Lee "Scratch" Perry, 'Repentance' (Narnack)

Jamaican dub legend still plays the eccentric next door.

Now in his 70s, the notoriously idiosyncratic Perry is widely considered the most important reggae producer ever, sporting a résumé that includes history- making sessions for Bob Marley, the Congos, and the Clash. Coproduced by party animal

The Music Tapes, 'Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes' (Merge)

Meteorology buff bids for Weather Channel/indie niche.

Relying on the singing saw, which generates a piercingly high sound guaranteed to give your dog a migraine, and employing vintage recording equipment dating back to the 1930s, Julian Koster of the Elephant 6 collective comes on like a full-fledged crackpot. But he's a talented and engaging one.

Lindstrøm, 'Where You Go I Go Too' (Smalltown Supersound)

If Michael Mann had called him, Miami Vice could've sucked less.

After a string of heady singles and collaborations with fellow Norwegian Prins Thomas, Hans-Peter Lindstrøm is already a leading light of 21st-century (see '80s-worshipping) disco. But on his debut album, he shoots for the stratosphere and lavishly scores. A three-piece suite that conjures not just St.

Jaguar Love, 'Take Me to the Sea' (Matador)

Refining the bratty squeal without losing the punky squirm.

Johnny Whitney has made an art of singing like a deliriously deaf 12-year-old, but the debut of his new trio with Blood Brothers bandmate/guitarist Cody Votolato and ex–Pretty Girls Make Graves guitarist Jay Clark (now on drums) plays like a preteen daydream.

Human Highway, 'Moody Motorcycle' (Suicide Squeeze)

Indie pals blithely examine the sand between their toes.

Human Highway's debut album is summer's last stand. Though it comes from two Canadian over-achievers -- singer-songwriter Jim Guthrie and Islands leader Nick Thorburn -- Moody Motorcycle is indefatigably laid-back. "Let the sun soak through / And do what we want to do," they yawn on "All Day," a strummy number built on a gentle island rhythm.

Juliana Hatfield, 'How to Walk Away' (Ye Olde)

Alt-rock homecoming queen (finally) grows old gracefully.

"Don't take me for a woman," sings Hatfield in "This Lonely Love," from her ninth solo album.

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