Cults continue to marry cool-kitsch ‘50s diner, Motown R&B, girl-group glitz, and other reverb-drenched elements with dense and modern electronic production, and it continues to be a solid combo.

“You are my bitter rival/And I need you for survival” sings Sleigh Bells frontwoman Alexis Krauss on Bitter Rivals’ opening and title track—a sentiment that applies well to Sleigh Bells in general, when you think about it.

Parquet Courts’ new EP starts out on familiar territory with the first two tracks’ laid-back, irreverent garage punk, and then it all gets a little bit weirder.

We’re all familiar with the enigmatic struggle of sophomore albums. There is an unfair expectation for a band to stick to what they know—or, more accurately, what we know—and also the need to expand to new horizons and stretch the boundaries.

Kevin Barnes is clearly not a man for taking a break. Over the last 16 years, of Montreal’s leading light has rattled off close to a record a year. And these are never just any old long-player; each is antithetical to its predecessor, a bleeding statement of Barnes’ thirst for forward-thinking pop melodies.

While much has been said about HAIM (including comparisons to TLC and the use of the puzzling phrase “esoteric pop”), it’s Stevie Nicks and gang who have seemed to haunt nearly every piece of press since we first wrapped our ears around the Forever EP in February of last year.

Dr. Dog has gotten to the point where its songs sound effortless. It’s not about intricate construction—although there’s nothing sloppy or flawed about any of these songs—but rather a mood.

Here’s a toast to Tony McPhee. It seems like “Raise” on FUZZ’s self-titled debut could be an unabashed tribute to McPhee’s group The Groundhogs, one of those old-guy bands that some fangeezer will insist you give a chance—listen to them if you haven’t already; they’re right.

Over the course of 11 albums, Moby has donned many different musical personas, from techno button-pusher to punk rocker to sound designer and a whole host of others besides. On his latest, Innocents, Moby creates a body of work for adults.