The Brains
Kill Kill (Stomp)
The song title is scary enough to make you hide in the closet until you’re sure Michael Myers has left the building, but the reverb- dusted psycho-country vibe is so great, it’s almost terrifying.

British Sea Power
Spring Has Sprung (Rough Trade)
That’s right, flowers are spewing pollen everywhere, the fucking lawn needs fucking mowing every two days, and the birds start chirping at 5 a.m. British Sea Power’s melancholy alt-rock will make you feel better, at least until the Aerius wears off.

Kurt Vile
Shame Chamber (Matador)
Whatever drugs Kurt Vile is on, we want some, mostly because sun-baked guitar rock hasn’t sounded this woozy and off- kilter since the Meat Puppets were toiling away for SST.

Cold War Kids
Jailbirds (Downtown)
Normally the thought of jailbirds scares the shit out of us, this having something to do with Sean Penn and a pillowcase full of Royal Crown Cola cans. Kudos for electro-pop alchemists, then, for making those bad boys sound neon-lit and grand.

The Stranglers
Lowlands (Universal)
Sure, it shamelessly rips off Toiler on the Sea, but when J.J. Burnell’s distorted bass kicks in, it’s almost like Hugh Cornwall never jumped ship. The key word being almost.

Jaga Jazzist
For All You Happy People (Ninja Tune)
An electronic-music survivor teams up with the chamber-music giants of Britten Sinfonia, with low-key results guaranteed to put a smile on the face of anyone who’s ever busted open a glow stick, not to mention cracked the cellophane on a Deutsche Grammophon outing.

OMD
Kissing the Machine (BMG)
In case you haven’t been in a Banana Republic lately, the ’80s aren’t nearly as totally hot as they were this time last year. The time-travelling late-career triumph "Kissing the Machine" will make you wonder why.

Michael Feuerstack
Leave Me Alone (Forward)
That’s right: fuck off. We’re listening to Michael Feuerstack prove that old-timey folk isn’t dead, but instead is alive and gorgeous, and the last thing we want to see is your ugly fucking face.

Film Industry
Sunny Sunday (Independent)
And you thought that the Velvet Under-ground’s "Sunday Morning" was the only thing worth reaching for on those perfect Sabbath days when it seems like maybe the Lord did an okay job with this hellhole we call Earth.

Emorie
Pink Dolls (Independent)
Quick, get us to a chillout room so we can kick back to Emorie’s soothing take on soulful electronic. And don’t forget the dolls, because our buzz is in serious danger of wearing off.

Fake Shark Real Zombie
Paint It Gold (Light Organ)
Kind of what the more experimental side of ’70s pop was like. Whip up a Tequila Sunrise, rip open that baggie full of Colombian coke, and relive the aural opulence.