For his Sub Pop debut, one-man indie band Jason Quever sands down...well, Papercuts records never really had rough edges per se, but Fading Parade is a glorious slice of dreaminess, a pop record that seals its limitless melodies in a heady glaze. Music this sweetly smooth is rarely so memorable. Titling a song "Chills" is too much of a coincidence, its chiming moodiness too powerfully evocative of the legendary New Zealand indie-pop band of the same name—and admirably, it must be said. "The Messenger" also stands out, and it becomes clear here that Quever does best against the background of slower songs, taking his time to paint vocal lines in broad, stirring swaths of color. Nevertheless, "Marie Says You've Changed" achieves something just as rich with a skipping, almost carefree beat, which sets off the tune’s heartbreaking qualities (the title included) well. An understated bid for something larger here, and with a few very good records already behind him, we won’t bet against Quever.

Did we misjudge Swedish popstar Lykke Li based on just the videos from her debut, Youth Novels? While we go back to check, give her sophomore effort, Wounded Rhymes, a good listen. Opening track "Youth Knows No Pain" sounds like a winning marriage of Tune-Yards inventiveness and the Raveonettes' swaggering sexiness. Whether or not Ms. Li has been digging into the American glowave (or is it "chillworm"?) scene, "I Follow Rivers" seems to suggest she’s aware of what's going on out in the indie world—and isn’t content to merely ape it. Diversity is at hand here as well: "Unrequited Love" is an honest-to-goodness indie-ballad with country overtones (maybe a slight texture in her voice?) for you to hold hands to, while "Sadness Is a Blessing" is perhaps the one millionth song to make you think "Phil Spector girl-pop!" but she makes it her own through rich and convincing vocal work.

Sonic Youth’s SYR releases—their (mostly) instrumental, experimental work—nearly always gets overlooked, and for obvious reasons: People wanna hear Thurston, Kim and Lee sing. Understandable. But if you like Sonic Youth, you also dig the band’s sound, which these albums deliver in abundance. Sure, it’s their more experimental side, but no one will confuse this music for anything other than Sonic Youth. What's more, Simon Werner a Disparu is perhaps their finest SYR release yet. This is the soundtrack to a French film the band recorded last year, but they’ve fleshed out the tunes for a proper full-length, delivering a first-rate instrumental album with moments of subtlety, beauty and grandeur. "Les Anges Au Piano" is one of the loveliest tracks the band has ever put out, "Chez Yves" could pass for a bonus track from The Eternal, while "Dane Le Bois" brings elements of surf to the jamming. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable album from start to finish. No one is saying these albums rival Daydream Nation or Rather Ripped, but they are much more than marginal side projects too. They reveal new depths to the band’s sound and style and are worthy additions to their catalog.

As simple as they are fun, the Babies sound like a shotgun marriage of Woods and Vivian Girls—which they kind of are. Led by (apparent flatmates?) Cassie Ramone (the Vivs) and Kevin Morby (Woods), the Babies spit up a couple of singles and have finally burped out an entire full-length: 11 songs and 29 minutes of bite-size pop. These are the kind of sweet songs you’ll bounce up and down to ("All Things Will Come to Pass") and hold hands to ("Voice like Thunder"), but also, occasionally, break stuff to ("Personality"). And really, there’s not a lot more to say about the Babies, and that’s just fine: pop and rock this simple and good doesn’t need to be overanalyzed!

Ripe with a classical sort of rock & roll drama—fans of Nick Cave and certain PJ Harvey records take note—Anna Calvi’s debut, already causing waves in her native UK, hits U.S. shores. Calvi is much more than a pretty face with a tragic-heroine’s demeanor: She’s the bad-ass guitarist you hear on the album as well (and by all accounts, her live performances live up to the heightened pitch of her music). The PJ ref is very appropriate, as Harvey’s go-to accomplice Rob Ellis has a co-production credit here, though on songs like the surging "Blackout" you’ll know this is Calvi’s show. The stately and romantic "No More Words" shows off her seductive side (don’t forget: that’s her on the nerve-prickling guitar), while the fiery "Desire" and the barely restrained "Suzanne and I" suggest that Calvi could be singing James Bond theme songs—and very well—for years to come.

Toro y Moi only seems like an odd name for a solo performer till you find out that the guy behind the explodingly popular indie project is really named Chazwick Bundick. Wow! We definitely look forward to him stepping out with a major release under his government name sometime down the line, but for now we have Toro y Moi’s second album, Underneath the Pine, a super-confident set of dance-ready jams that is clearly by the same artist who made last year’s Causers of This but a huge leap forward nonetheless. "New Beat" isn’t exactly new, but it does have an unmistakable freshness to it, defined by crisp melodic lines and rhythms. "Before I’m Done" is like a clinical demonstration of how to import emotion into a timeless indie-romantic tune, though Bundick still hews to the album's M.O.: tight, concise pop. (Perhaps to more distinctly separate himself from the chillwave scene that he got lumped in with last summer?) "Got Blinded" is the sort of full-spectrum construction that could have fans forgetting this all comes from one creative mind. A definite hit-in-the-coming for 2011.