Source: AMG

Alejandro Escovedo “Real Animal” (Back Porch/Manhattan)

Alejandro Escovedo’s ambitious 2006 album The Boxing Mirror was recorded as Escovedo was recovering from a near-fatal bout with Hepatitis C. 2008’s Real Animal is a leaner, more tightly focused session; in fact, this is the strongest rock album Escovedo has made since his 1997 album with Buick MacKane. If The Boxing Mirror was a work influenced by the shadow of mortality, Real Animal is an album about life — both as survival and as the faces and moments that fill our days on this Earth.

Sigur Rós “Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust” (XL)

With their fifth full-length album, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (translated as With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly), Sigur Rós have taken the poppy, sunshine-y leanings of their previous album a step further into the light. The result is a leaner, more direct sound that has plenty of emotional impact, and an album that stands alongside their finest work to date.

Ry Cooder “I, Flathead” (Nonesuch)

I, Flathead finds Ry Cooder once more in conceptual turf–lyrically and narratively. His basic story revolves around some salt flats ne’er-do-well car jockeys (including our narrator/hero Kash Buk), and a little extraterrestrial who can fix or invent anything from anything. He, in turn, is followed from galaxy to galaxy, by a sinister character, known only as the Passenger. Cooders digs deep into rockabilly, blues, country, Norteno and swing with son Joaquim and a host of other notables including Flaco Jimenez. This is a whole new genre: sci-fi Americana.

Three 6 Mafia “Last 2 Walk” (Columbia)

After its street date was pushed back for over a year, Three 6 Mafia’s follow-up to the multi-platinum Most Know Unknown finally arrives and three of the pre-release singles are missing. Plus, the group has shrunk down to a duo – DJ Paul and Juicy J – so if you’re thinking Last 2 Walk sounds like a troubled and maybe even forced album, you’re right on both counts. It’s uneven, but the best tracks are welcome reminders of the group’s early days.

Love as Laughter “Holy” (Epic/Red)

For over a decade, indie rockers Love as Laughter have been mixing eclectic musical influences and blending them into a unique defining sound. Love as Laughter’s distinctive sound can only be described as a melting pot of flavors of artists such as the Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffet and Neil Diamond. Backed by producer Joe Blaney (Clash, Ramones, Keith Richards, Tom Waits), and recording in New York City’s West Village, Love as Laughter created the supernaturally inspired “Holy.”

Babyshambles “Oh What a Lovely Tour” [CD/DVD] (Astralwerks)

Indie Rock, Garage Rock Revival

Big Brother & the Holding Company “The Lost Tapes” (Airline)

Blues-Rock, Psychedelic, Acid Rock

Blondie “Parallel Lines” [CD/DVD] (Caroline)

Dance-Rock, American Punk, New York Punk, Pop/Rock, New Wave, Punk

Liz Phair “Exile in Guyville” [Deluxe Edition] (ATO)

Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock