Bay Area-based Zion I pumps up energy levels with potent beats and punctual rhymes. High-grade production by Amp Live comes in assorted flavors, all of which are ultra-crisp, clean, and chunky. MC Zion commands your attention with a steady stream of politically seasoned rhymes and plenty of charisma. With songs like these, the duo's stock continues to shoot through the roof.
U.K. indie-styled rockers give a nod to a tradition of melodic crooning and gritty guitars and the result is the enticing sound of Futureheads. These lads strut into the dance party and shamelessly flirt with Britpop by employing a lyrically driven sound surrounded by dirty guitar work. If the Strokes intermarried with Interpol, these bandmates--who've obviously graduating with honors from the school of sexy--could be their prodigal offspring.
Since emerging in the '80s as the voice of 'Til Tuesday, and following that with a series of thoughtful, introspective solo albums, Aimee Mann has maintained her high status as a thoroughly engaging and accomplished singer-songwriter. Her songs carry the weight of complex emotions, yet they never get bogged down in too much sentimentality.
Stockholm is keeping us stocked up on stellar indie pop, from Peter Moren to Victoria Bergsman to Jens Lekman (OK, he's out of Gothenburg). Ternheim is the latest smashing Swede. "Halfway to Fivepoints" is a haunting set run on reedy instrumentals and slinky vocals.
Radiohead's new material fits nicely in the post-"Amnesiac" era, where electronics are key but not the focus. They've pushed the envelop even further by launching their "create you own Nude remix" website. Holy F**k's version is the most popular one so far.
Jal's stunning debut, "Warchild," describes a horrific youth spent in forced military service in Sudan--difficult subject matter, to say the least, that Jal and producer Neal Pogue have admirably converted to engaging rap. This is hip-hop at its most elemental: tough stories made visceral.
"Saturdays = Youth" is Anthony Gonzalez's vision of adolescent optimism, and the sonic shift for M83 might be described as frowns getting turned upside down. Synths that were once muddy have become translucent; formerly tetchy beats are now bubbly and hopeful. It's giddiness we're glad to buy into.
Being a Bad Seed has rarely been so good. Like some nasty Leonard Cohen alter ego, the veteran bard plays blues-folk as something dark and gruff on "Back to the Cat." The trade of melancholy for something more bitter and less ambiguous is, after all, what rock is all about.
"My best friends are all listening to crunk" has to be among the best recent articulations of indie-folk despair. What could make a Saddle Creeker more apt to throw in the towel? Dev Hynes shouldn't give up just yet: He's letting Team Omaha escort him straight to Oberst-dom.
Which is the better reason to listen to Galactic--the impossibly groovy funk-jazz jams, or the A-list MCs rhyming along to them? The combination is almost unfairly good, but we'll keep quiet. With artists from Juvenile to Mr. Lif on board, it's a utopian redefinition of "instrumental hip-hop."
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