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In hip-hop, the only thing worse than not having a hit is actually having one. Case in point: Amid the blowup of the Houston syrup scene that delivered bangers from Paul Wall and Slim Thug, Chamillionaire clubbed everybody with "Ridin'," a bombastic tune that became 2006's unofficial summer jam.

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Math metal was invented in Richmond's heavy punk scene, so it's not too surprising that while these epic mathletes joined up in Savannah, Georgia, the members originally hailed from Virginia. Gritty guitars harmonize like Destiny's Child, and the intricate, huge-sounding songs can't decide if they'd rather be in the gutter or reaching for the stars, so leader John Baizley howls about both.

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With TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek producing, and cameos from Afrobeat collective Anti­balas and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, this Baltimore-based trio struggle to escape the shadow cast by their peers. Drummer David Bergander's ethnic rhythms (see Antibalas) drive Sean Antanaitis' atmospheric keyboards (see TV on the Radio), while Katrina Ford coos, wails, and shrieks (see Karen O).

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Trading the DIY approach of his debut for an actual eight-piece band, the sophomore album from youthful, neo-Gypsy multi-instrumentalist Zach Condon has the makings of a hokey, pretentious mess.

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With more than a dozen solo albums -- not to mention the entire Guided by Voices oeuvre and assorted side projects (Circus Devils, Acid Ranch, Keene Brothers, et al.) -- Robert Pollard has had serious quality-control issues. But the 33 tracks on this pair of discs are uniformly excellent.