PJ HARVEY - White Chalk

Harvey's latest won't please those pining for a return to 2000's commercial breakthrough, Stories from The City, Stories From The Sea. For the smaller group of people waiting for a proper follow-up to 1998's haunted Is This Desire?, however, White Chalk fits the bill. This is Harvey at her most sparse and desolate, thanks in large part to her decision to forgoe her trusted guitar in favour of the piano. It's introspective music of specific intent, and whether it's a success or not hinges more on your desires than her performance. Know this though: under White Chalk's skeletal veneer is a work full of subtle rewards.

THURSTON - Trees Outside The Academy

Sonic Youth would never have become the icons that they are if they hadn't discovered early on how to sweeten their dissonant, toxic experiments with great pop hooks. Thurston Moore's second song-oriented solo release continues SY's recently revitalized love of melody. Rather than a dramatic departure from his group's MO, Trees is just a slight adjustment of a well-loved formula. Drummer Steve Shelley is here, along with Dino Jr. shredder J. Mascis, but the focus remains on Moore. Propelled by his catatonic cool and a bunch of warm acoustic guitar, this album is a whole lotta hazy beauty.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Magic

While the Boss' recent rejuvination hasn't exactly been a revelation on par with, say, the last three Dylan records, the experience of making The Rising clearly awakened something within the New Jersey icon. Since then, his work has been both more relevant (Devils and Dust) and more fun (The Seeger Sessions) than in a long while. You won't confuse Magic with either Born album, but he and his E Street cohorts remain full of the working man's spirit and cohesion on which their rep has been built. And when Magic hits the mark, the album's lofty title is indeed justified.

SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS - 100 Days, 100 Nights

One can only hope that the increased recognition the excellent Dap-Kings received as Amy Winehouse's North American backing band will translate well for road warrior Sharon Jones. No disrespect to Winehouse--she's got great pipes--but live, she's still a bit of deer in the headlights compared to the barnburner that is Jones. 100 Days, 100 Nights is economical and lively in its mission: to create a long lost R&B record. From its layout to its sound, this is one seriously retro album, but it's retro done with feeling, love, and a boatload of talent.

OST - The Darjeeling Limited

Film director Wes Anderson is almost as loved for his meticulously curated soundtracks as his idiosyncratic movies. From the mod explosion of Rushmore to the Portugeuse revisions of Bowie classics on The Life Aquatic, the man has some seriously eclectic, well-honed tastes. The Darjeeling Limited keeps his streak alive, matching cuts from Anderson faves The Kinks and Rolling Stones with theme music from a slew of Bollywood classics. The midsection is dominated by Indian themes, then bookended by Western music (both rock and classical), making things a touch segregated, but still fascinating and fun.

BEIRUT - The Flying Club Cup

Now that much of the skepticism/hype surrounding the notion of a teenager from New Mexico making gypsy music has subsided, the real test begins for Zach Condon. No longer a naive youth, he sets about growing up and fast. The Flying Club Cup continues in the manner of January's Lon Gisland EP, wisely showcasing Beirut as a full band to lovely effect. Where Condon could still learn a thing or two is in his songwriting and arranging; his melodies and horn arrangements tread the same path a little too often. That said, it remains a very welcome detour, well away from the safety of paths most traveled in indie rock.

JENS LEKMAN - Night Falls Over Kortedala

Swedish singer/songwriter is a superstar in his homeland, and it's an exciting thought that someone so infatuated with the old school tones and trappings of pop music (i.e. everything from Cole Porter to Neil Diamond) could be so popular. While it's doubtful that Night Falls Over Kortedala will hurtle him up Billboard, this record is his best yet, and for the cautiously curious, now is the time to make the leap. Sounding equally fragile and robust, it boasts an appeal that is immediate. Like the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs, this album harkens back to the days when pop music was witty, immaculate and romantic.

SUNSET RUBDOWN - Random Spirit Lover

Considering that Sunset Rubdown's catalogue presently outnumbers that of Wolf Parade 3:1, it's misleading to refer to it as a 'Wolf Parade side project' anymore. If anything, it's the other way around for leader Spencer Krug. Random Spirit Lover is a suite of art-rock mini-epics that cascade through ever-evolving movements and broken carnival crescendos. Krug's sense of urgent, hiccupping drama is a potent foil to Dan Boeckner's everyman in Wolf Parade, but left to his own devices, a more complete range of talents are revealed. As he sings himself, "It's right because chaos is yours/ and chaos is mine."

IRON AND WINE - The Shepherd's Dog

It is only now that we can really feel the full resonance of Iron and Wine's collaboration with Calexico, 2005's In The Reins. Prior to that, while there was no arguing Sam Beam's gifts as a songwriter and singer, he didn't exactly make the most exciting or varied music. Reins, however, awakened his songs to a whole new palette of instruments and moods and there was no turning back. The Shepherd's Dog takes these lessons and betters them with a full length album that sheds new light on Beam's tunes without ever blinding their tender beauty. Magnificent.

THE WEAKERTHANS - Reunion Tour

As a lyricist, John K. Samson has few equals in this country, and his understanding of a simple melody is nearly as finely honed. Dressing his keen observations in an everyman's clothing is the key to the band's appeal. Reunion Tour is another great Weakerthans' record and a huge affirmation that their partnership with producer Ian Blurton is one of the best around. Every song arrives in the same unassuming way. Only after they've gone do you realize the things they left behind; a telling turn of phrase or a gently nudging hook that plants itself in your mind and blooms steadily.

THE ACORN - Glory Hope Mountain

This record marks The Acorn's transition from promising new talent to leading light. Many elements were always there: elegant folk melodies, superb musicianship, and a sense of experimentation. The only thing missing is what Glory Hope Mountain has in spades: an engaging, human story. This half-truth, half-fiction yarn about songwriter Rolf Klausener's mother's journey from Honduras to Montreal is, like any great album, both foreign and familiar. Telling the tale are twelve gorgeous songs played with spirit, understanding and an ear for the rhythms of Garifuna music that never misappropriates the sounds.

JOSE GONZALEZ - In Our Nature

Gonzalez's latest album has been a long time coming, but maybe that's because in the interim, his superb 2003 release Veneer just wouldn't stop gaining new admirers. Well, good news for his fans new and old, In Our Nature doesn't mess with the keys to his sound; it's full of drifting, beautifullly plucked acoustic guitar and plantive melodies that hover between the worlds of folk, pop and blues. There's even another cover of an electronic anthem, this time "Teardrop" the standout from Massive Attack's classic Mezzanine. Gonzalez's appeal is simple and timeless, and this strong album affirms that.

DEVENDRA BANHART - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

Few recent musicians have generated as enigmatic and prolific a profile as Banhart. As likely to erupt into neo-hippie babble as he is to protest his being one, he is an artist whose mischievous toying with his image (not to mention his seemingly unedited song output) often threatens to usurp the sincerity of his music. The 16-song, wildly eclectic Smokey isn't going to change any of that, but does image really matter? When you close your eyes and just listen, Banhart's strengths are a lot clearer. He is an excellent singer, and an engaging musical chameleon and when he hits the mark, the results are pretty superb. 

STEVE EARLE - Washington Square Serenade

At this point in his career, Steve Earle has checked off nearly every stage on the rock n' roll checklist: brash young upstart, brushes with the law, near-fatal substance abuse issues, and an unexpected musical resurrection that continues today. Now you can add a move to New York City to his CV. The sights, sounds, and themes of his new digs permeate the songs of Washington Square Serenade, offering him a way to rejuvenate his work. Earle is slowly becoming as much an icon as many of his heroes and his latest quietly adds to an already great body of work. Fans will once more find much to love.

TUNNG - Good Arrows

This British group have made a subtle transition from introspective electronic music to a place that is slightly more upbeat and outwardly melodic. To the familiar, they have hardly become unrecognizable. Their love of samples and loops remains, everything is just a little more easy to sing along to now. The common complaint when any band undergoes this kind of adjustment is that they're hunting for accessibility. While Good Arrows will no doubt interest a new set of listeners, this album's charms are never cloying or forced. It simply has one hand kindly outstretched while the other obscures its methods.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - The Very Best of Ethiopiques

The Ethiopiques series is one of the best world music series out there, but at some 21 volumes, it has also become one of the more intimidating in which to invest. This two CD collection eases the burden slightly by compiling the cream of the crop from an imprint that has well chronicled a golden era of Ethiopian music that occurred in the 1960s & 70s. Of course, arguments can be made for the superiority of any number of the individual volumes, but this set is still a phenomenal introduction to music that had its ears pointed everywhere: soul, jazz, funk, African, blues, big band, past, present and future.

STARS - In Our Bedroom After The War (limited w/DVD)

This Montreal five-piece's latest is not the great leap forward of 2004's Set Yourself On Fire. Rather, it finds Stars in confident command of the vast orchestral synth-pop knowledge they've accrued over the years. As the title suggests, Bedroom documents and examines conflicts between lovers and/or nations, with the dialogue invested in superbly by co-lead singers Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan. The first half is particularly great, featuring the invigorating "Take Me To The Riot" and a heretofore unexpectedly funky Campbell falsetto turn on "The Ghost of Genova Heights". 

AKRON/FAMILY - Love Is Simple (limited w/ DVD)

Leave it to this enigmatic foursome to title their latest in a way that is both succinct and endlessly open to interpretation. At their core, this is a group of extremely proficient neo-hippies with a mandate to "love, love, love everyone" that is hopelessly saccharine. It's the spiraling, shapeshifting creativity and intuitive interplay of these guys that not only kills the gag reflex, it sends your arms wide on a collision course for the nearest hug. With references to free jazz, tribal chants, classic rock, and prog folk, this record is about fifty "eureka!" moments sewn consecutively into an engaging, human tapestry.

THE SADIES - New Seasons

The music of Toronto's Sadies is the pure resurrection of spirits from a 1950s rock n' roll cemetery. This is not the clunky, Frankenstein's monster of a weekend-warrior cover band. This is a time machine, a communion with the dead, a seance so real that you can shake hands with the deceased as their spirits float through your body. Not that this is morbid music in any way: it's just heavy. That's because The Sadies are now more than just a "band". So schooled are they in their style of music, that they are at that moment where the ardent students have become the teachers. School's in suckas.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Summer Records Anthology 1974-1988

Another release in the superb Jamaica to Toronto series, this compilation collects the best of tunes released by Summer Records, a label run by Jamaican ex-pat Jerry Brown. Based from a studio in Brown's Malton, Ontario basement, Summer was a focal point for Toronto reggae and dub at the time. Aside from a few expected production gaffes on the late 80s tracks, this is high quality stuff. Even better given the known names involved (Noel Ellis, Johnny Osbourne), these are some rare finds as well. Exceptional liner notes round out a fine tribute to Toronto's hidden musical legacy.