BEING THERE Breaking Away facebook.com/beingthereband The thrill of being young and confused and knowing a few chords belongs to no decade or country, and in that sense, there’s nothing unusual about this London foursome. Like fellow U.K. group Yuck, whose self-titled 2011 debut marked something of an indie-rock paradigm shift, Being There does fuzzy, pleasantly disaffected ’90s-style alternative. The reference points are mostly American—Dinosaur... 

LACY JAMES Circle of Swallows mereminne.com When she’s not crafting the kinds of eclectic, electro-tinged earth-child folk fantasias heard on this, her second album, James choreographs her own modern dance troupe. That might explain songs like “Dancing out of the Dark” and lines like “dancing animals / entwining animals / in cuneiform and ruin,” though really, Swallows defies easy explanation. James sets bold, mystical lyrics to clattering... 

THE NIGHT MARCHERS  Allez Allez swamirecords.com John Reis is no dummy. As frontman for Rocket From the Crypt and Hot Snakes, the San Diego punk swami has wrecked stages around the world, and he knows his brand of garage rock is gnarlier and more inventive than most. Hence, “Loud, Dumb and Mean,” a highlight of his second Night Marchers album, is false modesty—a declaration of idiocy from a foursome whose warped, pointy riffs and skewed rhythms... 

JIMBO MATHUS White Buffalo jimbomathus.com Back in the ’90s, while leading Squirrel Nut Zippers, this Mississippi native scored a novelty hit with “Hell,” a hot-jazz tune that snuck onto alt-rock radio. A decade after the Zippers’ demise, Mathus isn’t doing anything quite as radical or conceptual. White Buffalo is a genre record, the genre being Southern—a sweaty, twangy sound informed by country, folk, gospel, soul and good ol’ rock... 

PARADOX Tales of the Weird myspace.com/paradoxbangers After a quarter-century of raging, give or take some periods of inactivity, Paradox is still spoiling for a fight. On their sixth album, the German thrash mainstays wage war against the government (“Brutalized”), the media (“Brainwashed”), mental illness (“Fragile Alliance”) and the idea of war itself (“Escalation”). They wield the typical heavy metal weapons—shamelessly brazen... 

ALY TADROS The Fits alytadros.com On her second album, Tadros is nothing if not elusive, a storyteller determined to kick dirt on her footprints and throw us off the trail. Then, she’s always been tough to pin down. The Texas native spent time in Egypt, Spain and Mexico before settling in Austin, and she brings to her harrowing fingerpicked jazz-noir songs echoes of each country. One minute, she’s vulnerable and needy, imploring, “Say that you’re... 

TUNDE OLANIRAN The Second Transgression tundeolaniran.com When Prince has nightmares, the background music—and you know there’s background music—probably sounds something like Tunde Olaniran’s dark and delirious 21st century R&B. On his second in a series of five EPs, the perpetually project-hopping singer-producer fits rap verses, soulful vocals and bizarre samples—those are Chinese schoolchildren on “Brown Boy”—over paranoid... 

GREGG AUGUST Four by Six greggaugust.com Two bands—a quartet and sextet, as the title implies—give life to this bassist-composer’s singular sound. August digs the choppy start-stop riffs, but he leaves space to swing, encouraging his cohorts to do likewise. Jazz newbies, take heart: The stroll down “Strange Street” ain’t so strange.  Read More →

TED RUSSELL KAMP Night Owl tedrussellkamp.com All the best 21st century troubadours live in L.A., and this alt-country Cali cowboy is as good as any. Kamp’s loose drawl makes him sound slightly haggard—maybe even tipsy—and that works for both the sad ballads and boozy barroom hoots.  Read More →

JAMAICAN QUEENS Wormfood jamaicanqueens.com Hip-hop production has grown pretty inventive in recent years, and Detroit duo Adam Pressley and Ryan Spencer—formerly of the band Prussia—have been paying attention. Here, starchy indie rock meets the woozy bump of modern rap, neither sound spoiling the party.  Read More →

DUOLOGUE Song & Dance duologuemusic.co.uk As U.K. kids reared on Radiohead, Muse and Coldplay come of age, count on hearing more bands like this London quintet. Just don’t expect the same mastery of melancholy stadium pop and glitchy electro-rock. Emotional and experimental, Song & Dance is an impressive debut.  Read More →

X-TIVITY FACTOR Hard and Powerful xtivityfactor.com Manuel Marino makes electronic music under many guises, and as X-tivity Factor, he delivers driving beats and synth lines with a slightly noirish New Wave sheen. Had the folks behind the Drive soundtrack wanted aggressive, not atmospheric, Marino might have been their man.  Read More →