The album is filled with big guitar noise and mildly incongruous but not unpleasant mixtures of modern riffs ("Rocket"), new wave basslines ("Victory at Monterey") and retro hooks and melodies ("Miss Myrtle").

An album whose enviably assured vibe pretty much drips out of the speakers.

Exit Strategy finds Ron Sexsmith exploring his songwriting talent in new ways, crafting an instantly memorable album full of soulful, classic pop tunes.

Flaunting the band's love for classic AOR riffs more here than on any other previous record, Nude chugs along on the strength of licks lifted from Led Zeppelin ("The Kicking Machine") and "Killer"-era Alice Cooper ("The Stupid Creep"), bringing a sense of boogie to Buzz's now-perfectly honed tablature of bludgeoning guitar work.

On this excellent debut by her new duo with programmer Adam Pallin, Imani Coppola sounds no more interested in sticking to a single style than she usually does.

These guys seem comfortable with the added sheen--a few tracks could be the Killers covering the Misfits--but Skiba's tunes aren't quite as memorable as those on earlier Alkaline Trio discs, which blunts the overall effect.

Although little on Hymn and Her finds Earlimart venturing into new territory, there's a familiarity felt throughout that remains comforting, and sometimes that's just enough.

The rest of Identified, though, panders to the preteen demo with stop-start pop that ranges from pleasant (the title track) to dull ("Amazed") to off-putting ("Hook It Up"). But for little girls, this is one nonstop singalong.

Ultimately, G-Unit has returned to its aggressive roots, but it would've been wonderful to hear it rap over a more varied assortment of beats.

With expectations tempered for Forgiven, the sibling trio from Texas doesn't panic but rather retrenches, returning to the easy-grooving, harmony-laden Carlos Santana-meets-Stevie Ray Vaughan feel of its first album.

Last 2 Walk should satisfy longtime Three 6 fans.

The best part of Sparro is that he's not just multiplying old styles by new sounds. Dressed like a raver B-boy, switching between Rufus Wainwright and D'Angelo, the boy's not faking it.

Sweeping violins and take-no-prisoners guitars co-exist in producer Tony Visconti's gorgeous glam frame for Escovedo's visionary sound.

Fire Songs proves the Watson Twins are a strong songwriting team, and one that has earned its time in the spotlight.

While not every song is a winner, the title track and sleaze anthem 'This Ain't a Love Song' are standouts.

Party Intellectuals contains enough noise and/or dead space to ruin the flow of many an iPod shuffle, but experimental jazz or avant-garde fans should find enough here to sink their teeth into.

It's the beats and production that really define an RZA release, and they're as intoxicating as ever on Digi Snacks.

While the middle tracks tend to get lost in the shuffle, fans of Brock's Modest Mouse will be drawn to the horn-inflected swagger of "Bonnie and Clyde" and the stretched-out jam of album highlight "Konny and Jim."

Bright guitar hooks, expansive piano and Jimi "Jazz" Prescott's driving bass create tracks like "Wiggle Worm" and "Georgia Brown" that are as engrossing as they are stress-reducing.

A warm, enjoyable effort, but perhaps short on the Jews' best asset: Berman himself.

The rest is closer to the Coldplay we know: a competent blend of heavily orchestrated redemption songs ('Viva La Vida,' already the biggest hit of the band's career), swirly arena rock ('Lovers in Japan') and life-stinks-without-you ballads ('Strawberry Swing')likely to resonate despite the new bells and whistles.

Throughout, eerie production touches (metallic clinks and synth bleeps on 'Where in This World') and organic sounds (acoustic guitars and glockenspiel on the title track) fit seamlessly to form the Notwist's most charming and complex work to date.

The time between now and its 2005 Sub Pop debut, "Apologies to the Queen Mary," allowed the group to more fully develop its sound. At Mount Zoomer expands upon the bits-and-pieces pop approach of its debut into a solid set of rock songs.

Engineered for short attention spans at just 44 minutes, One of the Boys is still more than enough to make this one long, hot summer for Perry.

There are potent moments like the rise-and-fall ballad 'Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?' and the fierce 'Nothingtown,' but 'Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace' sounds more like a tentative step in the Offspring's new direction.

Nostradamus isn't likely to surprise you--this is softcore for the hardcore.

Tilly and the Wall stick with their signature combination of half-shouted words and harmony vocals. But the group also breaks new ground with punk rock riffs and percussion that well surpasses the standard of tambourines and Jamie Pressnall's tap dancing.

Supergrass has gone from energetic, young and roughshod to energetic, veteran and polished.