"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.
Veering into Paul Simon-sounding Africanized pop seems a bit drastic at first, until you give the entire album a few listens. Do so, [...]

"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.
A little Fiona Apple here, a little Nelly Furtado there. It probably doesn’t help, either, that the music and lyrics are a [...]

“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.
 
But the ninth full-length release by Philly rockers Marah is bright and happy; folksy and smooth. It rocks out but not too hard. In a blending of styles, [...]

"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.”
The name of the album is [...]

With major record labels in a bit of a paranoid funk, focusing more on selling cell-phone ringtones and single-song Internet downloads, indie music labels are gaining a bit more prominence. When the biggest band in the world - Radiohead - is on an indie label, you know things are changing.
 
Anyway, in recognition of that and [...]