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Inara George coos in an airy soprano that recalls early Disney heroines, while Greg Kurstin brings sophisticated songwriting, production, and instrumental skills honed with Beck and Lily Allen. Together, the duo fashion capricious, synth-tinged retro pop brimming with kaleidoscopic detail.

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On their sixth album, this Oakland duo (plus guests Devin the Dude and Brother Ali) explicitly address an urban audience unbowed by class warfare and street crime. Unabashedly upbeat, MC Zumbi compares ghetto life to being a "caged bird," but even when he dismisses haters ("Burning incense, yeah, they tried to call us yoga"), he sounds optimistic.

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Part of what made the Strokes so exciting was the flair they brought to the old trick of sounding hot while looking cool. On his solo debut, bassist Nikolai Fraiture never manages either. Assassins' acoustic laments exude all the urgency of a model pushing lettuce around her plate.

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Loney Dear's gauzy pop can be entrancing, but it's also incredibly easy to tune out: Let your mind wander, and the Swedish act's latest goes full blur. But like M83's Anthony Gonzalez, singer-songwriter Emil Svanängen has an affinity for pretty fuzz and a knack for subtly soulful melodies.