Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe (Yep Roc)

Much of this double-disc set is devoted to the mellow, deeply felt country-rock and torch songs that have been Lowe’s specialty since 1994’s The Impossible Bird.

Willie Nelson Naked Willie (RCA Nashville/Legacy)

Willie Nelson and his harmonica player Mickey Raphael plays Willie’s ’60s recordings for RCA, stripping away the strings, backing vocals, horns — any of the accoutrements that sweetened Nelson’s basic combo.

Kelly Joe Phelps Western Bell (Black Hen)

Guitarist and songwriter Phelps has always traveled an iconoclastic, enigmatic path. Western Bell is Phelps’ first record since 2006, issued on the Vancouver indie Black Hen Music.

Wavves s/t (De Stijl)

22-year-old San Diego slacker turned noise artist turned highly touted blog sensation Nathan Williams thrives on rebelling with a volcanic, punk rock, “I don’t give a rip” attitude. If there’s an opportunity to alienate people, he takes it. Case and point: his discography. There’s the confusing spelling of Wavves and its multifaceted usage as the name of his solo project, the title of his debut album, and that album’s third (and potentially best) song.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy Beware (Drag City)

Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Lo-Fi

Marianne Faithfull Easy Come Easy Go (Decca U.S.)

Pop/Rock

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! (Lost Highway)

Retro-Soul, Modern Electric Blues, Retro-Rock

The Long Blondes Singles (Angular)

New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock

Source: AMG