"Flight of the Conchords" by Flight of the Conchords (Sub Pop) - Out now

Imagine a world without overly serious musicians. It's a place where even sad songs are funny, and only the female singers wear makeup (Sorry, emo kids). And, oh yeah, it's OK to laugh. A lot. This is the world in which Flight of the Conchords exist.

"Hold On Now, Youngster . . ." by Los Campesinos! - download the album in digital format or preorder the US CD release at their Web site.

Listening to Los Campesinos! "Hold On Now, Youngster . . ." is like being in the bathroom at a concert and overhearing all the tedious details of a young hipster relationship gone sour.

You're a little uncomfortable being privy to such personal information, but are interested in spite of yourself. Also, you feel a little old. Ultimately, however, you're waiting for them to leave so you can come out of the stall and go listen to something else.

Those who are big Nine Inch Nails fans probably already know this by now, but the band quietly released “The Slip” Monday morning at 12:01 for free off their Web site, NIN.com.

“Memory Drawings” by The Drift (Temporary Residence) – Out now

Bubble-gum pop enthusiasts, look not on The Drift’s “Memory Drawings” for succor. Might as well pass up their first full-length album, 2005’s “Noumena,” as well.

"Pershing" by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Polyvinyl) - Out now

There's definitely music for every season. The downbeat baroque that fits New England's colder months just isn't cutting it now that we've finally tasted 80 degrees again. And while summer calls for wide-open rock grandeur (think Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road"), spring begs for something in between.

Worldwide by TheDeathSet (Counter Records)- Out now

Punk music has always been a vibrant and energetic scene, since the early days of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Dead Kennedys. It’s a mainstay of the genre. Punk bands generally are made up of (sometimes) angry youth. Youth symbolizes resistance to the norm, so it would make sense that the Pistols and the Clash would keep outside the mainstream. Once the sound caught on, though, it spread like wildfire.

Good news: Record stores still exist, apparently. In recognition of that -- and also in hopes of keeping them in existence -- today, April 19, 2008, is Record Store Day. What does all this mean? Basically it's a chance to listen to some tunes, get some free stuff and give your local music store a boost. And, if it makes you happy to know this, it's been officially declared as such in Maine.

"Colin Meloy Sings Live!" by Colin Meloy (Kill Rock Stars) - Out now

When a band's singer does the semi-required solo tour, it can go down one of a few ways: 1. He or she plays acoustic versions of the bands' hits before adoring crowds; or 2. He or she plays some of their own tripe before adoring crowds.

The Breeders: Mountain Battles (4AD) - Out now

Kim Deal and The Breeders are back after a six-year hiatus. The time spent between releases must have paid off, because they’re having a lot of fun with “Mountain Battles.”

"Drawn to Dust" by Camphor (Friendly Fire Recordings) - Out now 

Perhaps “album” is not the right word for chamber-pop group Camphor’s “Drawn to Dust.” The debut CD, brainchild of singer/songwriter Max Avery Lichtenstein, has such hypnotizing continuity it can better be termed a collection of short stories set to music.

"For Emma, Forever Ago" by Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar) - Out now

The falsetto is a strange animal, especially when it comes to folk music. It's unnatural and can be a bit jarring, but it can be beautiful, acting as another instrument. Lots of singers use it - and use it well - but few use it as often as Wisconsin troubadour Bon Iver.

"Golden Delicious" by Mike Doughty (ATO records) - Out now

Put a guy on stage with an acoustic guitar and the results can be just plain painful. Some are whiny, some are lady-baiters (hello, John Mayer) and some are just plain lame.

Don't expect anything new from Bob Mould at this point.
Mould was originally from Husker Du, which influenced Green Day, Nirvana, Pixies, Superchunk, and Soul Asylum. He later formed Sugar and is now just Bob Mould.

"Heretic Pride" by Mountain Goats (4AD) - Out now

Singing through his nose, John Darnielle - the voice behind The Mountain Goats - sounds like an extra from "Revenge of the Nerds." Not that it's necessarily a bad thing.

"Lovers Prayers" by Ida (Polyvinyl) - Out now

New York folk-rockers Ida have been honing this mellow thing for a while. The one-time duo has rounded out into a quintet over time, but they've preserved and cultivated the methodical calm that they started out with.

"Real Emotional Trash" by Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks (Matador Records) - Out now

The new cd by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, currently out on Matador Records, proves that indie music doesn’t always mean three-minute blasts of sound by young rockers. Malkmus’ band fills neither criteria.

"Venus on Earth" by Dengue Fever (M80/Ioda)-Out now

“Dengue fever: Fun to say; not so fun to have.” That was my friend Annie in an e-mail about the febrile “bonecrusher disease” she got from a mosquito in Thailand in 2003, about the same time as Los Angeles band Dengue Fever came out with their first, self-titled album. Since then, the widely touring band has proven its music—it’s billed as Cambodian-pop-meets-1960s surf rock but is far more bizarrely dynamic— is as fun to have as its Khmer lyrics are to, um, well, attempt to say.

Soundtrack to "There Will Be Blood" composed by Johnny Greenwood (Nonesuch) - Out now

The opening shots of Paul Thomas Anderson’s much-acclaimed film “There Will Be Blood” are of a sprawling Texas landscape.

 
"Vampire Weekend" by Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings) - Out now

A few songs into Vampire Weekend's debut album, the New York rockers take a sharp left turn, ending up somewhere in Africa.

"Some People Have Real Problems" by Sia (Hear Music) - Out now

If Sia Furler's voice sounds a bit familiar, it's probably because the Aussie-born songstress sounds like a lot of singers.

“Angels of Destruction” by Marah (Yep Roc) – Out now

An album titled “Angels of Destruction” should sound dark and melancholy. Maybe some sort of Christian metal thing.

"Distortion" by The Magnetic Fields (Merge) - Out now

Those who pick up The Magnetic Fields’ “Distortion” are probably listeners of their other hit album, “i,” or “69 Love Songs”. For a first-time listener of the band, it could take a few tries to find the gold that lies underneath “Distortion.”