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Richard Buckner's voice -- a husky, quivering moan equal parts Dwight Yoakam, Nick Cave, and an agitated grizzly bear -- deserves the spotlight it's gotten on his dark country-folk albums. But on Meadow, it's backed by a slicker, more confident band than in the past.

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Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous has spent years subverting his radio-friendly instincts. Although the singer/songwriter's fourth album still buries his twangy hooks and tender voice under distortion-heavy squalls, some eclectic collaborators (Danger Mouse, Tom Waits, a Flaming Lip) help Linkous challenge listeners without scaring them away.