Noam Pikelny
"Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail"
Compass

In "Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail," his latest solo release, Noam Pikelny has created a moving, playful collection that features so much top-flight playing it can make your head spin.

Merle Haggard
"Working in Tennessee"
Vanguard

After a battle with lung cancer, a lot of singers might be tempted to retire, or to at least take it easy. Not Merle Haggard.

Gringo Star
"Count Yer Lucky Stars"
Gigantic Music

Young bands have latched on to retro rock with such increasing eagerness that it's only a matter of time before some rock critic coins a hip, catchy term that will blur all nuance with a stroke of the pen (Fuzzcore? Modwave?).

Bearfoot
"American Story"
Compass

Bearfoot has gone through changes along the way, though the lineup on its latest release is the greatest departure from the original set.

"First of all," said Paul Simon the night he was handed the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1976, "I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album this year."

DJ Shadow
"The Less You Know, the Better"
Island, Verve

Contrary to its title, DJ Shadow's "The Less You Know, the Better" is a fulfilling experience for longtime fans, but won't blow away any newcomers.

John Doe
"Keeper"
Yep Roc

Underneath it all, beneath the punk veneer and attitude, I think X was always country band.

Beirut
"The Rip Tide"
Pompeii

Beirut's newest album, "The Rip Tide," has a track listing that reads like stops on a road trip map. It's a fitting metaphor for Zach Condon's evolution from boy wonder to legitimate artist.

Blue Highway
"Sounds of Home"
Rounder

Whenever you tire of songs of young love or teen anguish, it's nice to know that Blue Highway is making music like that on "Sounds of Home."

Stephin Merritt
"Obscurities"
Merge

Stephin Merritt is primarily known as the guiding force behind idiosyncratic pop band the Magnetic Fields, and while that group has long had a small but extremely devoted following, the past twelve years have seen Merritt and company gain much wider recognition.