News that Depeche Mode originals Vince Clarke (also of Erasure) and Martin Gore are working together again after 30 years makes any passing fan giddy.

Xiu Xiu have long existed in a nightmarish world, one where an overriding dichotomy of confusion and violence reign supreme. The band, led by Jamie Stewart, have forged a singular artistic path over the course of seven fine albums.

Listening to Memoryhouse is like peering through a rain-smeared window, squinting through sheets of water as familiar images soften into an abstract glow.

On 2009’s It’s Frightening, White Rabbits avoided sophomore slump by going for sophomore Spoon.

Once drone-metalers Earth forge further into the American(a) desert with this sequel to last year’s ride.

The first album by Delta Spirit, Ode to Sunshine, contained a lot of energy, a nice antidote to some of the lethargic indie pop of the time.

Young Magic’s music bears more multicultural marks than James Franco’s passport. Although, even with extensive genre hopscotching, debut album Melt rarely rises above the level of incredibly well-shot vacation photos—a vibrant experience you’re never fully a part of.

Free Again collects the tracks Alex Chilton recorded in the months after splitting from The Box Tops, and it’s a perfect link between The Box Tops and Big Star.

Every overriding theme on a Magnetic Fields record (this one’s all acoustic! This one’s titles all start with “i”!) is a ruse. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what premise frontman Stephin Merritt employs; his songs always sound like The Magnetic Fields. That is usually a very good thing.