BONNIE BISHOP Free bonniebishop.com Bonnie Bishop’s latest could almost be a Kelly Clarkson record, only this raspy-voiced Nashville belter writes or co-writes all of her own country-soul jams. The opening trio of “Keep Using Me,” “Shrinking Violet” and “Free” are you-go-girl female empowerment anthems, and in a way, so is “Bad Seed,” co-written by legendary songsmith Al Anderson. That one centers on a politician’s daughter who... 

STACIAN Songs for Cadets stacian.bandcamp.com The really out-there pop music has never been limited to the coasts. Just as Detroit gave us eerily robotic early techno and Minneapolis spawned Prince—once Top 40’s chief experimentalist—Milwaukee has produced Stacian, aka Dania Luck. Keen on sci-fi imagery and primitive synth programming, this one-woman band fills her full-length debut with hypnotic minor-key riffs and harsh mechanized beats. Way... 

SLAM DONAHUE Hemlock Tea slamdonahue.com Sunshine pop for Brooklyn basement dwellers: There’s the tagline for this duo’s debut EP. Singer and guitarist David Otto has the soulful rasp and melodic sense of Them-era Van Morrison, and with the help of producer Ayad Al Adhamy, who’s pulled off similar retro-modern feats with Passion Pit, he sounds simultaneously young and used up, wide-eyed and red-eyed. “I’ll drop anything for fun,” he sings... 

EARLY GRAVES Red Horse earlygraves.com Without a lyric sheet, it’s impossible to say for sure, but the first word on the third album from these high-precision, higher-speed San Francisco metal mavens seems to be “death.” That would be appropriate, as new singer John Strachan fills a void left by founder Makh Daniels, who died in a 2010 van accident. Strachan and his steel-wool larynx keep pace with the band’s gnashing charge, and whether “Death... 

CRUSHED OUT Want to Give crushedoutmusic.com Jack White will leave behind boxcars of boss records, but his real legacy may be the male-female guitar-drum duo, a rock ’n’ roll model he virtually invented with the White Stripes. The latest—and one of the greatest—to follow his coed thud ’n’ thrash lead are Crushed Out, the husband-and-wife team of Frank Hoier and Moselle Spiller. These lovebirds dig Buddy Holly, the Ramones and most likely... 

BRICKWALL JACKSON Just Life brickwalljacksonband.com In life, this rock-tinged Virginia country-pop duo tells us, “There is no right or wrong way.” True, but as they celebrate the good stuff (four-wheel drive, spunky self-assurance) and make sense of the bad (miscarriages, heartbreak, sick children), it’s hard to argue with their methods.  Read More →

AMY GORE AND HER VALENTINES In Love thisisamygore.com Keeping one foot in the garage, poised to stomp on a fuzz box, the former leader of Detroit’s Gore Gore Girls joyrides through rootsy rock, country and even ’80s-style pop, a la Scandal’s “Goodbye to You.” The chorus on “Blackout” is bright enough to light the Silverdome.  Read More →

HABIB KOITE AND ERIC BIBB Brothers in Bamako habibkoite.com “Tombouctou” is your standard wandering blues—American bluesman Bibb and West Africa’s Koite have simply wandered very far afield. They’re caravanning through Mali, tracing the roots of modern music, and as with the other 12 songs, they hit on something fluid, uplifting and beyond time and place.  Read More →

THE REBEL LIGHT The Rebel Light therebellight.com On their debut EP, these L.A. indie-pop hopefuls announce themselves with guitars, pianos, strings, horns and synths. Amazingly, there are only three of them. With their big music and ideas (sample line: “All my heroes are dead”), they could be headed someplace, well, big.  Read More →

DOMENICO Cine Privê domenicolancellotti.com.br Your dad likes bossa nova and space age bachelor-pad music. You dig Radiohead. This Brazilian singer-composer brings peace to your weirdo family, playing groovy lounge jazz with an experimental bent. Dig the ray guns on “Hugo Carvana,” something George and Jane Jetson might have rocked on their honeymoon.  Read More →

ALICIA KEYS Girl on Fire [RCA] Some combination of talent and luck—the former outweighing the latter—gave Alicia Keys one of the biggest debuts of the ’00s. Songs in A Minor (2001) was a hit with hip-hop fans, housewives and just about everyone in between, and in the decade since, the R&B songstress has continually shown her savvy and taste. She’s built a career that lets her cruise the middle of the road without becoming middle of the... 

TITUS ANDRONICUS Local Business [XL] Somehow, Titus Andronicus stitched together a punk concept album about the Civil War and New Jersey on 2010’s brilliant The Monitor. The Garden State rockers take a less narrative approach on their latest, an autobiographical unburdening by frontman Patrick Stickles. He details an inadvertent electrocution on the jaunty sing-along “(I Am the) Electric Man,” a short stint living in New York City on the terse... 

COHEED AND CAMBRIA The Afterman: Ascension [Hundred Handed/Everything Evil] Products of the early-’00s emo boom, Coheed and Cambria distinguished themselves with an evolved, complex punk sound, basing all of their albums around a continuing fantasy storyline, The Amory Wars. Their sixth album, The Afterman: Ascension, continues the epic tale with all of the pageantry one would expect. At times mathematical, Coheed’s song structures display a... 

MADNESS Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da [Cooking Vinyl] In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Madness scored a Beatlesque run of U.K. hits, and for good reason: a Beatlesque way with melody. Initially affiliated with the 2 Tone ska movement, the septet put Jamaican bounce behind quintessentially British songs, sidestepping the political sloganeering of their post-punk peers to paint nuanced portraits of everyday London life. Their fourth album since... 

JAMEY JOHNSON Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran [Mercury] It’s fitting that Jamey Johnson, perhaps the best songwriter on the country scene, chose to honor one of the greatest and most prolific songwriters of all time. During his half-century in Nashville, Hank Cochran, who died in 2010, created a body of work so rich that this could have easily been a three-disc set. Instead, Johnson intersperses Cochran’s most famous songs, such... 

AMY WINEHOUSE At the BBC  [Universal Republic] Thankfully, the second posthumous Winehouse release isn’t filled with scraps that didn’t make last year’s Lioness. Drawn from BBC appearances, it reminds listeners what a charismatic vocalist Winehouse was. The early material, recorded circa 2004’s Frank album, showcases Winehouse’s jazz roots, pairing her sultry, scat-like singing with big band arrangements. The handful of tracks from her... 

BUDDY MILLER AND JIM LAUDERDALE Buddy and Jim [New West] The two brightest stars in Americana have found success with solo albums and written gems for giants like George Strait and the Dixie Chicks. They’ve also scored with collaborative efforts: Miller has played with Emmylou Harris and Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, while Lauderdale has recorded with Ralph Stanley and toured with Elvis Costello. This team-up album has been a long time coming. Comprising... 

CRYSTAL CASTLES  III [Casablanca] On the third album by this frequently terrifying Toronto duo, all of the elements needed to make euphoric dance music are present but just out of reach. Producer Ethan Kath and singer Alice Glass are handy with the celestial synth tones and four-to-the-floor beats, but rather than party like it’s the end of the world, these electro-goth freakniks anticipate the actual coming of the apocalypse. Apparently recorded... 

DAVID MENCONI Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown  [University of Texas Press] Ryan Adams is one of the more complex characters in music. He’s a gifted and restless songwriter at home in a variety of styles, from wrenching country ballads to bombastic heavy metal. Cocky one minute, startlingly insecure the next, he’s a fascinating, polarizing figure who has at times become a rock ’n’ roll caricature. Music critic David Menconi... 

AARON LEWIS The Road [Blaster] Old-school country fans unimpressed by the modern state of the genre need only look to this, the sophomore country album by Staind frontman Aaron Lewis, for solace. Sure, Lewis was raised in Massachusetts, but thanks to his country-loving grandfather, he absorbed the sounds of the greats. And although he made his name with hard rock, his success in that arena has as much to do with his emotive storytelling as it does... 

DEFTONES Koi No Yokan [Reprise] Despite a good deal of drama—most notably bassist Chi Cheng’s near-fatal 2008 car wreck—the Deftones retained the distinctive alt-metal sound it forged in the early ’90s. Keeping its collective foot on the distortion pedal, the band’s seventh full-length album, Koi No Yokan, provides moments that range from hauntingly tender to downright punishing. Tracks such as “Leathers” feature slow, ominous intros... 

Color Me Obsessed:  A Film About the Replacements   [MVD Visual] A rock documentary with almost no music—and not a lick by the film’s subjects—Color Me Obsessed is the visual document the Replacements deserve. Brilliant one minute, awful the next, and doomed to fail, if their story can really be seen as a failure, the Minneapolis foursome is among the most mythologized bands of the last 30 years. As Goo Goo Dolls singer John Rzeznik says,... 

ANDREW BIRD Hands of Glory [Mom & Pop] Inspired by the popularity of his old-timey sets on his last tour, Andrew Bird returns less than a year after his last record, Break It Yourself. For this eight-song companion piece, the violinist and his band recorded in a barn around a single microphone. The approach was old fashioned, but the song selection was anything but. On the lone traditional tune, “Railroad Bill,” Bird’s jaunty fiddling and... 

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS An Omen [Columbia] Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor continues to play mad chemist with industrial music, this time via a side project featuring his wife, Mariqueen Maandig. Her soothing voice lends a twisted effect to this EP. The largely acoustic “Ice Age” is oddly folksy, and for a six-song set, An Omen boasts a wide emotional spectrum. There are periods of tranquility that give way to invocations of disaster—something... 

SETH GLIER Things I Should Let You Know [MPress] With his polished tenor vocals and natural affinity for creating shimmering, seductive melodies, singer-songwriter Seth Glier knows how to sway the sentiments of his listeners. Here, the album title alone is enough to catch one’s attention, but it’s Glier’s precise phrasing and subtle touches that make for an engaging start-to-finish listen. Whether he’s singing solitary ballads like “Everything... 

JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN This Christmas [UMG] In 1978, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were that too-cute couple from the blockbuster film Grease, not to mention its smash single “You’re the One That I Want.” Nearly 35 years later, they’re back with This Christmas, a 13-track collection of holiday faves that features such special guests as Tony Bennett (“Winter Wonderland”), Barbra Streisand (“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”)... 

Roland TD-30KV FOR THE E-DRUMMER BOY OR GIRL If you’ve been thinking about picking up a set of electronic drums, your options have never been better. On the high end, there’s the Roland TD-30KV. It combines Roland’s SuperNATURAL drum sounds, Behavior Modeling and advanced sensing technologies to provide realistic expression that’s been winning over acoustic-only stalwarts everywhere. One the other end of the spectrum, new entry-level kits... 

RME Fireface UCX FOR THE RECORDING ARTIST ON THE MOVE RME may have single-handedly legitimized the concept of recording studio-quality multitrack audio to an iPad. Another in the wildly popular Fireface series, the RME Fireface UCX delivers breathtaking audio quality, extreme monitoring flexibility, and comprehensive I/O via either FireWire or USB 2/3. But what sets this apart from other interfaces is its Core Audio support, which lets you hook it... 

Korg Krome FOR THE ARTIST SEEKING KEYS TO CREATIVITY Featuring a hit list of features borrowed liberally from Korg’s flagship Kronos workstation, the Krome keyboard is an ideal choice for stage and studio. Highlights include unlooped piano and drum sounds derived from the Kronos and hundreds of other top-notch programs, plus 900 exhilarating arpeggiator patterns and a library of more than 600 fun and inspiring drum grooves. A full-color touch... 

IK Multimedia iRig Pre FOR THE IOS POWER USER Plug your favorite mic into your iPhone with an IK Multimedia iRig Pre. The iRig Pre is an invaluable gizmo that allows you to plug any standard mic into the headphones/communications jack of an iOS device. Running on a single 9V battery, the iRig Pre can comfortably power condenser mics, while providing plenty of clean gain for stubborn dynamics. And thanks to its down-to-earth price tag, the iRig Pre... 

Fender Runaway FOR THE FEEDBACK FANATIC For anyone who’s ever wanted to play with feedback without suffering noise violations or bleeding eardrums, the Fender Runaway is just the ticket. By using an expression to blend in as much feedback as desired, the Runaway pedal provides the same kind of playable feedback you can achieve standing in front of a dimed stack—only quieter. That makes the Runaway pedal a natural choice for live playing and tracking... 

Akai MAX49 FOR THE TOTAL CONTROL FREAK Hybrid MIDI/CV circuitry and awesome built-in goodies such as a jaw-dropping step sequencer and arpeggiator engine make the Akai MAX49 the perfect keyboard controller for every synth nut. In addition to a phenomenal-feeling semi-weighted keybed and a set of genuine MPC pads, this full-service controller features eight touch faders and LED metering. Not only is the MAX49 a great hub for MIDI- and CV-based synths,... 

Audio-Technica AT5040 FOR THE AUDIOPHILE WHO KNOWS IT’S HIP TO BE SQUARE Flying in the face of convention, Audio-Technica broke new sonic ground with their AT5040. Ditching the traditional circular diaphragm, the AT5040 features a set of four low-mass rectangular membranes arranged like the panes of a window. The result is a sound that’s as full and vibrant as any large-diaphragm microphone, but with the crisp transient handling of a pencil condenser.... 

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder FOR THE MOBILE A/V ENTHUSIAST With Zoom’s impressive sound quality and an array of five studio-quality condenser mics—which offers recording in mono, regular stereo, Mid-Side stereo and even 360-degree surround sound—the H2n Handy Recorder promises a world of recording possibilities. Set this pocket-sized unit at the front of the stage and land excellent quality recordings you can share with fans. And since it doubles... 

Overtone Labs Tune-Bot  FOR THE PITCH-PERFECT PERCUSSIONST The Overtone Labs Tune-Bot takes drum tuning to a new extreme. Unlike traditional analog tension meters, the Tune-Bot attaches directly to the rim of the drum like a clip-on guitar tuner and “listens” to the pitch of the head. It measures not only the pitch at every lug, but also the overall tuning of the drum—making it faster and easier to get perfectly tuned drums. What’s more,... 

TC Electronic BH250 & BG250 FOR THE BASSIST WHO TRAVELS LIGHT When TC Electronic released their BH250 bass head and corresponding BG250 combo amp, they ensured that bass players everywhere would have something to put on their holiday wish lists. These amplifiers showcase what TC Electronic does especially well, combining a lightweight yet deceptively powerful solid-state bass amp with a set of freakishly flexible tone-shaping options. The onboard... 

Propellerhead Reason 6.5 FOR THE ARTIST WITH AN ANALOG APPETITE If you’ve long-since written off Propellerhead Reason as being limited, it’s time to take another look at this brilliant, analog-style music creation platform. Specifically, check out the new Rack Extensions introduced in Reason 6.5. Propellerhead created the Rack Extension system to open up the program to third-party manufacturers interested in developing plug-ins and instruments,... 

Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster FOR THE VALUE DRIVEN GUITARIST Squier nailed it when they created the J Mascis Jazzmaster. Rather than focusing only on matching its aesthetics, this guitar also recreates the sound and feel of the ace guitarist’s own heavily modified Jazzmaster. First there are the pickups—a pair of real Fender Jazzmaster single-coils, which is a step up for your average Squier. What’s more, it also sports the custom body contour... 

Ableton Live 9 & Push FOR THE ULTIMATE PAD PUSHER Create and perform music like never before with Ableton Live 9 and the new Push controller. Combining a matrix of 64 continuously touch-sensitive pads, keyboard-style playability, and all the functions you’d expect from a traditional large-format control surface, this controller is your ultimate connection to Ableton Live 9. Whether recording in the studio, sequencing synths and virtual instruments,... 

Yamaha THR Series  FOR THE AXEMAN ON THE GO Loaded with processors, effects, amp models and real tube tone, it’s small wonder touring guitarists the world over have made Yamaha’s pint-sized, battery-powered THR Series amps permanent fixtures on tour buses and in hotel rooms. A comprehensive set of controls provides instant access to tried-and-true amp sounds ranging from metal to country to blues, and USB connectivity lets you descend far deeper... 

Bogner Ecstasy & Uberschall FOR THE TONE-TAPPER Bogner’s mind-blowing new pedal lineup makes the coveted sound of their Ecstasy and Uberschall amplifiers affordable enough for any serious guitarist to own. The two Ecstasy pedals—Blue and Red—represent the blue and red channels on the Ecstasy head, whose gloriously fat overdrive is a benchmark of boutique amp sound. Both of these pedals feature multiple toggle switches that provide many... 

TAMA S.L.P. Series FOR THE DISCRIMINATING DRUMMER Rock, country, jazz—you name it, there’s an affordable TAMA S.L.P. Series snare drum designed to play the part. The amazing thing about the S.L.P. Series isn’t any one thing about any individual snare, but rather the entire concept behind the series, which is to offer pro-quality snare drums built to deliver appropriate sounds for specific musical styles. Finally, you can set aside that lackluster,... 

Moog Analog Delay FOR THE ANALOG GEAR GURU Formatted for API’s 500 Series rack system, Moog’s Analog Delay module is making more than a few wish lists this holiday season. The Moog Analog Delay is loaded with the deep and spacious quality only real analog circuitry can deliver, and features easy integration into any high-tech studio. There’s a CV input for analog synth control, but there’s also MIDI input—and when you dive into the included... 

Peavey AT-200  FOR THE TUNED-IN GUITARIST Never worry about tuning again. Admittedly, the idea of integrating Antares’ Auto-Tune technology into a guitar caused more than a few chuckles when Peavey announced their AT-200 electric guitar, but it only took one demo to prove the joke was on the skeptics. In a single strum, you can go from total discord to perfectly tuned—and the tuning tracks flawlessly all the way up the neck. What’s more, the... 

AKG D12 VR FOUR TIMES THE TONE A classic bass and kick drum mic returns in the AKG D12 VR. Unpowered, the D12 VR delivers the chest-pounding tonal response that made the original D12 a fixture in professional recording studios. Hit it with phantom power, and you’re playing a whole new ballgame. A trio of active filters provide an extended range of tone-shaping possibilities, allowing you to amp the bass, scoop up unwanted mids, or combine both... 

AirTurn BT-105 HANDS-FREE PAGE TURNER In a stroke of pure genius, the AirTurn BT-105 upgraded the iPad and Android tablets from alternatives to pen and paper to must-have live performance tools with this Bluetooth foot controller. In a nutshell, the BT-105 lets you turn the pages of your lyric sheets, chord charts or musical scores without taking your hands off the instrument—making it far easier to try out new songs live, or having to cram illegible... 

Pigtronix FAT Philosopher ATTITUDE FOR YOUR PEDALBOARD The FAT Philosopher combines two widely acclaimed Pigtronix pedals into a single super-versatile tone machine capable of pumping out all the sustain and overdrive any guitarist could ask for. On the overdrive side, there are all the goodies that go with the Pigtronix FAT Drive, most notably a cascading-diode-based gain-mashing system that ranges from bluesy breakup to over-the-top metal solo... 

Vox amPhone WEAR YOUR AMP! Following the wild success of the Vox amPlug series personal amplifier emulators, the firm has introduced a line of cool new amPhone headphones. The idea behind the amPhone series is simple: Take a pair of excellent Audio-Technica headphones and marry it to a custom guitar amplifier emulator built right into the housing. In a beat, you can go from listening to your iPod to rocking out with your axe without hooking up any... 

Roland M-200i V-MIXER FOR THE MASSES The Roland M-200i dramatically drops the price for getting into the company’s V-Mix live sound technology, while raising the bar for affordable digital mixers in general. Ideal for churches, auditoriums and most midsize venues, the M-200i combines powerful onboard processing and extremely clever iPad integration with simple and effective hands-on controls. A full eight busses bolstered by four additional matrixes... 

Novation MiniNova SMALL SYNTH, BIG SOUNDS Beefy basses, searing leads, glossy strings and crazy vocal effects—all of these and more live in the freakishly versatile Novation MiniNova keyboard and vocoder. On par with even the most portable synths, the MiniNova features the full-fledged sound engine from their popular UltraNova, offering 256 presets that range from bread-and-butter to analog insanity. A 20-slot modulation matrix makes creating fun...