THE FLAMING LIPS The Terror [Warner Bros.] No matter how much melancholy courses through their catalog, the Flaming Lips will always be known as a celebratory band. That’s more a product of their live shows—confetti-strewn freak-outs that feature frontman Wayne Coyne rolling over fans in a giant plastic ball—than it is their albums, though career highlights The Soft Bulletin (1999) and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002) offset sadness with... 

THE STROKES Comedown Machine  [RCA] The fifth album from these lo-fi New York City garage heroes clocks in at a mere 40 minutes, and for the first eight songs, it’s classic Strokes: an energetic romp that’s equal parts scratchy austerity and voltaic pop. After an opening screech, the trebly guitars on “Tap Out” smooth into something vaguely reminiscent of disco, while instantly appealing lead single “All the Time” finds frontman Julian... 

ROBBEN FORD Bringing It Back Home [Provogue] The title suggests that sometime during his four-decade career, Robben Ford abandoned the blues, but that’s not true. Even while immersed in jazz—he played with Miles Davis and was a member of the Yellowjackets—the gifted guitarist never completely strayed from the genre. Still, this is his most blues-saturated record in some time. Whether turning to established songsmiths (Earl King, Allen Toussaint)... 

ALICE IN CHAINS The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here [emi] “Hollow,” the opening track on AIC’s fifth album, is a fitting title for a band that conveys emptiness like no other. Though half the original lineup has succumbed to a shared demon—substance abuse—the enduring Seattle grunge group retains its distinctive sound. It’s almost as if late frontman Layne Staley has returned for the infectiously kinetic “Stone” and the title track’s foreboding... 

ICEAGE You’re Nothing [Matador] Barely into their 20s, the four Danish punks behind Iceage have already figured out what a cruel, alienating place the world can be. They radiate rage, but fortunately, they’ve found no shortage of ways to unburden themselves. On the follow-up to their stunning 2011 debut, New Brigade, the band once again smashes and refashions post-punk hallmarks, using the terse sounds of Gang of Four and Wire as rough templates... 

EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL  Old Yellow Moon  [Nonesuch] 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... 

JOHNNY MARR The Messenger [Sire] Since leaving the Smiths in 1987, guitarist Johnny Marr has made a career of playing nice with others. He’s guested with such heavies as Talking Heads and Pet Shop Boys and even served stints with relative whippersnappers Modest Mouse and the Cribs. Through it all, he’s seemingly made a conscious effort to avoid his signature sound—that rolling, bittersweet jangle that defined not only the Smiths, but also indie... 

BUCKCHERRY  Confessions [Century Media] On Buckcherry’s sixth album, frontman Josh Todd reveals—but doesn’t necessarily repent for—his forays into the seven deadly sins. The tattoo-laden rocker is well qualified for such narratives. Through hard-hitting guitar, trenchant vocals and sleazy lyrics, he gives depravity a sonic correlative, presenting various forms of vice as a kind of musical slideshow. Opener “Gluttony” sets the template,... 

10CC In Concert  [Wienerworld] They’re usually described as “art-rock,” or some variation of that term, but more than anything, 10cc was a smart English pop band. After releasing a handful of well-crafted, durable AM radio hits and deceptively sophisticated albums in the ’70s, they said their goodbyes in the early ’80s. While the original quartet—Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley, Eric Stewart and Lol Creme—reunited in 1991 for one album,... 

JOE LOVANO Cross Culture [Blue Note] Over the course of his 22 previous Blue Note albums, Joe Lovano has proven one of the most versatile musicians in contemporary jazz. The formation of Us Five has invigorated the saxophonist and composer, and the quintet’s third album is astoundingly moving. Accompanied by his regulars—pianist James Weidman, bassist Esperanza Spalding and drummers Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela—as well as bassist Peter... 

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS Push the Sky Away [Bad Seed] Though he’s demonstrated a penchant for sonic mayhem over the years, Nick Cave is often at his most unsettling when he turns down the volume. In fact, some of the songs are downright menacing on his latest with the Bad Seeds, their first new album since 2008’s Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! These nine new tunes simmer darkly, as spacious minor-key arrangements flow around Cave’s smooth, foreboding... 

DUANE ALLMAN Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective  [Rounder] Just how prolific was Duane Allman in his few years? Amazingly so. From the time he first recorded and performed publicly in the mid-’60s until his death in 1971 at the age of 24, Duane—older than brother Gregg by a year—was one busy fellow. Attempts have been made through the years to chronicle the work of “Skydog,” as he was called, both within and outside of the Allman Brothers... 

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB Specter at the Feast [Vagrant] 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... 

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN La Costa Perdida [429] It’s not really a surprise Camper Van Beethoven’s first new album in nine years is full of quirky sounds and whimsical, borderline satirical lyrics. Effectively the mischievous older sibling of founding frontman David Lowrey’s other famous band, Cracker, CVB sounds as if they never went on hiatus. Following in the lyrical footsteps of its best-known songs—”Where the Hell Is Bill?” and “Take... 

KELLY WILLIS & BRUCE ROBISON Cheater’s Game [Premium] Willis and Robison may be new duet partners, but they have no less chemistry than country music’s classic pairs Johnny and June and Dolly and Porter. The husband-and-wife duo’s first album features seven stellar tunes written or co-written by Robison and a half-dozen by Dave Alvin, Razzy Bailey and Hayes Carll. As Robison’s loping Texas singer-songwriter sound combines with Willis’... 

DALE WATSON El Rancho Azul [Red House] Texas troubadour Dale Watson is a master storyteller who navigates his own plot twists with offhanded ease. He’s equally capable of wise-guy attitude and wistful nostalgia, and his generous spirit shines through on this, a set of hardcore honky-tonk spiked with traditional Western swing and Bakersfield country. This is Watson’s first recording with regular touring band the Lone Stars, whose rowdy twang is... 

DROPKICK MURPHYS Signed and Sealed in Blood [Domino] If the title of Dropkick’s last album, Going Out in Style, hinted that the Boston Celtic-punk band’s career was over, this one’s rousing opener, “The Boys Are Back,” sets the record straight. It’s a foot-stomping rallying cry, cut with whirring bagpipes. Whereas Out in Style centered on a fictional character, Signed and Sealed finds the septet telling personal tales wrapped in frenzied...