The Oohlas, 'Best Stop Pop' (Stolen Transmission)

A wide-eyed attempt at blissed-out '90s alt pop.

By cosmic law, the drummer is always the least interesting guy in the band. But Greg Eklund, the former backbeat of Everclear, and the Oohlas' co-songwriter/guitarist (and occasional drummer), makes a compelling rebuttal with his new Los Angeles-based crew.

Beck, 'The Information' (Interscope)

Radiohead producer builds a better "Loser".

There have always been two Becks: the SoCal slack-hop brainchild of 1996's Odelay and the suicide-ballad crooner of 2002's Sea Change. Each has been loved individually, but what if a mad scientist could create a Frankenbeck that combined those two personalities?

Pearl Jam, 'Pearl Jam' (J Records)

Grunge elders chill, rock away their worries.

Since Pearl Jam dragged grunge out of Seattle and into the spotlight 15 years ago with Ten, they've made a career out of stumbling over good intentions: fighting with Ticket-master, releasing hundreds of bootlegs, and attacking the president. These foibles have been reflected in their music, resulting in problematic albums that feel tentative and incomplete.

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