Peggy Sue have terrible timing. For this trio of twentysomething musicians based out of Brighton England, their third EP Lover Gone will likely be compared to the work of another British upstart poised to make a stateside splash, Florence and the Machine. Peggy Sue simply don’t possess Florence’s chutzpah—still, they are not without undeniable charm.

On its sophomore album, this Swedish six-piece demonstrates its knack for presenting pessimistic sentiment in optimistic musical wrapping. Much of the subject matter revolves around love, its loss, and the little details of being in a relationship.

“Die Slow,” the first single from HEALTH’s forthcoming sophomore full-length Get Color, takes the best elements of the band’s debut and their DISCO remix album and delivers a very rare delicacy: a highly danceable rock anthem.

In 2007, Norwegian singer/songwriter Hanne Hukkelberg released her sophomore album, Rykestraße 68. Developing on the established themes of her lighthearted debut, the album featured an affable marriage between playful Jon Brion-style atmospherics performed on a series of found objects and Hukkelberg’s haunting off-kilter voice—glittering with a simple and pleasing whimsy.

White Rabbits not only avoid the sophomore slump, they build on the success of their debut, Fort Nightly. With Spoon’s Britt Daniel at the helm, White Rabbits tighten the reins on their percussive sound over the course of ten lean and muscular tracks.

In the same tasteless fashion in which they made their name, the artwork for Cover the Earth! features Tesco Vee and a new crop of Meatmen masturbating over a globe. Cover the Earth! (a covers album, duh) is The Meatmen’s first recorded material in 12 years.

Although their previous effort, Get Yr Blood Sucked Out, was an admirable showcase of Anita Robinson’s guitar-shredding psychedelic rock assault, the album itself worked like most Viva Voce releases: an unfocused mishmash of styles simultaneously shot out of a cannon onto a canvas Jackson Pollock- style. Husband and wife duo Kevin and Anita Robinson’s habit of throwing in everything and the kitchen sink (with varied results) is something Viva Voce has been slowly shedding with each successive release.

These days Neil Young has taken to releasing albums whenever and however frequently he chooses. Goodness knows, he’s earned the right. In a career that is creeping up on five decades, Young has firmly established himself as the ultimate artist and a cornerstone of rock and roll, perhaps second only to Bob Dylan in terms of artistic integrity, songwriting excellence, and continued musical and cultural relevance.

As anticipation for Veckatimest built to a fever pitch in early March—Radiohead’s ateaseweb.com message board filled with literally thousands of conjectures—Fleet Foxes’ frontman Robin Pecknold brazenly declared it to be the best record of the ‘00s, all this more than a full two months before the record’s official release date. Hyperbole cast aside, Veckatimest is certainly Grizzly Bear’s magnum opus, a quantum leap over 2006’s excellent Yellow House, and a damn strong contender for the best album of 2009 at this early juncture.