Drawing more from the backroads grit of Little Feat or Hot Tuna than the easier-to-pigeonhole sunshiny daydreams of the Dead, Desire Path sounds like a weird party happening outside of time.

While the hypnotic cover of Talk Talk's "Life's What You Make It" may be the only moment here that doesn't distinguish itself enough from the original. Much more frequently, however, Cover Two brings out the best in Joan as Police Woman's music as she revisits some of her favorite songs.

A set that honors and acknowledges more than wallows.

Aptly named, ...But I'd Rather Be with You's emotional throughline is loneliness, and Tuttle does the feeling justice on a faithful rendition of Cat Stevens' "How Can I Tell You," which brings affairs to a close with subtle potency.

The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four seems designed less as a walk down memory lane for aging leftist post-punks than a tool to make current listeners aware of Go4's ideals and legacy, and though (like most tribute albums) its broad palette makes it somewhat inconsistent, the thinking is fresh, bold, and impassioned enough that it should open the ears of both fans and novices should it cross their paths.

As on Union, Electro Melodier sounds more like the work of a commentator than an activist, but he has something to say and he says it with intelligence and eloquence, and as his hero Woody Guthrie proved ages ago, that's no small thing.

Set Sail is easily the band's most mature, far-reaching, affirmative statement. Making it even more indispensable is that it is as infectiously danceable as it is life affirming.

No one who is a fan of Haines' previous work is likely to be disappointed with All the Kids Are Super Bummed Out, and he's fortunate to have found a collaborator in Peter Buck, who makes music as strong, idiosyncratic, and witty as the lyrics they support.

The album is a grower, and its odd confluence of reference points is better absorbed than examined. Getting too caught up on the particulars how U.K. folk and jangly college rock fit together only distracts from the Tubs' neat presentation of their first batch of deceptively complex and solidly constructed tunes.

This is to say that Dream from the Deep Well isn't unvaried or austere, but it is remarkably timeless-feeling as well as soft-spoken -- if only in terms of volume.

Kaytranada continues to refine his sample-laced mixture of house, compas, hip-hop, and other cross-continental styles of dance music with Timeless.

Susman and Simms definitely have an assured career in soundtracks, and judging by Memorial Waterslides, they will have a long run as one of the most impressive practitioners of the cinema psych genre.

Keith Streng's vocals and guitar, Peter Zaremba's vocals and keyboards, Ken Fox's bass, and Bill Milhizer's drumming still lock together like a jigsaw puzzle, with even more enjoyable results.

It was composed and played by Coverdale alone, using electronic organ, modular synthesis, and piano, and it contains longer pieces which flow into each other, subtly evolving.

This album is a big step forward for Department of Eagles, a playground of sound that celebrates the pull of memories and music.

The paucity of any full-on rockers may drive some listeners back to the group's more propulsive, earlier works, but the sullen, sweet, and soulful Away rewards a patient ear.

It's clear that Goldfrapp doesn't miss the style the pair perfected on their last two albums, nor should they--this is some of their most varied, balanced, and satisfying work.

"Lawns" provides an easygoing contrast in turn, keeping the general propulsion of the album going but feeling like an easy swing into a West Coast sunset instead of launching a rocket to the moon.

These catchy, desperate, searing, and searching songs aren't always the most accessible, but they show exactly why this band has such a dedicated audience.

There's not much in the way of lyrics following the opening track, but she highlights her ethereal voice as an instrument on the harmonic study "Late Night Healing Choir." Taken together, Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars almost functions as a tone poem and is nearly as beautiful and elegant as its thematic inspirations.

Spirituals pushes Santigold's music forward while shoring up its strengths -- and for perhaps the first time since her debut, it feels like art that she had to make for herself.

If Neon does anything, it proves that Young can manage this delicate balance all the while seeming like it's no trouble at all.

When all the songs are put together, it adds up to an album that's easy to enjoy.

It's short and limited, but it's well crafted and strong, and a worthy alternative to RZA's Man with the Iron Fists soundtrack done with some wild, Wallabee Kingpin spin.

On Chapter & Verse, "4th of July, Asbury Park" is positioned between "Growing Up" and "Born to Run," the fulcrum between the early years and the maturation, and that helps fuel the story Springsteen wants to tell with this album: he's not only illuminating the themes from his memoir, but illustrating how he grew as an artist. That he's able to tell that tale within the course of an 80-minute compilation is remarkable.

United States of Horror boasts a sleeker and more crystal-cut produced sound palette than Ho99o9’s previous efforts; that’s not to say that the guts, grit, and feral nature of those releases are absent--they're very much here, breathing and festering from start to finish.

The result is a bracing expression of visceral emotions that refuses to go the easiest, most comforting route, as well as the most focused Sumac album yet.

The fascinating continuous dialogue between her interests and own music is further demonstrated to ecstatic effect here.