Hess is More
Creation Keeps the Devil Away
Nublu
Street: 10.11
Hess is More = Body Language + The Go Find + Eero Johannes
Mikkel Hess is back with a catchy, powerhouse electro-pop album. Vocals that range between the flat, low singing of Hot Chip and the sweet and high harmonies of Stars are layered over catchy four-to-the-floor beats, disco grooves, organic hi hats, an international variety of strings and horns and folksy indie-rock melodies. It’s electronic music with heavy alternative and indie-rock influences, like Junior Boys, The Presets or Her Space Holiday. “Going Looking for the End of the World” calls to mind Andrew Bird, with a background of violin and whistling, and a definite world music influence. “Circling High” is one of the strongest songs on the album, with beautiful harmonies and a catchy, upbeat chorus that you can’t help but dance to. The title track is great as well, with a fun bass line, synths that offset it perfectly, and low, low vocals that chill you to the bone. –Jessie Wood

Himalayan Bear
Hard Times
Absolutely Kosher
Street: 09.11
Himalayan Bear = Shannon and the Clams + The Growlers
With so many reverb-laden love songs out there, it becomes hard to discern one from the other. On this Ryan Beattie (of Frog Eyes) release, he seems far less concerned with fitting into the garage pop scene and more interested in being a slightly melodramatic band leader. His highly emphasized vocals hearken back to 1950s crooners, but the instrumentals are more akin to a mid-60s garage rock band (like a much slower Sonics). Another selling point: The songs aren’t laid out with the same simple structure you’d expect from a garage rock band, and each progress in a different manner. –Cody Hudson

HTRK
Work (work, work)
Ghostly International
Street: 09.06
HTRK = Swans + (Ladytron x Velvet Underground) + Cocteau Twins
In the works for four years, and released a year after the suicide of bassist and founding member Sean Stewart, this is the third full-length for the former trio, who pronounce the four-letter name “Hate Rock.” And rock it does not, as it drags itself bleakly along on somber notes and minimalist instrumentations. The remnant of the band, Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang, wring such a melancholic rage from the songs that you get the feeling they’d be filled with fury if they weren’t so damn depressed. Measured rhythms set the pace on tracks like “Ice Eyes Eis” and “Bendin’,” and glitchy electronics make their mark on “Eat Yr Heart,” while a gloomy pall fills the aural spaces of the CD. It doesn’t help that they look so damn young in the album art; Stewart stares out defiantly in the photo, eyes boring into you as if daring you to reach out, too late. Not a summer rocker, but an album for a dismal autumn day. –Madelyn Boudreaux

Hull
Beyond the Lightless Sky
The End
Street: 10.11
Hull = Neurosis + Mastodon + Torche
This New York City metal crew left off with a hopeful album that showed promise, but not a full-on execution of that promise, with their 2009 debut, Sole Lord. This follow-up is poised to knock Mastodon on their now-boring, proggy asses and turn some heads in the modern metallic world, where traditional genres are shunned upon. Beyond the Lightless Sky is a battle of sludge, groove and post-hardcore. Who needs an introductory track? This record starts out with an 11-minute wallop called “Earth From Water.” You can decide if this offering will strike you or bore you based on hearing that first song, however, that doesn’t mean the first track shows all of Hull’s tricks. Compare it to reading the first chapter of a book. Beyond the Lightless Sky is structured in a familiar way, but for the sake of the pummeling that the band can slam and slam again, the grizzled, bestial tracks are broken up with shorter, almost interlude-type tracks not only serving as a break from the outpouring of noise, but as a great way to break up the album. There is a fantastic amount of riffs you’re going to want to repeatedly hear on this record. Couple that with some guitar solos that come out of nowhere and fit like gloves with the album’s songwriting and its layered vocal approach, and you’ve got a hell of a ride. (Urban: 11.14) –Bryer Wharton

Imelda May
Mayhem
Decca
Street: 07.19
Imelda May = Devil Doll + Stray Cats + Miss Derringer
I have to admit, I was leery and suspicious of this record. I sniffed around this thing looking for something to latch onto and rip it to shreds. It’s too clean, too well played, too well produced, with even a cliché cover of 80s hit “Tainted Love,” all vintaged up, of course. I wanted to hate this dynamite Irish dame who, with ease, switches from sultry jazz to red-hot rockabilly, and makes pit stops with country and garage rock as well. I built up a conspiracy theory in my head that some record label exec was trying to quickly fill the space in pop music that was left when Amy “Whinehouse” died, but the fact of the matter is, with each spin of Mayhem, I was liking it more and more. I had finally realized that Imelda May has a voice that can melt butter straight from the fridge and has one hell of a band behind her. Sometimes when you can’t find anything wrong, that means they’re doing a lot of things right, and there’s a whole lotta right on this record. –James Orme