Lux Deluxe
Hollow Ground
(Spirithouse Music)

At the risk of sounding like a patronizing relic, I’ll say that you wouldn’t think that “Generation Z” could produce something as organic-sounding as this album. Though their Americana-laced roots rock does occasionally betray postmillennial influences like The Strokes or Franz Ferdinand, it’s ultimately traceable back to The Band, Van Morrison and Graham Parsons via Eddie Vedder/The Wallflowers, and you can clearly hear the Bernini/McNamara NRBQ production values. The songs sound like they’ve been written by a band that’s been on the road for a decade, nursing hangovers in Midwestern diners, changing flats on the Econoline and spending every moment in between thinking about a guitar part or processing terabytes of intense human experience into thoughtful, empathic lyrics. The CD release party is May 28 at the Iron Horse with The Sun Parade and Goat Boy.   —Tom Sturm

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Hospital Ships
Lonely Twin
(Graveface)

With soaring tenor, an impossible to nail down but invigorating sound, and expressive but dark lyrics, Hospital Ships has left the realm of bedroom pop behind with its sophomore album Lonely Twin. Jordan Geiger, the sole permanent member of the band, molded a multilayered sound with folk, electronic, and rock influences, that fits beautifully with his boyish tenor. The album retains the introspective, emotional lyrics of Geiger’s earlier work, but the sound has moved beyond his emo roots. Tracks like “Love and Death” and “Phantom Limb” are the drivers of the album, with electric organs and pianos layered underneath guitar and pianos. “Reprise” is a rock anthem, but it manages to fit in with the rest of the album. This Lawrence, Kansas native may live far from the mainstream music scene, but this album should propel him into the spotlight. —Josh Ernst

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Brian Setzer
Setzer Goes Instru-Mental!
(Surfdog)

Brian Setzer, the force behind the Stray Cats and the Brian Setzer Orchestra, has long been one of those guitarists whose tone is studied as much as his virtuosic playing. On this album, Setzer mines his stable of Gretsch guitars for sounds from old-school honky-tonk to jazz, surf, and rockabilly. He’s got such a head for jazz and long-form solo building that this one remains a fun ride throughout. There’s an unmistakable air of nostalgia bordering on cheese (let’s just say vibraphone happens, as does Godzilla), but in Setzer’s hands, it comes across as cool. The ends of tasty country-jazz phrases are tinged with whammy bar, and all the tunes, though they hail from many genres, possess a similar dose of playfulness. Things sag at times in low-energy grooves—this is definitely not the Stray Cats—but if you file this one next to Esquivel’s Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, you’ll find it a great soundtrack for, say, mixing cocktails in your tiki bar. And the playing is outrageously good. —James Heflin