Dark Developments brings together Athens, Georgia musicians Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power in one of the most intriguing collaborations of the year.

Those who recognize Chairlift’s mesmeric single “Bruises” from an iPod Nano commercial will probably be surprised to hear the rest of the trio’s debut long-player.

I reviewed Pelle Carlberg’s last record, and I was halfway tempted to turn in the same review this time around.

As is the case with many avant-garde composers past and present, the material of Simon Bookish (aka Leo Chadburn) is simply too weird, obtuse, and left field to ever be popular outside of elitist art circles, let alone most self-described indie rock enthusiasts.

From the opening notes of debut Silent Alarm, Bloc Party has given the impression of a band that’s in it for the long haul. Silent Alarm contained a perfect balance of adventurousness and safety, the latter in the form of tightly constructed pop songs.

They’ve always flirted with dance music, with the best moments of their first two releases often driven by barbed guitars and angular hooks that were often underscored by a remarkably propulsive rhythm section that locked down airtight grooves.

In one form or another, nearly the entire history of rock ’n’ roll has been devoted to rebelling against society. But on the followup to Love Is All’s crush-worthy 2005 debut, Nine Times the Same Song, singer Josephine Olausson devotes nearly every song to simply avoiding society.

These guys are getting a lot of Klaxons comparisons, appropriate enough given their youth and the club-readiness of their songs. They’re launching from that same nu-rave and dancepunk postmodern platform, for sure, but they’ve got an ear to the past and a complete unwillingness to filter their work.

Considering Sun Kil Moon just came out with an album earlier this year, Mark Kozelek titling another of his forays into the world of covers “Finally” is an odd choice.