Land of Talk, 'Applause Cheer Boo Hiss' (The Rebel Group)

Scrappy female-led trio kicks up a seductive fuss.

Coming up through the same scene as other Québécois notables like the Stills, the Dears, and the Arcade Fire (some of whose members were onetime roommates of singer/guitarist Elizabeth Powell), Land of Talk offers more proof that Montreal endures as the epicenter of indie rock.

Cornelius, 'Sensuous' (Everloving)

A thrilling kaleidoscope of relentless pop tinkering.

The fifth full-length from Cornelius -- a.k.a.

Amon Tobin, 'Foley Room' (Ninja Tune)

Producer's search for unique sounds ends at the zoo.

Did 1950s musique concréte composers ever imagine their rarified tape-art would become the next century's pop fodder?

The Fall, 'Reformation Post T.L.C.' (Narnack)

Post-punk godfather churns out a slapdash travelogue.

When bands make albums on the road, the momentum often infuses the results with a special kind of energy and spontaneity. Or not. A pickup band came to the aid of Mark E. Smith and his keyboardist/wife, Eleni Poulou, for the Fall's 26th studio album, record in Los Angeles after the other members bailed four gigs into their summer '06 U.S. tour.

RTX, 'Western Xterminator' (Drag City)

Ex-Royal Trux singer sheds her junkie scumminess.

Jennifer Herrema formed the trio RTX in 2004 after her musical and matrimonial split from Royal Trux partner-in-grime Neil Michael Hagerty.

Bobby Conn, 'King for a Day' (Thrill Jockey)

Crazed chameleon bares his soul with utter abandon.

Chicago rock-onteur Bobby Conn has donned many masks: ex-con financial guru, glammed-out conspiracy theorist and "antichrist," anti-Bush soul crusader.

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