Evangelista, 'Hello, Voyager' (Constellation)

'90s country-punk chantuse leads an angry army of cellos.

On 2006's Evangelista, ex– Geraldine Fibbers frontwoman Carla Bozulich teamed up with Montreal musicians from avantchamber- rock collectives (Godspeed You!

Prodigy, 'H.N.I.C. PT. 2' (Infamous/Vox Music Group)

Mobb Deep's ill villain goes out with a bang -- and whimper.

Prodigy just might be the most depressing, paranoid, and nihilistic artist in hip-hop today. In his world, neighborhood menaces are canonized ("Veteran's Memorial Pt. 2"), guns are always shot ("Click Click"), and Satan-worshipping pedophiles control the government ("Real Power Is People"). H.N.I.C. Pt.

The Dodos, 'Visiter' (Frenchkiss)

Introverts try to front like extroverts, freak out sensibly.

Reasonable men strut their stuff on the engrossing second album from this San Francisco duo. Hitching folk and acoustic blues textures to pleasant pop melodies, Meric Long croons like a shy guy -- see the touching "Undeclared" -- but attacks his guitar with the kind of vigor that could win over any restless heckler.

The Dirtbombs, 'We Have You Surrounded' (In The Red)

Motor City rockers rev up for imminent doom.

A fixture on the Detroit scene since the mid-'80s, Mick Collins has often juggled multiple bands at once, compiling a résumé that testifies to a permanently fractured attention span. The Dirtbombs, his most visible project, underscore Collins' lack of interest in sustaining a consistent, marketable identity.

Supergrass, 'Diamond Hoo Ha' (Astralwerks)

Seasoned Britpop brats flash a cheerful leer.

It's been 14 years since Supergrass first charmed fans of youthful indiscretion, and since then, they've shed much of the cheekiness that got them in and out of trouble. Much, but not all.

The Breeders, 'Mountain Battles' (4AD)

Inside Kim Deal's eerily inscrutable rock dreams.

In 2002, the Breeders ended their nine-year studio hiatus with the comeback-worthy Title TK, an album that veered off the three-minute- pop-song path, yet still offered a few good jolts. On its first track, Mountain Battles shows potential for the same electricity and strangeness.

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