The Crying Light is yet another heartbreakingly beautiful record from Antony Hegarty, at once complementary with his most recent release, 2005’s stupendous I Am a Bird Now, and wholly independent in its own right. The same unaffected vulnerability is there, and Antony again explores the topics of death and his fascination with the natural world, but this album is an even more subdued affair, its tone starkly contrasted from the downtown Manhattan aesthetic of Bird. Don’t mistake subdued for stripped-down, however; the arrangements, by Nico Muhly, among others, are as intricate and compelling as ever, whether it’s a subtle use of wind, strings or percussion. Most compelling of all is Antony’s voice, as powerful as ever here, never affected or hammy, always finding just the right tone. A stunning and lovely record, Crying Light is a warm antidote to these chilly winter months. (Ralph)

Few records in recent memory have swept us away as thoroughly as Bon Iver’s full-length debut from one year ago, For Emma, Forever Ago. By now, we all know the story of Justin Vernon and his forced winter seclusion and his painful, cathartic record. Not an easy album to follow up, for sure, but Vernon did it just right, releasing this modest (in terms of size) but no less compelling EP. The vintage Bon Iver sound is there, with its warm, rustic intimacy, but the sound is fleshed out a bit, with more instrumentation and variety. Blood Bank is a four-song EP, and the songs are all excellent. Once again Vernon’s gorgeous, pure voice leads the way, aching in its vulnerability and naked emotionalism. Fans of Emma will not be disappointed. (Ralph)

New Pornographers frontman Carl “A.C.” Newman’s second solo album under the A.C. Newman moniker is everything we’ve come to expect from Brooklyn’s favorite Vancouver transplant, and then some. I was listening to his first solo album earlier, 2004’s The Slow Wonder, and I’m pleased to note that Newman seems a lot happier these days, a fact I think we can safely attribute at least in part to his newlywed status (see album closer “All Of My Days and All Of My Days Off”). He’s also letting his guard down a little more and the results are rewarding – Get Guilty’s sound is way less polished than anything he’s done recently with the New Pornographers (no doubt major props are due to producer Phil Palazzolo), and I mean that in the best way possible. And although he’s always been pithier than most, Newman is clearly not resting on his laurels; he continues to grow as a songwriter, and Get Guilty showcases his lyrics to exceptional effect. Whether he’s giving advice in album opener “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve” (“It is the devil you know/That will slam the door harder/Make of that what you will”), talking about bi-speckled gods in “Thunderbolts” (“You don’t need those glasses/ Bou just look so good in them”) or Los Angeles in “The Heartbreak Rides” (“California adds some casual bedlam/Something in the basic swing of things led them to victimless crimes/As the heartbreak climbs”) he’s never sounded more prescient. Naturally the trademark power pop hooks are present (“Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer”, “Submarines of Stockholm”), as well as a ballad or two (“Young Atlantis”, “Prophets”). All told these 12 songs are very easy to fall in love with. Listen for guest vocalists Mates of State and Nicole Atkins and Jon Wurster’s (Superchunk/Mountain Goats) rocking beats and assistant engineer Eric Heveron-Smith’s trombone, which sounds especially sublime in the mix. (Emily Mosley)

Read enough about music and certain words begin to seem meaningless—such as “timeless.” But Andrew Bird’s music is just that, in the best possible sense. Eclectic yet unforced, this one-man music machine (if you’ve seen him play live you know what we mean) pushes pop-songcraft into the realm of art on his fourth solo album (not counting several made with his old band Bowl of Fire). Bird sings, whistles like no one else we can think of, plays violin and guitar, and even blogs for the Times (er, not on the album). It all comes back to his perfectly formed songs though: warm but not mushy, knowing but somehow humble, and just plain catchy as hell. Guests include alt-country queen Kelly Hogan and the band Loney, Dear, but Bird really doesn’t need anyone’s help. Highly recommended, if you couldn’t tell. (M.L. Thrope)

Certain to go down as one of the year’s best psych albums, Mirror Eye, the second full-length from Brooklyn’s own Psychic Ills, is a departure of sorts from the band’s brilliant 2006 debut, Dins. Whereas that album featured a denser sound, with more pop hooks and Krautrock rhythms, Mirror Eye goes in a whole new direction, with mystical Eastern influences and dreamy, meditative atmospherics. The album has more of an improvisatory feel, bringing to mind the likes of NNCK and Jackie O Motherfucker—dark and mysterious, with exotic throat-singing, caravan percussions and horns, reportedly the work of new member Jimy SeiTang. The album’s a bit abstract at time, but that shouldn’t alienate Psychic Ills’ many fans; the band’s trademark psychedelic sound is very much still there. And with standout cuts like “Meta” and “Fingernail Tea,” Psychic Ills show that they have not abandoned songcraft. There’s more of a balance between experimentalism and pop, a synthesis with spectacular results. (James)

In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, New Zealand was kicking out dozens of top-shelf pop and rock bands of all shapes and stripes. The pickins went a bit slim in the late ‘90s, but with Ladyhawke, Mint Chicks, the Ruby Suns and now this curiously named Auckland quartet making one kind of noise or another in the States, the spotlight is tilting back toward NZ again. Don’t look for old-school Flying Nun pop here; Cut Off Your Hands turns out sharp, jumpy, melodic dance rock that centers around frontman Nick Johnston’s romantic vocals, which can soar with the best of them. Try sitting still to “Expectations” and “Let’s Get Out of Here,” both of which could be packing a dancefloor near you soon. (M.L. Thrope)

Hello, Cowgirl in the Sand. Let me introduce you to your legacy, which is alive and well, as represented here on MV+EE’s new Drone Trailer. Opener “Anyway” is an explosion of dirty, violent fretwork, never losing its rockin’ way in the chaos, fading out to sublime Rhodes simplicity. And on the second jam, “The Hungry Stones,” we see that Drone Trailer is a record of extremes: the blistering solos of the first track give way to peaceful acoustic sighs and pedal-steel warmth. From there, things get more disembodied and beautiful, soundtracking those strange nights when you should’ve gone to bed hours ago. Yes, Neil Young’s influence is all over this record, but in the best way possible: the emotional weight of Tonight’s the Night ravaged by the unique vision of MV+EE. (Travis)

No need to be fancy—just gaze into the cover of Blood Moon Riders and you’ll quickly grasp what dimension this heavy psychedelic trio (earthly hq: Brooklyn) calls home. Still, few bands old or new display such free-ranging power and ambition, wherever they live. La Otracina’s thunderous instrumental psychedelia (previously documented on one “proper” album and several CD-r’s) is the result of three lead instruments—guitar, bass and drums (led by Sound Fix’s own Adam Kriney) operating with one-mind dynamism, moving like dramatic weather across shifting terrain. Tightly wound proggy romps, weighty ambience, all-out rock detonations—this band does it all, massively. (M.L. Thrope)

This two-disc set (for the price of one) reissues rare material: two splits, a subscription, a previously unreleased track, and a limited edition, ranging from 1998 to 2003. This is Ben Chasny at his most sprawling and ruminative, recording at home and often without percussion. The only track length in single figures (six minutes) is part of a 37-minute suite, Night Trembling, which is the entirety of disc two. While not as tight and finely honed as his most recent albums, this stuff taps into primal feelings and ritualistic sensibilities that are equally rewarding, sort of an indie/low-tech Popol Vuh full of gorgeous guitar timbres, beautiful and engrossing. (Steve)