic it’s worth it.

Lonelady, “Intuition”: Somehow, not a Jewel cover. I was kind of surprised when her full-length didn’t go anywhere to be honest. This single sounds a bit smoother and sleeker than the songs on that record, but I can’t get too mad about that. Ragged guitars and pouty vocals. Have a listen.

Maximo Park, Twelve: A batch of clubby remixes of Maximo Park’s “Let’s Get Clinical.” I’m trying harder to understand dance music, and stuff like this helps. Ominous, brooding, thumping and haunting. I’m into it.

The Drums, “Money”: New single from a band I’m gonna argue was unjustly overlooked. This one sounds milder and mellower than the bounding stuff on that last full-length. I am on board with these guys and look forward to seeing what they do next.

Magic Trick, The Glad Birth of Love: Whoah. Kind of nice, lonesome, reedy, folky music, but with definite shadows around the edges. There are ghosts in these songs, to be sure.

Ben Howard, The Old Pine: Here’s one for you singer/songwriter folks. New dude on Island records crafts heart-tugging songs with little more than acoustic guitar and his rich, reedy voice. Real earthy and back porchy.

Butcher Boy, “Imperial”: This is gonna piss someone off, but this is kinda like a Jr. National. Low baritone vocals and medium-strums. B-Side is a bit breezier. On the venerable Damaged Goods label.

–>Joe’s Metal Box
Cult Cinema, Iscariot: Blinding, blistering, brutal earth-scorching metal. Man-on-fire vocals and a dazzling latticework of barbed-wire riffs. I’m into it!

400 Blows, Sickness & Health: First album in five years from this tornado-rock band. More hardcore than metal, really: some corkscrew riffs and searing vocals; nasty & snarling.

Some great, charming new Sub Pop records today, and a few other things, including a sweeping, gorgeous new M83 single. A light week, to be frank, but I’m open to anything else you all found that caught your eye.

Mister Heavenly, Out of Love – A nice hip-shifting, groovy fluidity to this one, a classic indie-rock album with a nasal frontman, a Merseybeat era of songcraft, and a Spoon-y sense of rhythm. On Sub Pop.

Gold Leaves, The Ornament – Gorgeous, amber-hued doo-wop revivalism (?) from this Sub Pop outfit. eMusic’s Becky Stoner writes:

Gold Leaves is the new project of Seattle-ite Grant Olsen, who previously served as half of the indie-folk duo Arthur & Yu. While Olsen wrote all the songs on the album, he collaborated with such talents as Jason Q. of Papercuts, Thao Nguyen and members of the Moondoggies. The album endured four years of rewrites, and what has emerged from this long period of incubation is full of doo-wop harmonies, melodic melancholy and warm-yet-ragged vocals. It treads ’60s throwback territory on tracks such as “Honeymoon” while throwing in beautiful and subtle orchestration as well as touches of psychedelia.

Grave Babies, Pleasures – Ever wondered what The Fresh & Onlys sounded like if they were significantly lower-fi? No? You might like this anyway. Weirdly haunting vocals.

Holly Golightly, The Brokeoffs – It’s an old Holly Golightly album! It’s a good one!

M83, Midnight City – Advance single from what M83′s upcoming album, which I have not yet myself heard. Everyone who has, though, tends to react by typing in all-caps. Words like Melon Collie & The Infinite Sadness get thrown about. The two songs I’ve heard – this and “Steve McQueen” — are towering, ethereal, synth-rock vaguely reminiscent of vintage Peter Gabriel. Heady stuff. Get psyched.

Battles, My Machines – The current reigning power trio of indie-rock break off another candy-colored piece of their latest record Gloss Drop.

Braid, Closer to Closed – Emo heroes return with a four-song EP, and if the buzz is to be believed, it’s a massively deflating one for sure. Ian Cohen wrote a devastatingly heartfelt full-body takedown of this for Pitchfork, and reading it was like watching the little kid tearfully snuff Old Yeller. What do you think? (I don’t give a shit about emo.)

OK! Another Tuesday, another insane batch of records! Here we go!

Little Dragon, Ritual Union: Latest from Swedish electronic outfit finds them pairing their minimal electronics with sultry vocals for a final product that has drawn raves from Raphael Saadiq, Big Boi, and eMusic’s Barry Walters, who says:

Little Dragon’s command of styles is staggering, from dubstep and dancehall to Prince-ly R&B and early ’80s hi-NRG disco. And that’s only on the sweet seduction song “Precious.” Their light arrangements are also finessed with a kind of feng shui: Where others erect walls of sound, Nagano’s pals paint delicate watercolors without seeming precious. Combing the complex chords and subtle tonalities of jazz with electronica’s infinite possibilities, they play in their sonic sandbox as if they were carefree children, not musos swinging on serious chops.

Against Me!, Black Crosses and White Crosses & Black Crosses: Now off the dubba-dubba-dubba and left to their own devices, Against Me! reissue their most recent record along with a bonus disc of acoustic versions and outtakes (And for those of you who bought White Crosses the first time, you can just get the B-Sides disc as a standalone). I love Against Me!, though I thought White Crosses was slightly uneven. There is a song on the outtakes collection called “David Johansen’s Soul” that I definitely want to hear. RECOMMENDED

Eric Church, Chief: I love this dude. His first album, Sinners Like Me is EXCELLENT and what I’ve heard of this is great enough for me to give it a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Christian Hoard is on board, too. He sez:

“Keep On,” the hardest-rocking song from Eric Church’s third album, opens in a bar. Church stares at a beautiful woman – which, naturally, this doesn’t sit so well with the cowboy who’s currently talking her up. A fight looks imminent. But then Church puffs his chest and dishes some badass verbal threats, and the other dude backs down. Church gets the girl — and we get a blazing county-rock song that’s both slick and Skynyrd-esque. One of country music’s best young songwriters, Church routinely comes across as a tough guy and a pop craftsman, and on Chief he sticks to rough-and-tumble fundamentals: Songs of empty bottles and broken hearts, of sin and redemption.

Machinedrum, Room(s): Skittering 160bpm jams from respected electronic producer with nods to both dubstep and R&B. This was not what I was expecting, in a good way — the nervous electronics are leavened with silky soul making for a bracing, thrilling listen. RECOMMENDED

Suede, Coming Up (Reissue): The great Suede reissue campaign continues with this excellent third record (and their first without Bernard Butler) which includes, among other things, the trash-pop classic “The Beautiful Ones.” I’ve poured my praise on this band in this space before, so lemme just say that this is another high-gloss libidinous classic, and it’s well worth the $4.40 (!) they’re charging for it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Giant Sand, Black Out: Uber-rare 1993 album from Giant Sand gets cleaned-up and reissued via the venerable Fire Records, who have been doing God’s work across the pond for years now, re-releasing records like this in fine form. Black Out was recorded acoustically at the same time the band was recording Purge & Slouch and though the songs didn’t fit that record, the band didn’t want to abandon them entirely. Originally released on a tiny German label, this little-heard classic finally gets its proper release.

Haley Bonar Golder: Lovely, latest album from Haley Bonar continues all the things she does well, sidling gently-ambling melodies with acoustic guitar, gently glowing organs, the whole thing shot through with palpable tenderness. Loving what I’m hearing. RECOMMENDED

Albert Ayler, Love Cry/The Last Album: Final two records from legendary sax man in one super-affordable package ($6.99!) I love Ayler’s ESP albums straight-up; these records sounds just sliiiiiiiiiiightly more concrete than the early works, but still avant and angular enough to be identifiably Ayler. RECOMMENDED

Art Blakey, Jazz Messengers!!!!/A Jazz Message: Another two-fer on Verve, this one of a pair of early ’60s Impulse albums that are straight-up jazz classics. If you haven’t heard them, here’s your introduction. RECOMMENDED

Joss Stone, LP1: New, self-released album from Stone pairs her standard torchy vocals with more sweeping anthem-pop arrangements. Not my jam, but worth a mention.

Bomb the Music Industry!, Vacation: Galloping guitar-driven indie rock that kinda reminds me of a more aggressive Nothing Painted Blue. Super-smart lyrics with revved-up riffing, worthy of a listen.

Boy + Kite, Go Fly: File under pleasant surprises! Boy/Girl vocals and nervous guitar lines power this highly tuneful indie rock. Reminds me of later-period Superchunk, before they revved up again for Majesty Shredding. Elements of Silver Scooter as well make this my SURPRISE HIT OF THE DAY

Hooded Fang, Tosta Mista: I almost didn’t listen to this because of the cover, but I’m glad I did! Bounding, reverby, guitar-powered pop music not too dissimilar from Thee Oh Sees or later Fresh & Onlys. A nice surprise, and RECOMMENDED

B+, Jesus: I don’t know who this kid is, or how he got Planet Asia on his record (or why the hell he’d name himself ‘B+’ and make an easy target for critics), but this is OK-sounding soul-derived hip-hop. The flow is kind of stodgy to be honest, but the production is weird enough that it at least warrants a sample.

Rival Sons, Pressure & Time: Pretty sturdy, snarling hard rock record from Earache (!) Fans of ’70s radio anthems, this one’s for you. Lotsa swagger, lotsa snarl, lotsa denim, lotsa crotch. Take a listen!

Cough Cool, Clausen: New weirdness from the great Not Not Fun label. Alternates between soft, guitar-plucked ballads and the typical NNF syntho weirdness. This label is so great. RECOMMENDED

Paul Anka, Alt. Hits: Mostly including this for the title. Paul Anka covers L7 and Sponge, I guess?

Vanessa Carlton, Rabbits on the Run: I will never be able to explain why I have a soft spot for Vanessa Carlton, but I do. Maybe you do, too? If so, here you go. New piano jams.

Keyes, Look Mania: No relation.

–>Singles & EPs
Wilco, “I Might”: These guys! You know these guys! We love these guys! New single in advance of the group’s new album. A few people in our editorial department have heard it and are saying great things — that it takes pieces of every era of Wilco and combines them. First track is apparently an epic seven minutes and features strings, organs, keyboards and more. This is what happens when you take a day off: you miss hearing the new Wilco record.

The Rapture, “How Deep is Your Love?”: GREAT new single from the upcoming Rapture record finds them edging even closer to traditional dance music. I love everything about this, except that Katie, who handles eMusic’s social media, pointed out that the chorus to this sounds exactly like the chorus to “The Thong Song,” and now that’s all I hear every time I play this. Thanks, Katie! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Beastie Boys ft. Santigold, “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win”: Latest single off the seriously overlooked new Beastie Boys album. I know that it seems weird to say the Beastie Boys are overlooked, but this one should have been a summer soundtrack, and it never quite got there. It’s really great! So is this song! Can’t speak for the remixes, though.

Gui Boratto, “The Drill”: New single from the great Gui Boratto; the title track is appropriately grinding, the B-Side is more opaque and chilled-out.

Right Said Fred, “I Am A Bachelor”: Sometimes the jokes, the write themselves.

Mastodon, “Black Tongue”: New single from hotly-anticipated upcoming Mastodon record. I loved Crack the Skye, but am concerned with a few things I’ve seen in advance of this record, though. It’s Mastodon, so unlimited benefit of the doubt. See how you feel about this.

Peter Hook & the Light, 1102/2011: Well, this happened. Oy. Hooky is starting to seem like a bit of a careerist at this point. A bunch of Joy Division covers from 1/4 of Joy Division and some other blokes.

Mittenfields, The Fresh Sum: Kinda mathy, kinda Arcade Firey, kinda old school indie. Definitely worth a listen.

The Go! Team, “Ready to Go Steady”: New single from recent Go! Team record, with a few remixes.

Fennesz, Seven Stars: Latest 10″ from eMu favorite Fennesz features four new songs. Sounds soothing and moody and kind of dark, as usual.

Skream, “Exothermic Reaction”: Great day for electronic music, man! Two new ones from celebrated UK dubstep producer is just as menacing and spooky as you may expect.

Brakes, “Why Tell the Truth”: Two new songs from band formerly known as brakesbrakesbrakes. Sounds OK! Kinda Brit-y indie.

–> Joe’s Metal Box
All Shall Perish, This Is Where it Ends: Fourth album from Cali deathcore band sounds brutal and punishing as ever; lightning bolt riffs and throat-wrecking vocals.

Baptists, Good Parenting: Holy shit. Sounds like Motorhead with rabies. Straight-up marauding metal, bug-eyed and out-of-control. RECOMMENDED

Cerebral Ballzy, Cerebral Ballzy: Terribly-named hardcore band releases a pretty great hardcore record and nets a pretty excellent review in the New York Times. Snotty, snide and scraping — you can practically hear the gobs of spit coming from dude’s mouth. I’m gonna commit to this: RECOMMENDED

Oh man! Chillwave, gettin’ dirty! Here we go! New Arrivals! Let’s do this! Don’t forget to tell us what we missed in the comments.

Washed Out, Within and Without: This week’s big winner for sure. Washed Out step up their game, writing grand and throbbing new songs that remain ethereal while also grafting on giant-sized choruses. Essential summer listening, a promising next step from last year’s buzz artist. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. eMusic’s Kevin O’Donnell has more:

Greene’s profile is sure to rise with first full-length Within and Without, and not only because it’s being released on iconic indie Sub Pop. Where his earliest tunes relied on bedroom production, Greene has gone big this time, teaming with Ben Allen, who’s produced records by similar studio obsessives Animal Collective and Deerhunter. The results are downright spectacular: widescreen, glistening jewels of sound that blend lightly propulsive funk with production that’s as mysterious and dense as a black hole. It’s a neat trick — Greene’s one of the few indie artists who could get a late-night warehouse party thumping or make a classical music snob analyze his gift for sophisticated melodies.

The London Suede, Dog Man Star: Only one of the greatest records of all time by one of the greatest groups of all time. That’s all. Kings of Britpop glam went hella dark on record number two (the single was called “We Are the Pigs,” for god’s sake), fabulous and sneering. This record still sounds as swaggering and as menacing as it did when it came out. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Ashton Shepherd, Where the Country Grows: New album from Shepherd straddles the line between classic and contemporary country. I have a bit of a soft spot for contemporary country music, and this sounds like it spikes the high-gloss Nashville sheen with just enough rugged down-home spunk and drawl (though Ben Ratliff seems to disagree).

Mellowhype, BlackenedWhite: Latest entry from the irascible, controversial Odd Future crew. Gothier than the Tyler the Creator record, as evidenced by the upside-down cross on the cover. eMusic’s Christopher R. Weingarten has more:

The second commercial release from the Odd Future collective is everything that makes these hip-hop snot-rocketeers notorious: obsessed with distortion, offensive as Internet trolls (unfortunately, their casual homophobia is indeed on display), and manically gifted when it comes to jackhammer assonance (“Obligations taking placement in the basement of hatred where Satan’s waitin’”). But OFWGKTA members Left Brain and Hodgy Beats stand out from their crew with a deep, moody love of murk, leaning more towards candlelit Three 6 Mafia creep–outs and bleary Houston screw ooze; not to mention textures reminiscent of industrial, goth, witch house and pure noise.

Incubus, If Not Now, When?: People whose opinions about music I respect very much really stick up for this band, which is enough to make me curious about it. This one sounds a little more sedate and restrained than the Incubus I’ve heard in the past. I operate under the assumption that any band can make a great record at any time, and so I will certainly be giving this a spin.

Psychic Dancehall, Dreamers: Oh man! Art-damaged scuzzed out songs heavy on waterlogged synths and weird, mysterious boy/girl vocals. Totally intriguing, especially their eerie-ass cover of “He Hit Me, It Felt Like a Kiss.” RECOMMENDED

Beware of Safety, Leaves/Scars: Latest from the great Mylene Sheath label tempers their usual fondness for instrumental post-rock (think Explosions in the Sky) with some spooky, gothy atmospherics. I’m liking what I’m hearing here: slow, eerie ambience, full of shadow and mystery. RECOMMENDED

Sister Rosetta Tharpe & the Spirit of Gospel, Vol. 2: Oh man, you need this in your life. Grand, grooving classic gospel from one of the leading lights. This is phenom, great jump-blues sounding music with banging piano and brisk tempos — just try to sit still while listening. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, Alone in This Together: Raw and aching country music that clears plenty of room for Anna’s parched alto. This is music of heartbreak and heartache — think an indier Melissa Etheridge, maybe?

Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest: “Versus” is right. This appears to be orchestral versions of Basement Jaxx songs. Who do bands do this? Because when I hear Basement Jaxx songs, I’m like, “This would be so much better if it were slower and performed by an orchestra.”

Thomas Dybdahl, Songs: Sparse, stark, slow acoustic ballads with adventurous, eerie flourishes. Dybdahl is Norwegian, so knows a few things about both darkness and melody. The music here is really tender and measured, with tons of empty space. Fans of quiet singer/songwritery stuff will enjoy.

Decibully, Decibully: New one from Decibully blends mainline indie rock with bright keyboard textures and yearning vocals. Taut and tight, a solid guitar-rock effort.

Locksley, Locksley: I’m pretty sure I’ve heard some of these songs in chewing gum commercials, but those songs don’t end up in commercials unless they’re catchy and, guess what, this is catchy. This is high-gloss power pop with choruses that could crush you if you’re not careful. Lots of polish and shine, but also some kind of undeniable choruses. It’s summertime, and summertime is the time for crowdpleasing blockbusters. Here’s an album full of ‘em.

Alkaline Trio, Damnesia: Alkaline Trio unplugged! This is probably going to hit whatever weird sweet spot I have for this music. The good thing about the stripped back setting is the way it recontextualizes the band’s music. “This Could Be Love” almost sounds like Psychedelic Furs or later Peter Murphy. For reals!

Defs, Figs: Minimal synth based pop music with dour, dramatic vocals and bouts of limber rapping. This is quasi-futurist stuff, glitchy and strange. The sound of future rap in 1997.

David Gibb, There Are Birds in My Garden: Tender, warbly, gentle Scot (I think) folk music — sounds lovely, in an Old Tymey, madrigaly way. Take a listen!

–>Singles & EPs
Joy Formidable, Roarities: B-Sides from one of the best new bands in the business. Their last record, the stunning Big Roar did not connect with the mainstream nearly as much as it should have, proving once again that I do not understand peoples’ tastes. What’s not to like here? Gigantic guitars, huge hooks and Ritzy Bryan’s soaring vocals make this a win on every possible front. RECOMMENDED

Emma Jane, “Allosaurus”: So is in Allosauras a British dinosaur? Get it? JOKES. This is some night, sweet, summery synthpop.

Pusha T & Tyler the Creator, “Trouble on My Mind”: Odd Future brainchild provides his patented doomy synths for half of the Clipse. This sounds…OK? Not spectacular?

The Rapids, “Comets”: Pretty good, heavy Brit rock — first song sounds spry and spunky and is clearly the pick hit (think early Art Brut). Second song cruises a long a bit too cleanly for my tastes.

Oax, The Distance EP: Pretty solid! Measured indie rock with nervy guitars and vocals not too far off from, say, a more mannered J Mascis. The songs are well-constructed and remind me of the mid ’90s — I am definitely curious about this band. RECOMMENDED

Eternal Summers, “On My Honor”: Airy new one from the great Eternal Summers. This is the sound of humidity.

Cut Off Your Hands, “Fooling No One”: New one from forthcoming Cut Off Your Hands record. It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from these guys, and I’m excited to see what they’re up to next.

Grooms, Prom: Saw this band live on Saturday and MAN OH MAN did I love this. I heard a million different things: hints of ’90s emo (the good stuff), taut guitar lines and high-arcing melodies make this one of the year’s biggest surprises. RECOMMENDED

Jen Jeniro, Swimming Limbs EP: If I had to guess from the song titles, which are full of M’s and W’s, I’m going to guess this tender indie pop outfit is from Wales.

Angus & Julia Stone, For the Boys EP: Tender, precious, quiet and retiring folky EP from brother/sister folk duo. This is music for the wee small hours, pretty and tender. Julia kinda sounds like Joanna Newsom.

Drums of Death, Black Waves: Pretty cool! Kinda dubsteppy, kinda technoey, kinda electroey. I’m feeling it! And I don’t normally feel this stuff.

James Blake, “Order/Pan”: OK! New James Blake single! This does not sound like the James Blake we know and love. For example: where are the instruments that are not drums? Don’t know what’s happening here. Approach with caution.

Diagrams, Diagrams: Pretty bewitching sounding EP, with lots of odd little instrumental filigrees and breathy, emotive vocals. The structures here occasionally skew cockeyed, which sounds fascinating to me, and the signing is low and vaguely European. Worth a listen.

–>Joe’s Metal Box
Batillus/Mutilation Rites: Split EP from a band I can’t get enough of lately (Batillus) and a band I’ve never heard of (Mutilation Rites). Appropriately, the two bands are poles apart: Batillus likes their music slow, tarry and brutal while Mutilation Rites falls closer to traditional black metal. Together, they’re the prefect yin & yang.

Catharsis, God Damned: Out of control spazzy post-hardcore with freakout vocals and constantly-changing time signatures. A shocking, pleasant surprise.

Earth Crisis, Neutralize the Threat: Latest from long-running Syracuse hardcore band boasts their patented array of grinding riffs and throat-scorching vocals. BRUTAL.

OK! Here we are! July 5th! America is another year older, and I have eaten 38 more hamburgers than I had last week at this time. Predictably, today’s release schedule is a bit light, but I still found a few interesting asides worth mentioning. Also, I’ve been writing this post for the better part of 17 Dots history, but today, for the first time, thanks to a series of technological innovations, we’re able to syndicate this post to the eMusic homepage, as well. WE ARE IN SYNDICATION. BOOM.

Let’s begin, shall we?

Brian Eno, Drums Between the Bells: This guy! Latest from Eno is collaboration with the poet Rick Holland yielding results that are typically Eno. Our Andy Battaglia does a better job describing than I ever could:

It might come as more of a shock—or maybe a pleasant surprise—to hear Drums Between the Bells is some of Eno’s best work in years. More guided and controlled than 2010′s Small Craft on a Milk Sea — Eno’s first solo album in five years (and inaugural move to the vaunted label Warp) — Drums sounds somehow both austere and casual, like a strict hypothesis interested in relaxedly wandering through experiments more than fixating over end results. “Bless This Space” opens with a sort of technoid jazzbo lilt, with Eno’s own voice intoning mysteriously over tons of drums, but the style of the album refracts considerably from there. “Glitch” features a cool bloopy bassline and some even cooler singed keyboard that, wild and rhythmic as it gets, evokes Eno’s production on Talking Heads classic Remain in Light.

Memory Tapes, Player Piano: Last year’s Class of Chillwave has been growing up! The upcoming album from Washed Out finds them expanding their sound and sharpening their focus, and Memory Tapes, not to be out-chilled, has done the same on their excellent new record. But don’t take my word for it — eMusic’s Lee Smith sez:

Hawk spins opaque narrative webs of love, loss and laziness that are more tangled than this record’s overwhelmingly sunny tones would imply. “Wait In The Dark” is a case in point; its rattling tambourines and chirpy keys belie the lyrical dark mood, with Hawk impatiently lurking in the shadows and masochistically hoping for the song’s addressee to wake up and hurt him just a little more. “Today Is Our Life” is even more sonically upbeat, with its straight ahead, high-octane beat and chorus spiralling ever skyward, but Hawk still can’t help scratching the wounds of love lost, imploring that he “doesn’t want to scream, doesn’t want to remember.”

Old 97s, The Grand Theatre, Volume II: More sturdy, hooky, guitar-driven pop music from experts in the field. This band has been around forever, but they’re still cunning and toothy, and these songs are anchored in honey-sweet choruses and powered by a tangle of guitars.

Deer Tracks, The Archer Trilogy, Vol II: Swedish duo alternate between spare, evocative electronic music and semi-retiring slightly synthpoppy songs. This is a small record in sound and scope, but strangely bewitching.

Pure X, Pleasure: I keep getting this band confused with Puro Instinct, who I also love. Not hard to see why: both favor dreamy, languid music, slow tempos, drowsy vocals and plenty of ambiance. Very lo-fi but very compelling earns this one a hearty RECOMMENDED

Teddybears, Devil’s Music: People really like this band. Super mainline synth duo, one song has vocals from a too-long MIA Eve (!) For real! Let me blow your mind. This is…something. I dunno, man.

She Makes War, Disarm: I was hoping for a Smashing Pumpkins cover, but what I got was mildly gothy pop/rock with cooing female vocals. S’ok.

Saigon, The Greatest Story Never Told (Deluxe Edition): People were waiting for this album for years while it was tied up in major label hell, but it dropped with a bit of a thud. I like Sai Giddy, but haven’t spent the time with this that I should. Enter the Deluxe Edition, giving all of us a second chance to enjoy a record which was like 250 years from completion to release.

Psychodrama, Second of June: Spacey, slightly synthy indie rock with breathy vocals and an emphasis on mood and atmosphere. Vaguely Cure-y, but also decidedly Modern. As in ‘English.’ Worth a sample.

Meredith Bragg, Nest: This is out on the excellent Kora label, who also treated us to the sublime, sedate Fredrik. This doesn’t sound too far afield from that: gentle, stirring acoustics, whispery vocals, swinging between traditional folk and something more oblique and mysterious.

Bright Archer, Hidden Systems: Piano-driven female singer/songwriter affair, not entirely unlike early Joni Mitchell. Soft and delicate and pretty as snowflakes. So, perfect for July.

Kellies, Las Kellies: Spiky, austere, wiry post-punk that recalls Delta 5, the Au Pairs and the like. Really stentorian! I’m impressed! Stiff as a board, all right angles and announced vocals. Check it out.

Chllngr, Haven: Stark, spooky, glitchy electronic music with snatches of ghostly vocals, strange ululations and sudden sharp snaps. Perfect music for a dance party where everyone is moving reeeeeaallllyy slowwwwly. A more dour take on chillwave, maybe? Maybe. Worth a sample to be sure.

Dennis Hopper Choppers, Be Ready: Baritone vocals and rollicking country-esque music, this is today’s head-scratcher. Singer sounds like Edwyn Collins at points, and the music alternates strummy acoustics with strange instrumental asides.

Arctic Death, Arctic Death: Knotty indie rock not entirely unlike Modest Mouse or the Veils. Sounds tense and worked up, prickly guitars and desperate, whiny vocals. Sounds promising enough to warrant a RECOMMENDED

Necro Deathmort, Music of Bleak Origin: From both the band and album name here you’d expect black metal, but that’s not what you get. Instead, it’s sinister synths, bleak drones, skittering rhythm — full clatter and menace, making this more of a metal record in philosophy than sound.

Bee Mask, Elegy for Beach Friday: This band is called Bee Mask and therefore gets my attention immediately. And, guess what — kinda sounds like bees! Steady humming drone creates a strangely tranquil ambiance. If I wanted to be unkind, I’d call this New Age. But who wants to be unkind? Life is too short. And also, Too $hort.

Bessie Smith, Columbia Recordings, Vol. 1-10: Whoah! This is a whole lot of Bessie Smith! There is, fortunately, no such thing as too much Bessie Smith, and so 10 volumes is barely enough. Caveat emptor: the sound quality of these recordings is a bit tinny, but that kind of comes with the territory. Sample before buying.

Alberich, Psychology of Love: Nasty, abrasive drones from the outstanding Hospital Productions. This is “industrial” in the most literal sense: air compressor rhythms and nasty, drill-press sounds. Brutal, terrific.

Lussuria, Ghost Entanglement: Who doesn’t love a good ghost entanglement? More from Hospital, this a little more sedate and quieter than Alberich, but still seriously unsettling. Two long tracks. Sew your eyelids shut and go to town.

–> Singles & EPs
Bon Iver, “Calgary” b/w “I Can’t Make You Love Me/Knick of Time”: This guy! Big Bon! Bonnie “Prince” Iver! I have admired but not loved Mr. Iver in the past, but the new record is slowly growing on me. I like the falsetto. Here’s a single from that record, backed with the Bonnie Raitt covers that made the internet rounds earlier this month. These are pretty, but I am hoping to will Bon Iver to cover Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door” using nothing but the power of my mind.

Fitness Forever, con Fitness Forever En La Playa: I was obsessed with the Elefant label back in the day. Both they and the Siesta label were ground zero for great, light, lovely Spanish pop. They’ve been a bit dormant these days, so it’s a thrill to see this new EP, from the band Fitness Forever. If you know Elefant, you know what to expect: summery, umbrella-twirling exotica with an emphasis on cuteness and harmony.

Nick Lowe, “I Read a Lot”: There is a new Nick Lowe record coming out! This is the first single! Loving what I’m hearing: typically wry lyrics set against a musical backdrop that would do Richard Hawley or (a young) Scott Walker proud. RECOMMENDED

Caged Animals, “Girls on Medication”: Great, drowsy lo-fi pop with lazy melody and buckets of buzz. The A-Side is captivating enough that I’m hoping for a full-length. This will appeal to fans of the Captured Tracks label, and is RECOMMENDED

The Kill Van Kulls, “Lost & Found”: Slow, pulsing, heartsick indie-synth. Not bad.

Hype Williams, Kelly Price W8 Gain Vol. II EP: Not the hip-hop video director. Obviously. This Hype Williams straddles the line between chillwave and ambient music, making strange, synthy, soothing sounds that wouldn’t sound out of place in Dr. Lawrence Jacoby‘s office.

Jackie-O Motherfucker, Earth Sound System: Six new songs from Jackie-O Motherfucker, who I didn’t know were still together. Skronky and spacey and out there as ever.

Deerhoof vs. Woom, Woom on Hoof: The enigmatic, poetic group Woom slices up and reconfigures a Deerhoof track to make something completely different. Kind of reminds me of those old Miranda July records, but that might just be me.

Ink Jar (ft. Marissa Nadler), “Unquestioning”: Bone-dry guitar and typically spooky vocals from Nadler make this the perfect summer witching music.

CSS, “Hits Me Like a Rock”: New CSS single! Featuring Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream! Appropriately, this sounds kinda early ’90s techno — super laid-back and easy-bobbing.

Mitchell Museum, “What they Built”: Vocals here remind me of Passion Pit, but the music is oblong and psychy and hard to pin down. Very free form and spaced-out, with the yelping vocals darting this way and that.

–> Old Albums, New to Us
2Pac, 2Pacalypse Now, Me Against the World, Strictly for My N.I.G.G.A.Z.: Three early 2Pac records arrive today, before his pre-All Eyez greatness. I seem to encounter more and more people weekly who do not ride for 2Pac, but I still find his style both tough and bracing. Looking forward to getting reacquainted with these early classics. RECOMMENDED

Junior Byles, Curly Locks: The Best of Junior Byles: SCORE. 1997 comp from reggae legend gives you absolutely everything you need from the man and, by extension, everything you need for the greatest summer of all time. You need to at least listen to his cover of “Fever” — you’ll never hear the original the same way again. Guess what? HIGHLY RECCOMENDED

A bunch of Jonathan Richman records. Crazily, I never really spent much time with Jonathan Richman. Every time I say that to someone, they say: “Are you kidding? You would love him!” Today is apparently my day to see whether or not those people were correct.

Boxcutter, The Dissolve: Bewitching minimal techno from the great Planet Mu label. This one came out in May, but is making its way to us now, perfectly synced to me finally getting into electronic music. Some mild funky overtones here. Like, American funk. Not UK funky. See, I know the difference! I told you I was getting into electronic music! Com Truise.

Various Artists, DGC Rarities, Volume 1: OH MAN. Record buyers of a certain age have a strange sentimental attachment to this compilation — essentially an attempt by DGC to cash in on the mid ’90s alt rock mania. Never have so many people heard a song by Murray Attaway. I look forward to revisiting this and discovering it’s not nearly as good as I thought it was. What you fear in the night in the day comes to call anyway, amirite?

–> Random Album of the Day
I had seriously forgotten that there was ever a Jerky Boys movie. How did we let this happen? (Remember there was a Garbage Pail Kids movie, too?) What was this movie even about? They make a bunch of prank phone calls? God, 1990s. So much bad with so much good. Amirite, sizzle chest?

All Beyonce, all day on my stereo. Queen B and more, after the jump. Call out what I’m sleeping on in the comments.

Beyonce, 4: Genuinely excited to spend more time with this record. The reviews have been universally celebratory, and I’ve loved both singles — the propulsive “Run the World” and the devastating “1 +1.” Each of Queen B’s records has a distinct vision and identity and this one finds her settling down and slowing down, bypassing the buoyant pop that has characterized her work to date. Everything I’m hearing sample-wise more than backs up the consistent praise, and that, plus the fact that I’ve liked nearly every other Beyonce record, makes me feel confident saying this is RECOMMENDED

Handsome Furs, Sound Kapital: New effort from Handsome Furs, a side project of Wolf Parade‘s Dan Boeckner. Kevin O’Donnell says:

A thrilling set of art-damaged synth-pop that proves [Boeckner and wife Alexi Perri are] the Anthony Bourdain and Margaret Meade of punk. Unlike their last record Face Control (which was inspired by a similar journey through Eastern Europe), Boeckner and Perry ditch the guitars for synths, drum machines, and more synths, plus production that’s so crammed with thrilling noise and found sounds, you’ll hope M.I.A. hires them to produce her next LP. The bracing “Damage,” for instance, sets a Philippine radio broadcast of a hostage situation to Bockener’s urgent yelps and squelchy keys.

Jolie Holland, Pint of Blood: New effort from Ms. Holland! I am a fan! This sounds warm and rich as ever. eMusic’s Nick Marino goes deep:

“Can’t believe you’re treating me like all those girls—all those sweet girls go home to cry,” Holland sings in the opening line of her fifth album, Pint Of Blood. The line is meant in context as a lover’s complaint, but it works as a bit of musical autobiography, too. For Holland is a musician whose bent, bluesy voice demands a different set of rules from all those other girls. She is Billie Holiday channeled through Joanna Newsom, with a Dust Bowl twang for good measure, an unrepentant oddball whose singular warble often drifts a country mile away from her melodies.

Shabazz Palaces, Black Up: This is great. Fans of the early days of underground hip-hop, your prayers have been answered. Smoky and spooky and sci-fi like Kool Keith, Black Up is everything you’ve heard and more. Michaelangelo Matos has more:

Black Up, Shabazz Palaces’ debut, is defiantly strange: murky, stoned, meditative, uncompromised, from the gamelan and eerie chant that drive “An echo from the hosts that profess infinitum” to the dank, minimalist percussion and disembodied soul wail that marks “Recollections of the wraith.” (All the titles are like that.) Yet for all its private-files feel, the music is instantly accessible: Butler’s far too hook-canny to settle for pure alienation, and nearly two decades on from Reachin’, his rhymes skip nimbly and easefully: “I find the diamonds underneath the subtlest inflections,” as he boasts on “Are You…Can You…Were You? (Felt).” Like its obvious sonic predecessors, Sly Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On and Tricky’s Maxinquaye, Black Up feels like a personal statement as much as a sludgy funk fantasia.

Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor: 10th Anniversary Edition: Trivia: we are not related. Double-disc reissue of what I feel confident calling a contemporary R&B classic. If you haven’t heard this, summer is as good a time as any. Keys filtered a classic soul sensibility through a decidedly modern musical framework, and the songs on her debut are alternately lithe and lonesome. An auspicious debut, to be sure, and RECOMMENDED

Pete Rock & Smif-N-Wessun, Monumental: The slow comeback of Duck Down continues with this excellent effort from a legendary producer and two time-tested rappers. Guest spots by Raekwon, Sean Price, Memphis Bleek and more make this a Golden Ager’s dream. eMusic’s Lars Lindahl says:

Sure, Monumental sounds like it came straight from 1995 but would we expect — or want — anything else from these guys? I challenge you to deny “Do It,” despite the fact that it loops the familiar Babe Ruth break “The Mexican.” And who wouldn’t get giggly when Raekwon jumps in on “Prevail,” which could have been a lost track from Cuban Linx. Pete Rock, who last shined on the underrated NY’s Finest, is a natural fit for the rugged Smif-N-Wessun. These are veterans doing what they do best and no one will get in their way.

Dolly Parton, Better Day: I’d sort of love a Dolly Parton/Jack White collaboration but until that happens, Dolly continues releasing sturdy country records on her own terms and her own label. Better Day is tough, resilient contemporary country in the vein of recent outings by Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks. You can hear classic honky-tonk get down in “Country Is as Country Does” and a bit more gravel and grit in opening rocker “In the Meantime.” This is a solid effort, straddling two generations of country music. RECOMMENDED

White Wives, Happeners: A more on-the-nose Gaslight Anthem or a poppier Titus Andronicus. I’m not fully opposed to what I’m hearing here. Those with a soft spot for the second coming of bar rock would do well to check this out. I can see this seriously growing on me.

Various Artists, Rave On Buddy Holly: Tribute album to the great Buddy Holly features performances by the Black Keys, Fiona Apple, Justin Townes Earle and Patti Smith but, weirdly, not the Raveonettes. My brother has successfully gotten me into a serious Buddy Holly phase. Looking forward to spending more time with this.

Azalia Snail, Celestial Respect: Azalia Snail has been making records for more than two decades now for a small but devoted cult of fans. Her latest sounds as good as ever: Snail’s insistent voice gliding over strange drones, soothing synths and clanging drums, alternately lovely and unsettling. Worth a listen.

Missing Monuments, Painted White: Great, gutsy power pop on the excellent Douchemaster label, this one reminds me of Wreckless Eric and other old Stiff bands — with a healthy measure of dirt under the nails. Big hooks, pack-of-ciggies vocals and sterling silver guitars. Oh, Douchemaster, you’ve done it again. RECOMMENDED

Autumn, Synthesize: More great throwback electronic music in the vein of Com Truise on the appropriately-named Minimal Wave label.

Daniel Thomas Freeman, The Beauty of Doubting Yourself: Seriously chilling and unnerving ambient music, with a heavy emphasis on slowly-expanding drones. This is the kind of open, eerie music that typically soundtracks David Lynch films, the sound of spirits flickering into existence then right back out again. RECOMMENDED

Curren$y, Weekend at Burnie’s: Nice!! I loved Pilot Talk, so I’m excited to dive into this. Everything about Curren$y’s laid-back, heavy-lidded, slow-toking flow is appealing to me, and this sounds like another batch of drowsy classics, pitting Curren$y against Quiet Storm-inspired production. Plus, the title is excellent. RECOMMENDED

Hypocrite in a Hippy Crypt, Tweaker in the Park: So one million points right out of the gate for the band name and title. Great, scuzzy indie folk from Gulcher. Acoustic guitar and yearning vocals that, oddly, bring to mind Kevin Barnes. Those of you who miss the days when damaged, vaguely folky music was the norm (think back to the Softies and the first few Elliott Smith records), this will take you back.

The Foreign Exchange, Dear Friends: Live effort from LA neo-soul band. I really loved Leave it All Behind, but the last outing left me cold. The songs here sound a bit smoother and loungier than they do on record. Check it out, maybe?

Big Sean, Finally Famous: Full-length debut from Kanye-affiliated Detroit rapper. His flow sounds relaxed and easy, and the production oscillates between old-school piano-and-drum style to newer neon synth stuff. Sounds OK to me, at least in fits and starts if not quite in its entirety.

Alex Drumm, Empty Rooms: This is stark, spooky, heartsick stuff not entirely unlike Mark Eitzel, but slightly spookier and more desolate. Lots of delicate acoustic guitar surrounded by the occasional odd buzzing and weeping violins. Intimate and desolate. Intriguing!

DMA, Drem Beb: Not to be confused with EMA, I guess? This reminds me of early Liars: big, serrated gashes of sound, dead-eyed recited lyrics, massive amounts of distortion and chest-collapsing beats. Avant-gardesters, you must be having a field day with today’s new releases. Perfectly punishing.

Admiral Fallow, Boots Met My Face: Oh longtime eMusers. I think I have found your new favorite band. For those of you who have been fantasizing about that Frightened Rabbit/We Were Promised Jetpacks acoustic record, this is going to make you explode with joy. Scots and sadness, just in time for summer. We are so predictable, but RECOMMENDED

Akron/Family, AKAK2012 >< INTERNET: I officially don’t know what this band is up to anymore. Super weird formerly Record Store Day-only 2xLP from the Akron/Fam that is far more art-damaged and outre than anything they’ve released before. For experimentalists only. There ain’t nothing folky about this.

Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive! 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition: There are 19 songs on this Peter Frampton live reissue.

–> Singles & EPs
Pistol Annies, “Hell on Heels”: OK, I did not even know this was happening, and now I can’t wait for it. Pistol Annies are apparently some kind of supergroup featuring Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, and if this song is any indication, this is going to be great. This one is spooky and slow and simmering. Very ready for the rest. RECOMMENDED

Acid House Kings, “Under Water”: Bright and hooky new single from perpetually underrated Swedes. Fans of Camera Obscura should check this out, as well as their older albums.

Dance Disaster Movement, “Tour”: Dead-eyed dance single on Dim Mak favors flat beats and fat slabs of synth.

DDM, “On”: Another new single from Dim Mak, sounds like the Rapture on a seriously avant-garde kick.

Avi Buffalo, “How Come?”: New single from Avi Buffalo, breathy vocals and soft, slightly spooky instrumentation.

CREEP ft. Nina Sky, “You”: Single from New York ghostwave duo offsets chilling synths with the bright, fluttering vocals of R&B duo Nina Sky. I’ve been fascinated by CREEP for a few minutes now, and this pairing definitely edges them away from what others in their camp are doing. Curious to check this out.

–>Joe’s Metal Box
Moon, Caduceus Chalice: 4-track black metal with zero production value. Why spend the money on a studio when you can spend in on Satan? As scary as you’re hoping it is, with seriously spooky synths and ghostlike singing thrown in for good (bad!) measure.

–> Old Records, New to Us
Ghostface, The Pretty Toney Album: You need this album. Great Ghostface record from 2004 that presaged the full comeback that was Fishscale. Some of the best late-period Ghost songs are on this one, from the frantic “Run” to the hazy “Metal Lungies” to the fantastic breakup song “Tooken Back,” which finds Ghost going on Maury with an ex. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Man, I don’t know where to begin. One of the most best labels ever. Nonesuch is the home to most of my favorite classical recordings of all time, and most of them came in with today’s new haul. The Kronos Quartet, John Adams, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Arvo Part, Louis Andriessen… we got quite a treasure trove today, folks. Below, just a few of what I consider to be the essentials.

Steve Reich:
The Bach Figure of minimalism, the guy who got it so resoundingly right that he’s become a sort of demigod to people who followed him. His music will never sound dated.

Steve Reich, Phases – A wonderful place to start. If you are ready to deep-dive into Steve Reich’s music, this is an ideal starting point; no matter what you hear here, you’re hearing a masterpiece. If you only want to use a couple credits, get Music for 18 Musicians and Electric Counterpoint. You’ll be back.

Steve Reich, Double Sextet/2×5 – The one that won the Pulitzer Price. It’s a great piece, but not the place to start. I like the other piece here, 2×5, more — it sounds like Explosions in the Sky stuck in some endless purgatorial loop.

The Kronos Quartet:
One of the most celebrated names in modern music, trailblazers with some of the last half-century’s most influential and beloved masterworks under their belt. A few faves:

Lyric Suite – Kronos renders this work, a flickering-candlelight portrait of fevered longing by Alban Berg, with ardency and a light touch in the work’s quieter sections. A gorgeous portrait of late-Romantic delirium.

Terry Riley: Requiem for Adam – A devastating piece that the Kronos commissioned to commemorate the death of Adam Harrington, the 16-year-old son of Kronos co-founder David Harrington. Classical music so often fills the void when words fail, and Riley produces a work of gently redemptive beauty. A high point in the Kronos discography.

Black Angels – A haunting cycle of works about the brutality and inescapability of war. Not feel-good stuff, but essential.

John Adams
The quiet, tweedy New Englander who has ascended to a sort of unofficial Composer Laureate status in America. I’ve referred to him as the Elvis Costello of Minimalism before, but it seems only I have the slightest inkling what that might mean.

A Flowering Tree – Adams takes on Mozart’s joyful, bawdy, slightly mysterious A Magic Flute. Adams’ version is more sorrowful, chilly, and foreboding, but it contains some of his most gloriously melodic and colorful writing.

Nixon In China – Not my favorite of his operas, but that’s a personal quirk of mine; it is the favorite of most, and this is a fantastic, must-have recording.

Son Of Chamber Symphony/String Quartet – One of Adams more bracing, madcap works.

Philip Glass – He’s Philip Glass. He doesn’t really need me to introduce him to you.

A Nonesuch Retrospective – Like Steve Reich’s Phases box set, this is the most comprehensive look at Glass’s accomplishments that I know of. The guy is insanely prolific, and this is a massive slab of Glass. If you’re looking for shards, try Koyaanisqatsi or Einstein on the Beach.

More Classics:
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs – This one has a special place in my heart. The legendary, late mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson had one of the most heart-stopping, throat-catchingly human voices in the world; this work was written by her husband, Peter Lieberson, and it is one of the most searingly personal documents of love and loss you’ve ever heard.

Gidon Kremer, Tracing Astor – Kremer performs the tangos of Astor Piazzola with startling bravura — the scratches, scrapes, and dissonances in the corners of the piece make this the earthiest recording of these works you’ve heard, with all blood and sweat still shining on the surface.

Gidon Kremer, Mozart: The Complete Violin Concertos – Kremer never recorded a masterwork he didn’t audibly blow the dust and cobwebs off of — he’s one of the most gratifyingly visceral soloists out there. Hearing him play, you remember that the violin strings used to be made out of cat guts; they sound like it here. In the wrong hands, Mozart’s music becomes insidiously dull parlor music. In the right hands, like Kremer’s, it becomes thrilling, haunting, grip-your-seat music again, flush with all the emotions of the world.

Jonny GreenTwood, Norwegian Wood OST – The guitarist for Radiohead also composers tearingly vicious, vividly beautiful orchestral music, coursing with the spirit of Ligeti and Arvo Part, two of modern classical’s current stylistic lodestars. The pieces he wrote for the Norwegian Wood OST are narcotically beautiful and black as pitch.

This is a tip-of-the-iceberg situation, of course; I’m going to stop here. But there are dozens more. What are your favorites?

Army Navy, The Last Place: The latest entry into our eMusic Selects series, Army Navy deliver power-pop heartbreak writ large. We love this album, obviously, and we think you will, too. Jayson has even more to say:

It’s not shocking to learn that the inspiration behind Army Navy’s emotionally devastated latest record, The Last Place, is a woman. In the wake of the first Army Navy record, frontman Justin Kennedy fell in love with someone famous — who also happened to be married. The whole affair lasted six months, but it left him with enough bewildered anger and humiliation to pen a whole record. The result is a poisoned Valentine dripping with equal parts beauty and scorn; imagine a Vulcan mind-meld between Teenage Fanclub’s Bandwagonesque and Marvin Gaye’s Here, My Dear and you’re there.

And once you’ve got the latest Selects record, dive into the new arrivals after the jump.

First things first: SHOUT OUT TO JOHNNY MARNELL FOR SCHOOLING EVERYONE ON PLATINUM HIT LAST NIGHT. BOOM! THAT’S HOW YOU ROAD TRIP!

And now!

Sebadoh, Bakesale: Deluxe Edition: One of the hands-down Best Records of the 1990s gets souped-up, cleaned-up and expanded with a whole host of demos and B-Sides and acoustic versions of its biggest hits. This record is a masterpiece, Barlow finally fully unlocking his songwriting potential and putting it in service of songs that are alternately tormented (“Magnet’s Coil”), taunting (“Mystery Man”) and self-loathing (“Not a Friend”). I cannot say enough about how exceptional this record is — along with Nevermind, one of the defining albums of a decade. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The 3Ds, Early Recordings: OK!! Dunedin Rock City!! The 3Ds are part of the legendary Flying Nun roster, so you can guess what to expect here: hushed melodies, softly jangling guitars and a very particular sense of melancholy. As the title says, this is a collection of demos, rarities and outtakes from the years when the band was still grappling to determine their identity. Very rough, very ragged, very good. RECOMMENDED

Barry Manilow, 15 Minutes: Some pretty problematic cover art on this first batch of new songs from ol’ Bar’ in quite a few years. Is Barry Manilow overdue for his Rick Rubin Record? Is he even a candidate for a Rick Rubin Record? As the title implies, this record — I’m not kidding — finds Barry coping with the trappings of fame. It was apparently inspired by him watching footage of TMZ harassing Britney Spears. Again, I am not kidding. I weirdly wouldn’t mind there being a good Barry Manilow record, but from the sound of Track 2, where Barry raps, this ain’t it. Oh, Barry.

Paul McCartney, McCartney and McCartney II: These records are great. GREAT. Along with Ram, they may well represent Sir Paul’s high water mark as a solo artist. He gets pegged as the doe-eyed, adorably pouty Pop Guy, but both of these show him as unafraid of experimentation as Lennon was (and, if you ask me, the solo work of Lennon is often massively overrated, but that’s a discussion for another entry. All I’m saying is: hamhanded political sloganeering does not good pop music make. Also, I hate the song “Imagine.” Put some shoes on, hippie. Anyway. Moving on). Lots of extremely oddball noodling, song fragments and some genuinely light and lovely melodies on both. Both of these are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Get them along with Army Navy and have yourself the perfect pop summer.

Random Axe, Random Axe: I’ve been a little worried about Duck Down lately, but buzz on this is super super good, so I’m excited to dive in. A collaboration between Guilty Simpson and Sean Price (SHAAAWWWN P!!!) and featuring guest shots by folks like Roc Marciano, this could be the place Duck Down starts to turn it around.

Marissa Nadler, Marissa Nadler: Self-released via a project on Kickstarter (shout out to Yancey), this is more stunning, minimal, vaguely gothy music from Marissa. She’s got a way with the slightly soothing, slightly sinister melody, and if you got down with that Blue Roses record that came out a few years ago, or have a soft spot for old Over the Rhine, this is your jam.

Neil Young, A Treasure: Alright! Recorded during a mid ’80s tour, A Treasure finds Neil and his band reveling in a distinctly southern-fried approach. Who knew! RECOMMENDED

Various Artists, Feeling Nice! A Collection of Super Rare and Super Heavy Funk 45s From the Late ’60s & Early ’70s: You read that epic subtitle, right? And you’re still wondering about whether or not you need to download this? Short answer: you do. Nothing but greasy, grooving floor-fillers with in-the-pocket rhythms, big brass and scorched, soulful vocals. This is a one-stop dance party, full of the kind of earthmovers that make me mad I stopped DJing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WU LYF, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain: First things first: this is not a Wu-Tang side project. The band’s name is an acronym for [deep breath] World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation. This is not nearly as Satanic as it should be with a name like that, but the buzz around these guys is huge right now. What you’ve got here is some rocketing, vaguely atmospheric indie with vocals that sound like they were scraped off an early Modest Mouse record. The music is much smoother than that, though, and more deliberately tuneful. Not sure what I think yet, but more time with this is necessary.

Blue Scholars Cinematropolis: This is surprising! I loved Blue Scholars’ last record, but this one is a bit of a reinvention, pairing the group’s nimble rapping with ice-blue electronics. Futuristic! I like it!

Smokey Robinson, Smokin’: God love the amazing Hip-O-Select and their crazy completism. If you haven’t spent any time perusing this label’s stacks, you need to set aside some time to do so. Nothing but treasure after treasure. This 1978 live album from Smokey finds the man in fine form.

Owl City, All Things Bright and Beautiful: Seriously, how does Ben Gibbard not have a lawsuit pending against these dudes. Sigh. I should be diplomatic. Hey guys, look, these guys have a new record out. Get it here, or hear it in full at your local Old Navy.

Chet Baker, In New York [Remaster}: Boasting a band that includes Johnny Griffin, Al Haig, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, this 1958 recording from Chet — here cleaned up and remastered — was meant to make a case for East Coast jazz, and it did so proudly and forcefully. RECOMMENDED

Ornette Coleman, Something Else!!! [Remaster]: Another reissue of a jazz masterpiece, from the same label as the above. Coleman’s 1958 is a stone classic, gritty and percussive and head-splitting and, you guessed it, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Com Truise, Galactic Melt: I cannot believe they didn’t title this album Bisky Rizness. Um, this is great. Seriously. Analogy 8-bit synths, old-school flat beats — it’s no accident one song on here is called “VHS.” I am loving this so far, and I think you will, too. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Dark Mean, Dark Mean: This is not so much my jam, but I think others will dig: finger-picked back-porch guitar, some vaguely Obersty vocals, oscillating between rustic rock and low-key classic indie. He may or may not have a beard, I’m not sure. But either way, this sounds like beardcore. Check it out.

Mercury Rev, Desterter’s Songs: Reissue of the band’s Dave Fridmann-produced breakthrough comes with an extra disc of rarities and bonus tracks. Still as haunting and gripping and mighty as it was when it was first released, and well worth a revisit. So this is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. What’s not is the 100% instrumental version of the same album. Who wants this? Is someone gonna rap over it and put it on YouTube? This is made for an audience of one, and that one is Lil B. No thank you, Based God.

Gorilla Zoe, King Kong: Pretty good sounding new album from rapper notorious for having released 28 mixtapes in 28 days last year. Prolific! This occupies a strange space: super futuristic production (thing cascades of synths) with Zoe’s Jeezy-like delivery. I’m kinda into what I’m hearing here.

Madeleine Peyroux, Standing on a Rooftop: More smoothish jazz from the queen of the same. Tasteful, tuneful, sweet and charming.

Burning Itch, Burning Itch: Tic Tac Totally does it again with another scuzzbucket punk record that clearly did not splurge on a recording budget. If you love huge hooks slathered in tar and sung by a dude who sounds like he’s been punched in the mouth by Frankenstein, this is for you. Guess what? It’s for me, too. RECOMMENDED

Garland Jeffreys, The King of In Between: New record from rootsy singer/songwriter netted a pretty decent review in the Times, and sounds like it will appeal to those of you who enjoy heartland rock & roll.

Juffage, Semicircle: Hypnotic, droning, synth-based space-voyage rock. Like if the stuff on the excellent Not Not Fun label got a bit more concrete. And had occasional vocals.

Nurse With Wound, Who Can I Turn To Stereo: Long-awaited remaster of this 1996 offering from celebrated avant-gardesters, this is the kind of music you play if you’re a deranged German scientist conducting unspeakable experiments in your weird, sprawling house in the woods. Everything here is distinctly disturbing: dead-eyed vocals, bizarro spoken-word samples and churning, insistent percussion. Crazy, in the most literal sense. RECOMMENDED

Architects, Color Radio: Soft, soothing, expansive music from Architects ground yearning, anthemic vocals in gauzy, hazy noise. For those with a soft spot for Coldplay, but wish they were a little more sonically adventurous.

Rotating Leslie, The Walls Have Ears: Pretty good sounding British herky-jerk power pop outing. Imagine a hybrid of the Libertines and Squeeze and you’re getting close. Some soused hooks and needlepoint guitars, all of them in service of seriously infectious hooks. A nice surprise! This one is the FIND OF THE DAY

Bumpy Knuckles & Statik Selektah, Lyrical Workout: OH MAN. The second song on this sounds kind of great. Produced by Golden Age-loving producer Statik Selektah, this collaboration plays out like you might expect, matching Bumpy’s take-no-guff rhyming with suitably drowsy production.

Book of Knots, Garden of Fainting Stars: More craziness from Ipecac, Book of Knots feature members of Pere Ubu, Sparklehorse and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and boast the kind of creepy, cockeyed avant- music you’ve come to expect from the Patton-helmed label. Very unsettling!

–> Singles & EPs
Lenny Kravitz, “Stand”: I was just talking to someone the other day about how Lenny Kravitz belongs to that rare category of musicians who have No Good Songs. On this new single, he appears to have junked whatever it was he was doing before in favor of writing a song that sounds like vintage Elvis Costello. Will this break his decades-long No Good Songs streak? TIME WILL TELLS.

Against Me! “Russian Spies”: Officially out of their contract with the big WB, Against Me! issue this pair of bruisers, sawing riffs, gruff vocals and a sky-high chorus. You know what to expect here, and you won’t be let down.

Solange, “I Decided, Pt. 2″: With her constant shout-outs to indie rock on Twitter, sometimes we feel like Beyonce’s Lil Sis is deliberately marketing directly to us. And then we remember that pretty much every band, regardless of affiliation, is marketing to us to some degree. And then we stop worrying about. Bright-pink synths on this new single from Sol Angel.

Kreayshawn, “Gucci Gucci”: New, super-buzzed-bout electro-fied single from rapper Kreayshawn who seems to owe something in her delivery to Nicki Minaj. Though maybe I’m just being small-minded. Anyway! This is here.

Michelle Branch, “Loud Music”: Not that loud! Michelle goes electro, kinda. Follow your heart, your intuition.

Beirut, “East Harlem”: New Beirut single finds him moving away from the synth-loving territory of the last record toward something like Classic Beirut. I like the dogs on the cover.

Brain Idea, Cosmos Factory: Mexican Summer has really been on the move lately, and their latest entry continues to make a case for them as a label to watch. Brain Idea moves from hazy, atmospheric mood pieces to the kind of instrumental churn & groan that could best be described as — eep! — post-rock. But there’s enough weirdness here to keep things interesting.

–> Old Albums, New to Us
Eminem, Relapse: Refill: By Em’s own account, this record was a miss. A reissue of the original Relapse with 7 bonus tracks, this one finds Em flailing, detoxing from his drug addiction but trying to make a record in the process (as he raps on Recovery‘s “Talkin’ To Myself,” “Them last two albums didn’t count/ Encore I was on drugs/ Relapse I was flushing em out.”) Still, part of the Em discography, and probs worth a listen for the curious.

Limp Bizkit, Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water: Oh, look, it’s these assholes. They have fewer good songs than Lenny Kravitz. Listen to the samples and marvel that a label paid tons of money to have this made. Way to think it through, bros!

–> Joe’s Metal Box
Morne, Asylum: DEFINITELY give this a listen, even if you think you “don’t like metal.” Profound Lore, once again, is on the cutting edge of what is considered “extreme music.” This is turbulent, expansive and melodic music that pits sledgehammer guitars alongside synths and piano and the occasional, heartsick female vocal. As the band’s name implies, this is not exactly uplifting, but it’s perfect for those oppressive summer nights. RECOMMENDED

Alestorm, Back Through Time: Pirate-metallers are back with another record that blends orchestral synths, mile-a-minute drumming and growled lyrics about pirates. Yo ho ho! They seem to have found a new wrinkle in the pirate narrative: time travel. This band doesn’t take themselves too seriously, which is why it works.