Lee Ranaldo
Between The Times and The Tides
(Matador)

On his “first song-based solo full-length,” former Sonic Youth axeman Ranaldo capitalizes on the freedom resulting from his group’s sudden hiatus. Where past efforts veered into noise experimentation and spoken text performance, the new record is more polished, and several tracks even appear radio-ready. “Off the Wall” strides along comfortably on a sturdy groove with acoustic and electric guitar flourishes. The song’s short running time lets the lyrical rush of phrases like “I just saw a rainbow fall into the floor” pass by quickly without overstaying their welcome. Elsewhere, six-minute-plus numbers like “Waiting On a Dream” and “Xtina As I Knew Her” possess the same majesty as Sonic Youth standouts “Teenage Riot” and “Hey Joni.” Though many hardcore fans will continue to long for a full-fledged Sonic reunion, Lee’s newest project more than suffices for the moment. —Michael Cimaomo

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Antoine Boyer
Sita
(La Vie Qui Va)

Child prodigies often seem to trade depth and emotion for technical virtuosity. Guitarist Antoine Boyer, who’s almost 16, is a remarkable exception. On Sita, he combines a confident touch with a sense of restrained balladry uncommon in players twice his age. That’s no doubt in part thanks to his affinity for the music of composer Francis-Alfred Moerman, whose “Transparence” is the opener. Boyer’s several compositions on Sita prove surprisingly sophisticated as well, some of them peppy explorations of Gypsy jazz, others contemplative voyages. The album is an inventive, gorgeous take on a genre sometimes constrained by a canon that’s singularly centered on the works of Django Reinhardt. The best news is that Boyer’s coming to town. On June 13, he plays (briefly) before the film Encounter with Francis-Alfred Moerman at Amherst Cinema. June 15, he plays a concert proper at Helen Hills Hills Chapel in Northampton. —James Heflin

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Spiritualized
Sweet heart, sweet light
(Fat Possum)

Over the course of eight studio albums, Spiritualized’s sonic formula hasn’t altered much: they mix the trance-like grooves of the Velvet Underground with gospel uplift and symphonic production. You’d think mastermind Jason Pierce would be running out of tricks, but his latest effort is the band’s best since 1997’s Ladies and Gentleman… We Are Floating in Space. There’s a palpable urgency and elation to these tunes recorded in the wake of a life-threatening illness. Crucially, this is also the group’s most concise set, eschewing expansive psychedelic blowouts for pop songs whose melodies instantly affix themselves in listeners’ skulls. The album convincingly alternates between distortion-drenched uptempo tunes and tender, sweeping ballads. Highlights include the propulsively churning “Hey Jane” and glammy piano-led “So Long You Pretty Thing,” which transparently reference the Velvets and David Bowie respectively, but make these influences sound fresh all over again. —Jeff Jackson