Music Reviews

In "The Blackest Lily," Corinne Bailey Rae sheds the easygoing placidity of her early work. courtesy of the artist hide caption

In "Drawing the Line," Porcupine Tree revisits the past in a way that's bold and bracing. Diana Nitschke hide caption

The portrait of a bully who lost his nerve, Adam Green's "Boss Inside" would have fit in perfectly at a folk festival 50 years ago. courtesy of the artist hide caption

"No Wonder" is characteristic of Stratton's ability to balance the direct and oblique into a single engrossing song. courtesy of the artist hide caption

Pretty much everything you'd want in a rock 'n' roll instrumental is in Jim Campilongo's "Backburner": a terrific groove, trick-filled riffs and solos, and a point of combustion. courtesy of the artist hide caption

Joanna Newsom's previous albums include The Milk-Eyed Mender and Ys. Annabel Mehran hide caption

A caustic rejoinder to an unnamed antagonist, Title Tracks' "Black Bubblegum" is upbeat, but deceptively so. courtesy of the artist hide caption

Catchy and sweet, Cold War Kids' "Audience" finds its soul in heavy-hitting piano and minimal layering. courtesy of the artist hide caption

The Morning Benders. Matt Jacoby hide caption

The dance music of Four Tet's "Love Cry" only reaches the hips incidentally, on its way to the brain. courtesy of the artist hide caption

A lovely nature song, Shearwater's "Hidden Lakes" is as graceful and vulnerable as the world it describes. courtesy of the artist hide caption

Local Natives' "Airplanes" quickly unfolds as a jaunty wonder, as it hurtles along with something resembling school spirit. courtesy of the artist hide caption

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "Beat the Devil's Tattoo" is both threatening and enticing: At times, it seems to endanger the listener's mortal soul. courtesy of the artist hide caption