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Will Oldham's career path of slight left turns and deliberate strangeness seems to be leading -- through Palace, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, and every other damn name -- toward the ultimate act of rebellion: utter normalcy.

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These Atlanta thrashers have always sounded less clinical than the post-Slayer norm, and their major-label move provides sufficient space for excursions onto the dark side of the moon. But they're still not so great at turning their majestic heft and pushy paradiddles into memorable songs with hooks.

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Like the twitchy new-wave bands on which they're modeled, Los Angeles' Ima Robot enthusiastically satisfy sugar cravings when they hang their prefab power chords and plastic synth hooks on spiffy melodies, like during their second album's Oingo Boingo–esque opening and closing cuts ("Disconnect" and "Dangerous Life").

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Joel Gibb, frontman for this self-described "gay folk church music" band, is the seamy, sex-fueled yang to the ascetic yin of the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt. Backed by a flea-market chamber-pop orchestra and surprisingly danceable beats, he sings about lollipops (yes, it's a metaphor) and "working in the boneyard" (on the album's sunny title track).

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Two decades on, Yo La Tengo remain true to their Velvet Underground roots, leading off I Am Not Afraid with "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind," a magnificent ten-minute tsunami of guitar noise. Elsewhere, Ira Kaplan's crew opts for diversity, flitting gracefully from ornery psychobilly to falsetto soul to twinkling folk rock.

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Aging gracefully is tough for pop punks and goths alike: The makeup starts to look silly, for one thing. But Alkaline Trio singer Matt Skiba proves it's possible with Heavens, which imagines the Cure born to the Warped generation. Despite the occasionally cringe-worthy lyrics (arterial spray, guillotines, hearses), the songs are surprisingly tuneful and thoughtful.