Canadian DJ Caribou (aka Dan Snaith) hits the bull’s eye with his latest album “Swim.” From the Animal Collective-esque “Jamelia,” to the dance floor friendly “Sun,” to the Tibetian bowl-clanging of “Hannibal,” the mathematics Ph.D. gets it right on each tune. Opening track “Odessa” sets the tone for the disc, with a sound that’s fresh and catchy yet somehow familiar. Play “Swim” from start to finish and you’ll probably forget that you’re listening to the same album — it’s that diverse.– Sofia M. Fernandez
I was a big Hole fan. I played my “Live Through This” cassette until the tape melted into a tangled mess. However, this Love train has jumped the track. The rehashed “Skinny Little Bitch” wouldn’t be charting save for Courtney Love’s name. “Letter To God” sounds like a spoof written for the not-Joplin “30 Rock” character Jackie Jormp Jomp. Courtney promised “If you live through this with me, I swear that I will die for you.” Instead she’s killing us with mediocre alternarock. – Ali MacLean
One surmises that few congratulations were uttered when the duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser handed in their sophomore album to Sony/Columbia upper management. Indeed, ubiquitous singles “Time to Pretend,” “Kids” and “Electric Feel” turned the recent Wesleyan grads into major label meal tickets before you could pronounce their unwieldy last names. Yet “Congratulations” establishes them as serious contenders, with its dreamy psych-pop as dazzling as the white beaches and glittering ocean of the Malibu environs it was recorded around. The suits might whine about the lack of a lead single, but at the very least, the one-time kids display nascent maturity and deserve a pat on the back. – Jeff Weiss
Just in time for backyard BBQ season, Murs & 9th Wonder return for their fourth go-a-round, taking great pains to replicate the recipe that made their previous collaborations feel unique. The combination of chopped soul samples and lazy Sunday raps occasionally feels a bit undercooked, but the pair wisely invite stellar guests including Suga Free (“Let Me Talk”), Kurupt (“Live From Roscoe’s,” “Fornever”) and Verbs (“The Lick”). While “Fornever” might not stay in your iPod past the 4th of July (let alone forever), there’s enough meat to make it onto the grill – or at least provide a soundtrack while you season. – Jeff Weiss
Gorillaz’s “Plastic Beach” enlists Mos Def, De La Soul, Lou Reed and others to relay tales of a fictitious playa where life revolves around fast food, waste, plasma screens, broken hearts and easy money. The album blends orchestral interludes, heavy synthesizers (“Stylo,” “Empire Ants”), hip-hop (“Superfast Jellyfish,” “Sweepstakes”) and ballads (“Cloud of Unknowing”) with mixed results (Snoop Dogg’s vocals are especially incongruous). But with its daring concept and standout tracks (“Rhinestone Eyes,” the laser-beamy “Glitter Freeze”), Damon Albarn has once again produced the global soundtrack of the year. – Sofia M. Fernandez
The man behind the “Mad Men” theme song, multitasking mofo RJD2 releases “The Colossus,” a kaleidoscope retrospective of everything that he’s ever done, bouncing from strains of outer space Esquivel to lots of bright horns with breakbeats (he could have called it “The Horny Album”), to the Bond-like super strut on “The Stranger.” RJD2’s doo wop stroll with Phonte Coleman on “Shining Path,” and his drum kit debut, “Games You Can Win,” are stand out tracks. – Ali MacLean
On its debut, this promising quartet manages to straddle the line between today’s indie cool and the big hair-metal choruses of yore. The Afro-beat influenced “Take It Easy” sounds like a Vampire Weekend knock-off, which would be enough to write Surfer Blood off. Yet “Swim,” the previous track, rocks with a chorus as big and majestic as Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian” (and we mean that in a good way). And opener “Floating Vibes” glides along like a mix of classic Breeders and Weezer, minus the shtick. – Craig Rosen
Los Campesinos! have unleashed their third recording in two years, proving they’re no slouches in the release department or in their approach to pop music. Romance might be boring, but this album by the U.K. seven-piece is catchier than cooties in kindergarten. Incorporating trumpets, shouts, hand claps, a chorus of whistling and a quirky but tolerable cacophony, LC! and producer John Goodmanson show that heavily populated bands can go loud without going over the top. – Karen Nicoletti
Everyone’s favorite blood-sucking, indie, African hi-life influenced Ivy Leaguers return following their hotly debated 2008 self-titled debut. While there’s nothing quite as refreshing as “A Punk” here, “Horchata” is damn tasty, even if they try to rhyme the title with “balaclava.” Elsewhere, the button-downed foursome continues to mine the fertile ground between Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and forgotten ‘80s posers Haircut 100, and even throw in a bit of “Sandinista!”-era Clash trippy world-beating for good measure. – Craig Rosen
The brainchild of ex-Roc-A-Fella royalty Damon Dash, Blakroc pairs the Black Keys with hip-hop’s finest, including Mos Def, Q-Tip, Ludacris, and members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Novices to rap production, the Akron, Ohio blues duo sometimes struggle not to swallow the emcees voices, but more often they provide a psychedelic squall of gritty guitars and dirty drums ripe for shredding by the upscale names in Dash’s Rolodex. Loose and rollicking, this is the rare jam session worth jamming six months from now.
