Cloudspeakers

With a mournful voice and handful of musical styles spanning introspective folk and blast-furnace punk, Alejandro Escovedo never makes dull albums, but his dark aura can be overwhelming. The wonder... Lees meer

A product of the "sacred steel" scene that incorporates steel guitar into Pentecostal church services, Robert Randolph could charm the crankiest of infidels with his irresistible fourth album. Prod... Lees meer

Singer-songwriters Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond), Inara George (of the Bird and the Bee), and Eleni Mandell convene for this relaxed, deceptively sophisticated gem of an album. Although their s... Lees meer

Just as Arctic Monkeys singer Alex Turner indulged his retro urges with Last Shadow Puppets, frontman Jon Lawler of Scotland's Fratellis teams up with femme singer Lou Hickey for this '60s-pop homa... Lees meer

Steadily spewing cantankerous noise since the '70s punk uprising, these Brits epitomize ornery independence. Frontman Mark E. Smith, the only constant over the years, shifts from inflamed tirades t... Lees meer

Sharon Jones, move over. With fiery singer Black Wolf leading the attack, the fine debut from Milwaukee's ten-man Kings Go Forth echoes the high-flying vibe of Superfly-era Curtis Mayfield and othe... Lees meer

So over the top you have to laugh in amazement, the audacious second album from this English foursome is an unholy fusion of fractured hip-hop textures and art-pop decoration (somber brass, childre... Lees meer

With her piercing squawk, Love Is All frontwoman Josephine Olausson could be a disruptive preteen deserving of serious medication, or a stretch in after-school detention. But her aim is true on the... Lees meer

After excelling at smart, scrappy rock in the vein of a down-home Replacements, the Whigs unfortunately have shifted course. Their third album sports a more generic, arena-friendly sound, as if dis... Lees meer

Masters of atmospheric storytelling since the early '90s, England's Tindersticks showcase the shivery yet forthright murmur of Stuart Staples. Whether surfing a spaghetti-western wave on "She Rode ... Lees meer