The Fiery Furnaces, 'Remember' (Thrill Jockey)

Feel the avant-indie confusion in the privacy of your own home.

The Fiery Furnaces will never play your favorite song live. The duo of siblings Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger (plus road band) reformat their catalog for every tour, rendering each song virtually unrecognizable, alternately confusing or delighting audiences. On this two-disc mash-up of various live shows, it mostly overwhelms.

The Dandy Warhols, '...Earth to the Dandy Warhols' (Beat the World)

Major-label refugees stick it to the Man (and their fans).

With Earth to the Dandy Warhols, the self-released follow-up to 2005's overblown Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (poor sales of which earned them the boot from Capitol), these Portland psych-rock vets have fully exhausted their 15 minutes of mainstream renown.

Caesars, 'Strawberry Weed' (Astralwerks)

Noisy Scandinavians pretend they're swingin' London boys.

Caesars drummer Nino Keller could carry an album all by himself: From the violent eruptions on "Fools Parade" to the funky, sample-worthy breakdowns in "Boo Boo Go Goo," the nimble showoff never falters.

The Silent Years, 'The Globe' (Defend)

Artfully crafted pop-rock mini-dramas that ultimately impress.

This Detroit band suffers a bit from fussy overambition, but there are worse attributes in the often staid world of guitar-based indie rock.

Inara George with Van Dyke Parks, 'An Invitation' (Everloving)

Orchestral vet builds a delicate nest for pedigreed songbird.

"All the words sound so accidental," sings Inara George, as if she's critiquing her own digressive lyrics.

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