Swedish singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez can work magic with just an acoustic guitar, his voice and a few well-chosen words. The combination of his haunting vocals and deep, rhythmic fingerpicking on his guitar makes it tempting to proclaim him the second coming of Nick Drake. The songs on his second album, In Our Nature, are masterful modern-day lullabies that could easily rock you to sleep with their hypnotic rhythms, but you’ll force yourself to stay awake so as not to miss the rest of the album. There is a surprising amount of variety over the 10 tracks, which include the dark, driving songs “Down the Line” and “Kill For Love,” a lovely cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” and the eight-minute epic “Cycling Trivialities.” Fans of Gonzalez’s excellent debut, Veneer, will not be disappointed, and new listeners will be delighted to discover the work of one of the most talented songwriters to emerge in years. (Kiri)

Devendra Banhart, the eccentrics’ Massiah, is known for writing imaginative folk that sounds like it’s been twisted through a crank toy and recorded on answering machine tapes. But on Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, Banhart drops the kitsch to deliver a more polished record that’s a combination of classic-rock hooks and sultry Spanish songs. (It was produced in the Santa Monica Mountains, were greats like Neil Young, Taj Mahal, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell and members of the Doors have recorded. Even if their spirits didn’t sneak into Banhart’s studio, their influence still found their way into the music.) Diehard Banhart fans (who just cringed at the word “polishes), worry not. Your beloved, bearded daydreamer is still singing about the “sensuous scent of hibiscus,” and here and there he’ll still sing “I” in three syllables. But all those who couldn’t stomach Banhart’s “freak folk” might just love Smokey too. (Comes with a limited deluxe version with a neat booklet.) (Margi)

Album number four for Iceland’s Múm, returning the band to two of its founding members. And while you’d think that the loss of Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir’s distinctive vocals might shift the group into previously unheard stylistic directions, the reverse has ended up being true; this feels much closer to Finally We Are No One’s blend of digital hum and organic texture than the swaying, almost nautical feel of 2004’s Summer Make Good. Horns and massed vocals drift in and out of one another’s channel on “These Eyes Are Berries”; the opening of “Marmalade Fires” matches glitch beats to tenderly played strings before being swallowed by a massing harmony; and “I Was Her Horse” could be taken from the soundtrack of a surreal silent film. An unexpectedly – and pleasantly – focused work. (Tobias)

A Place To Bury Strangers claims to be “The Loudest Band in New York.” Whatever the case may be, they have at least captured that sense on their self-titled release, out on Killer Pimp Records. These boys from Brooklyn lay down a sonic assault that takes sounding “big” to an extreme. Frontman and guitarist Oliver Ackerman’s vocals are somewhat haunting while coming across as quite expressive and calming. Take note that “Loud” doesn’t necessarily mean hi speed rock n’ roll. This is a more delicate loud, intertwining the spacey and distorted, sometimes dance sounding drums, and painful yearning to create their own familiar yet unique sound.” From the opening track “Missing You” and its punk/surf guitar to ending with the six minute “Ocean,” you get a definite, and interesting rock n’ roll adventure. A Place To Bury Strangers does an impressive job of creating a sound that well, dark, and moody, is surprisingly big for a trio, and surprisingly good too. (Scott)

Cooing and crooning their way through their third studio album, Brooklyn’s own My Teenage Stride hit their stride with witty and delectable ditties channeling glorious but awkward adolescence. Led by Jedediah Smith’s sweet and plaintive vocals, Ears Like Golden Bats is full of the quirky energy of pubescence. There’s a Morrissey-like quality in his voice, and he is how the high-coiffed troubadour might sound had not the doom and gloom of adulthood proved so besotting. Overall, the effect is charming exuberance laced with ever so slight ennui, nowhere more evident than in the bittersweet “We’ll Meet at Emily’s,” a track chock full of teenage drama and trauma, and also in the listless “Reversal,” a number carried by Smith’s winsome but decidedly wistful vocals. The band impressively juggles sounding both forlorn and hopeful, creating the perfect soundtrack for days you want to be nostalgic and relive your teenage triumphs and failures. (Carrie)

Stars’ follow-up to the acclaimed 2004 album Set Yourself On Fire does little to alter their trademark formula of delicate lyrics, boy-girl vocals and crisp synthesizers. Instead the overall feel is more subtle and toned down, with brief moments of cheekily bombastic fist-pumping interspersed within the standard lonely indie-pop tracks. Vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan play off each other with comfortable familiarity while embodying characters that range from yearning to regretful. The album starts off with subtle electro-drum kicks that belong on a Massive Attack album that quickly morphs into an optimistic soundtrack. The gleefully anthemic “Take Me to the Riot” becomes more and more infectious with each listen, and “Personal” is classic Stars, deftly utilizing the dual singers to weave a narrative of a personal add and its response. The theme of war permeates throughout but is less political and more referential to the state of discontent and anxiety of a population craving intimacy. Even though Stars’ optimism doesn’t seem to kick in until the last track (as Campbell sings, “The war is over and we are beginning”), the patina of maturity prevails. (Faith)

I was a little nervous about this one. Sonic Youth has been on a terrific roll lately, and I feared a Thurston Moore solo record just wouldn’t measure up. Add the fact that he released this on his own Ecstatic Peace label and Thurston’s own propensity to engage in guitar-noise wankery, and you have a recipe for trouble. As it turns out, Trees Outside the Academy is a pleasant surprise, a thoroughly enjoyable collection of songs, revealing Moore once again in top form. What makes the album such a treat is the way it sounds very much like a Sonic Youth album and Thurston Moore solo album at the same time. The pieces are quieter, more acoustic in tone, but the structure of the pieces is unmistakably the work of the Sonic Youth frontman. Moore shows a deft songwriting touch and a some real melodic chops here, and his guitar playing is, as always, raw and exquisite. Moore is a national treasure, and Trees Outside the Academy is a terrific addition to the Sonic Youth canon. (James)

The Akron/Family hits the jackpot on this, their second full-length. They’ve gone for a more subdued, stripped-down affair than some of the extreme experimental free-jazz noise from their last EP, but the range of experimental sounds is very much there. Featuring songs about love and love, more spectacular vocals and impressive full-spectrum musicality ranging from delicated passages to chaotic experimentalism, Love Is Simple shows the band at their very peak. Long sing-along chants are sprinkled throughout, mixed with heavy rhythms and lovely acoustic pickings. Comes with a terrific DVD to boot. For once, a buzz band worthy of the hype! (Adam) 

Magik Markers have delivered a surprising record that swirls around like a batch of dreamy noise-pop and no-wave meets P.J. Harvey ecstacy with rabid dashes of experimental rage coloring the way. But melody and vocal magic are never sacrificed along the way! If you feared these cats before because of their wild ways, you’d be surprised by this disc; it really coasts through some pretty mellow landscapes, draws you in and makes you a believer and rewards highly with multiple spins. In a way it reminds me of early Blonde Redhead albums, but the improvisational aspects allow it to float higher and dig further! Highly recommended! (Adam)