Nada Surf, 'Lucky' (Barsuk)

Soothing songs for stressed-out thirtysomething indie parents.

On 2005's The Weight Is a Gift, this Brooklyn-based trio -- best known for their smart-alecky '96 alt-rock fluke "Popular" -- searched for big answers with mature introspective songcraft (produced by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla).

British Sea Power, 'Do You Like Rock Music?' (Rough Trade/World's Fair)

Armed with passionate anthems, brainy Brits rise up and shout.

Since their 2003 debut LP, these Brighton-based lads have developed their own eccentric rock curriculum, and here they touch on the topics of Nobel-winning physicist Niels Bohr, the great skua seabird, Kevlar, and the flooding of an island in the River Thames.

Nicole Atkins & the Sea Perform 'War Torn,' Chat 'Neptune City'

VIDEO: The New Jersey-bred songstress and crew hit Spin HQ for a performance of "War Torn."
VIDEO BY ERIC NOWELS

Before the rush of the holiday season set in and New Year's resolutions were casually put in place, Nicole Atkins & the Sea stopped by the Spin offices to churn out a blissful rendition of "War Torn," one of the

Siouxsie, 'Mantaray' (Decca)

The Ice Queen's solo debut throbs with hypnotic style.

SHARE THIS:

O'Death, 'Head Home' (Ernest Jenning)

Raucous urban hayseeds recharge down-home sounds.

This Brooklyn-based quintet's punk-rock hoedown may sound like a kitschy joke.

Go 'Sleepwalking' with Jeff Klein

Exclusive! Download the smoldering beauty "Sleepwalking" from Jeff Klein's forthcoming EP, I Sing the Body Electric.

Before he became a regular member of Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers, Austin-based crooner Jeff Klein was busy cultivating his Hustler ways -- his third solo LP, 2005's The Hustler, that is, a rich songbook heart-drenched in burning guitar riffs and twisted personal reflections a la Ed Harcourt and Son Volt's Jay Farrar.

Syndicate content