Crooked Still
Some Strange Country
(Signature Sounds)

I’m not a fan of invented terms such as “nu-folk bluegrass,” but it fits Crooked Still, a band taking bluegrass beyond anything Bill Monroe envisioned. Dump the nasal harmonies and virtuoso breakouts of yore; replace them with the gorgeous lead vocals of Aoife O’Donovan and rich instrumental tapestries in which cello factors as prominently as banjo or fiddle. Whip up a repertoire that includes covers of The Rolling Stones (“You Got the Silver”), Jerry Garcia (“I’m Troubled”), and Nick Cave’s take on a Child Ballad (“Henry Lee”), and this is not your Appalachian grandmother’s bluegrass. This band blows new life into everything it does, including shop-worn standards such as “Golden Vanity.” Crooked Still reminds us that tradition is at its best when it synchs to the calendar. Pick up the new CD when the band appears in Shelburne Falls on May 15.  —Rob Weir

Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam
(Warner/Sire)

Foxy Shazam makes no mystery of where it draws its inspiration from; the ultra-produced, guitarmony-laden tracks on this release shoot for nothing less than to be the next Night at the Opera. The feel is dead-on: vaguely disco, but mostly epic rock, with great vocals and top-rate musicianship. Singer Eric Nally sounds like a mix of Freddie Mercury, Cher and that guy from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Where the effort falls short is in originality, emotional depth and, well, just plain context. To embrace this level of drama, you really should have something a bit more believably profound to draw upon, not just artificially triumphant banality—nearly every song sounds like “We Are the Champions” or “We Are the World.” Still, keep an eye on this group; its members are young and immensely talented, and could yet find their Bernie Taupin or Quincy Jones. —Tom Sturm

Spoon
Transference
(Merge)

Spoon has been consistently good for so long that they’re easy to take for granted. Their seventh album may not win them new fans in droves, but it should turn heads among the faithful. Rather than refine the polished sheen of 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, the band adds sandpaper grit to its groove-centric power-pop sound. Tunes like “Who Makes Your Money” at first seem like raw demos, half-sketched and skeletal. But dig deeper and you’ll also find some of the group’s most urgent and rocking songs, including “Written in Reverse,” “Got Nuffin” and “Trouble.” The rough-hewn sonic qualities are matched by the lyrics, which find Britt Daniel fending off his demons. “Got nothing to lose,” he yelps, “but darkness and shadows.” It’s no mistake that Transference perversely kicks off with its least ingratiating song. Spoon doesn’t want its excellent new album to be consumed too easily. —Jeff Jackson