Middle Cyclone comes off like a decent art house film that demands as much appreciation as it does affect once-is-enough sentiment. Neko Case is as cryptic as ever, but then straight-forward like never before.

One of the most gently amazing albums of the year thus far, Here We Go Magic is the work of Brooklyn’s Luke Temple. Recorded in only two months, Here We Go Magic has the well-worn feel of years of work.

Legendary house music producer Ashley Beedle and reggae-tongued/frequent Massive Attack collaborator Horace Andy team up on this spirited collection of original tunes and a cover of The Rolling Stone’s “Angie,” all written and recorded in five days.

In 2008 Buraka Som Sistema blitzed the dance clubs with their musical mantra-cum-breakout single “Sound of Kuduro.” The single, which features M.I.A., utilizes Calypso and Soca pulses but jumbles local zest with pan-global junkyard electronics

On his seventh album since 2006, Will Oldham is preoccupied with the same things, such as love left to rot, his own stomach, and sex. Also intact is his soft-spoken and sometimes angelic voice, which belies the devilish humor contained within his lyrics.

Austin, Texas, trio White Denim has a minor identity complex. Caterwauling, slash and dash swing one moment (“IEIEI”); flailing funk rock grabs at MC5 the next (“All You Really Have to Do”).

Songwriter Morgan Nagler is the real deal. She has earned the praise of her friend Jenny Lewis, among others, for the bittersweet lyrics that are on full display in Swim’s eleven tales of alternating hope and heartbreak.

These days being championed by Oasis doesn’t do anything for your musical career. But in the mid-’90s, when Travis first came on the scene, Noel Gallagher’s endorsement brought much public awareness to the young Scottish group.

The West, a companion piece to the film The Legend of God’s Gun, sees Spindrift striking out on their own, and from under the protected wings of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.