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This solo album by the ridiculously prolific former Guided by Voices leader, with help from instrumental accomplice Todd Tobias, features another ten songs of standard Pollard-isms -- vaguely British, Robyn Hitchcock–esque vocals warped by reverb and Echoplex mazes; surrealistic, first-thought-next-thought lyrics; sudden loud crunches of lo-fi guitar; and melodies that soar but never quite ac

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"Few have the luxury of B-sides / I've got buckets full," New Pornographers singer- guitarist Carl Newman brags on "Submarines of Stockholm." Here, the Canadian power-pop ace unleashes another battery of hooks with blasts of vocal harmonies ("Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer") and dabs of organ ("Elemental").

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If you still get a tingle from the electro pop theatrics of Gary Numan or Ultravox, say hello to Late of the Pier. The quartet's fervent debut, produced by DJ Erol Alkan, offers a fabulous simulation of '80s new wave, with burping, sputtering synths and sleazy, Bowie-inspired crooning from frontman Sam Eastgate.

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Fans of the Rapture might not be familiar with many of the artists on the New York dance punks' swift, 80-minute DJ mix; only a few (Ghostface, Richie Havens!) -- have poked their heads out from the underground. But what Tapes lacks in classic names, it makes up for in flow -- D.C.

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Their sound is a fizzy old-style brew of hard rock, psychedelia, and pop punk. Sometimes they nod to the Doors, and the drummer is clearly obsessed with Keith Moon. But don't call these noisy Swedes a nostalgia act.

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With Rivers Cuomo having declared himself a formalist obsessive-compulsive, the question of whether he's being sincere has become increasingly difficult to parse.