Extended periods of silence have been known to do strange things to people. A long spell without speech has the power to drive an individual to a word-drunk eruption of over-sharing. Conversely, it can transform a person into a Paris, Texas-esque husk of a human being, directionless and no longer capable of expressing oneself in any meaningful way.

Counterintuitive as it may seem, Life of Pause, Jack Tatum’s third full-length as Wild Nothing, is a work that makes quite a fuss over sounding less fussy than the records that preceded it. Perhaps sensing that he’d reached an absolute dream pop peak with 2012’s immaculately produced and composed Nocturne, Tatum has begun struggling against his perfectionist instincts, resulting in an album that’s willfully rough-hewn, scattered, and label-resistant.

Ra Ra Riot emerged in 2008 after their live show established a sizable buzz. Featuring violinist Rebecca Zeller and cellist Alexandra Lawn, as well as the untouchable tenor of vocalist Wes Miles, the group laid claim to a peppy, fresh baroque-pop aesthetic that soon became the “it sound” of indie rock, thanks in part to their friends in Vampire Weekend.

Tim Gane’s spirit of improvisation has truly found fertile ground in his latest release, with a fresh ensemble of talents that is Cavern of Anti-Matter. Always welcoming collaboration with counterparts of avant-garde experimentation, Gane has teamed with Holger Zapf as well as former Stereolab bandmate, drummer Joe Dilworth, along with a wealth of surprising guest appearances.

Choir of Young Believer’s third record, Grasque, began life as another project entirely. Frontman Jannis Noya Makrigiannis originally imagined the album as a new side-project, but changed his mind somewhere along the way. He kept the new project’s band name, Grasque, and took Choir back to its roots as a mainly solo effort.

Marlon Williams’ self-titled album is an impressive debut by the New Zealand native. The lead-in track, “Hello Miss Lonesome” rockets from zero to 60 instantaneously, bursting forth from the speakers with a rollicking bluegrass frenzy that conjures The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Mumford & Sons’ first two albums.

This is a very good pop record. Opening track “Ablaze” sets the tone with euphoric synths and ‘ah’s, getting you moving right from the start. Nitpicking, but this extended intro (the vocals don’t come in until 0:51) leaves one hoping for a single edit that will get us to the dreamy sway of the verse that much quicker.

“I’ve got friends and I’ve got family/I got help from all the people who love me.”

The latest branch at least somewhat rooted in the Broken Social Scene tree comes via vocalist Lisa Lobsinger’s new project, Laser. The trio, which also features Paul Pfisterer and Martin Davis Kinack, surrounds Lobsinger’s exquisite vocal with instrumentation both synthetic and real.