Here’s a rundown of the essential albums available online and in record stores today:

Brand New, Daisy
Fuzzy guitars? Check. Pork and beans? Nope.
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Mika, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Trying manfully to make musical theater cool.
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Islands, Vapours
Canadian indie rocker finds his joy in Brooklyn.
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Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, Between My Head and the Sky
Levity and love from cross-generational icon.
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Noisettes, Wild Young Hearts
Brit bird boldly takes on blondes and beehives.
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Brother Ali, Us
Spitting truth to power even after fortune shines.
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Rain Machine, Rain Machine
In-your-face side project boasts grace and wit.
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Volcano Choir, Unmap
Folkie loner makes new friends, quirky sounds.
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Vic Chesnutt, At the Cut
Refined punk luminaries help Georgia poet purge.
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The Almighty Defenders, The Almighty Defenders
A Tamil dustup inspires a defiantly trashy response.
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Richard Hawley, Truelove’s Gutter
Devastating crooner’s dark poesy shades into cliché.
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The Very Best, Warm Heart of Africa
Exotic dance-pop clique lives up to name — mostly.
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Amy Millan, Masters of the Burial
Lovelorn, low-key musings from somber songbird.
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Lisa Germano, Magic Neighbor
Inconsiderate geek still singing songs of betrayal.
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