Matmos / Photo by AJ Farkas

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Legions of Kraftwerk wannabes miss the band's secret weapon: From their man-machine fashion to their preference for dinky beats, the self-described showroom dummies could always tease out a good joke. And although they're purely instrumentalists, Matmos can too, with a charm that sets the laptop duo apart from lesser lights for whom chilly beats and icy synths are ends in themselves.

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"Knee Deep at ATP" perfectly distills the Los Campesinos!

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Powered by mordant but melodic vocals, authoritatively finger-picked guitar, and what sounds like a lifetime supply of sleeping pills and booze, Sun Kil Moon may be the most convincingly bummed-out '70s-era Neil Young tribute band ever assembled.

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Time to finally face the music, Malkmus mavens: Your hero may not make a great post-Pavement disc.

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With propulsive pogo-worthy rhythms and singer Adele Bethel's insistent vocals, these rough-edged folk punks go for a quick knockout on their poppier second album (produced by Suede's Bernard Butler).

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Careening between luxuriant melodies and irritating noise, Xiu Xiu albums are iffy by design. On Women as Lovers, closely miked vocals vie for attention with arpeggiated guitar ("F.T.W."), aggressive whistling ("Child at Arms"), random percussion ("The Leash"), and what sounds like air escaping from an overblown balloon ("F.T.W." again).