The latest album by Mike Kinsella (aka Owen) is a step away from the lush orchestral ruminations of 2011’s fantastic Ghost Town. While Ghost Town was more of consistent tone, L’Ami du Peuple is more variegated in texture, held together by Kinsella’s introspective songwriting.

The 18 months or so since the release of his pop debut, Crazy Clown Time, have apparently not been kind to surrealist indie god David Lynch.

The debut record from Atlanta-based band Mood Rings is steeped in the nostalgic dreaminess their name suggests. VPI Harmony dives in and out of dreary grunge explosions and shoegazey meditations, and sounds familiar enough without getting tired or unoriginal.

Once upon a time, artists were reliant upon reinvention as their careers progressed; this model was perfected by pioneers like David Bowie and Paul Simon, who somehow managed to traverse myriad musical contexts while maintaining a thread of consistency throughout. It’s a remarkable balancing act, and a necessary one if longevity is part of an artist’s plans.

They may not have medalled, but for Fuck Buttons, the 2012 Olympic Games in London were a career high. Despite their less-than-radio-friendly moniker, the duo from Bristol, England were catapulted onto the international stage via Danny Boyle’s masterful opening ceremony, which revisited the U.K.‘s cultural highs and lows in front of an audience of billions.

It’s been less than a year since veteran synthpop wizards Pet Shop Boys released their mellow and moody eleventh studio album, Elysium. Having left Parlophone Records after 25 years, they’ve quickly returned with a brand new album on a brand new label.

This raspy-throated singer and guitarist has snagged comparisons to fellow Australian Nick Cave, though his dramatic style can bring more of an industrial-smitten Bowie to mind.

Two years from its self-titled debut, this “synth-pop romance” has entered into a drab second phase.

Ultraviolet, the sixth album from Savannah-based heavies Kylesa, took two years to write, and brings with it a democratic shift in band dynamics. Its members now play the roles of multi-instrumentalists, and singer Laura Pleasants—who shares vocal duties with Phillip Cope—positions herself closer to center stage here than in previous outings.