The Brighton Port Authority
Toe Jam (Skint)
On paper, it's a recipe for a train wreck, but “Toe Jam”—with David Byrne singing “Every day is fuckin' perfect,” a rapid-fire grime verse from Dizzee Rascal, and a Shindig-alicious backing track by Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook—is the most fun we've had all year.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Souled Out!!! (Merge)
A raw stomper that sounds less like Bright Eyes than it does Built to Spill, thanks to some delightfully off-the-rails guitar. Woo-hoo!

Starfucker
German Love (Badman)
We're not sure exactly what's involved in this “German love” that Starfucker wants to give us, but if it comes with handclaps, harmonies, and lo-fi synth scribbles, count us in.

The Last Shadow Puppets
Standing Next to Me (Domino)
The Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner and friends deliver a scarily accurate reconstruction of mid-'60s orch-pop. Peter Bjorn and John, eat your hearts out.

The Night Marchers
Open Your Legs (Vagrant)
Former Rocket from the Crypt main man Speedo returns from the grave with a roughed-up kick at soaked-in-whisky-and-gravel rockabilly.

Offspring
Stuff Is Messed Up (Sony)
Backed by what sounds like a hyperslick Raconteurs covering Millencolin, Offspring vocalist Dexter Holland sums up the state of America in '08 with one simple line: “I'm telling you—shit is fucked up.”

Ghostkeeper
Mr. No Show (Saved By Radio)
Falling on just the right side of affected, Calgary's Ghostkeeper distills '80s-vintage indie pop, back-porch Americana, and countrified math rock into something dementedly original.

My Morning Jacket
Smokin from Shootin(Maple)
My Morning Jacket tends to get lumped into the unwashed hippie-jam-band movement. Burnished with soaring pedal steel and California-sunset organs, this sublime bit of Laurel Canyon country sounds as pristine as the average Phish fan is filthy.

Adem
Tears Are in Your Eyes (Domino)
An achingly tender and intimate take on a Yo La Tengo number that was almost unbearably heart-rending to begin with. Grab the Kleenex Ultra Soft and let it all out.

Alanis Morissette
Straitjacket (Maverick)
Well, it's admittedly not as thrilling as the idea of a crazy chick going down on you in a theatre, but “Straitjacket” has a made-for-clubbing urgency that's guaranteed to get 30-somethings bumping uglies afterward.

Missy Elliott
Best, Best (Atlantic)
On the monotone verses of this Danja-produced joint, Missy Elliott comes across as something of a sex-crazed robot (“He's a freak/I'm a freak/We freak/All week”), but that's not necessarily a bad thing.