The Guggenheim Grotto
Waltzing Alone
(UFO)

The debut from Ireland’s Guggenheim Grotto comes in sleek packaging—a simulated leather booklet with a silvered scarecrow, voluminous notes and Gorey-like artwork. The trio has been praised by everyone from the Irish News and the Boston Globe to NPR. Ignore the hype; Waltzing Alone is all buzz and no sting. Chief lyricist Kevin May is a thoughtful guy who draws on figures as diverse as Leonard Cohen, Alice Cooper, Marvin Gaye, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Percy Blythe Shelley. Pastiche or chaos? More meandering muddle, as are the arty folk-pop arrangements which hit the wall rather than evoking Pink Floyd. Its contrived, because-we-can layers lack memorable themes and seem distant rather than profound. This release tries so hard to be cool it induces frostbite.

—Rob Weir

Chet Atkins
The Essential Chet Atkins
(RCA Nashville/Legacy)

Are you kidding me?! Because my ignorance of Chet Atkins’ guitar skills is inexcusable, this two-CD set, spanning 1946 to 1995, is a much-needed corrective. On the strength of these 40 cuts, Chet was no less than the re-animated spirit of Django Reinhart, especially on his early instrumentals. Included are sessions he did with Eddy Arnold, the Everly Brothers, and Don Gibson, as well as some novelty songs beneath his talents. The instrumental tracks stand in a class all their own, though. It’s hard to think of any serious guitar player not influenced by this man’s work.

—Alan Bisbort

Cornelius
Sensuous
(Everloving)

Dubbed the Japanese Beck when he first hit the scene, Cornelius has proven to be something much stranger and more interesting. He’s steadily evolved from a hyperkinetic pop collagist to a master of dazzlingly detailed and sharply honed electronic compositions without ever abandoning his sense of play. Five years in the making, Sensuous further refines the contagious rhythms, breezy melodies, and tactile textures of his previous work. The album is an ebbing and flowing suite that pushes his pop-inflected tunes to the brink of utter abstraction. The results occasionally threaten to become overly processed, but Cornelius knows when to pull back. He concludes the album with the lullaby “Sleep Well,” a reassuringly human touch in the midst of such distilled electronic splendor.

—Jeff Jackson

Tegan and Sara
The Con
(Sire)

The new record by these Canadian twins works its way into your memory. The Quin sisters have had ample time to get over the peculiar hang-ups that filled their last record, but they’re still mired in near-crippling self-doubt, self-loathing and self-deception, weird obsessions with almost voyeuristic crushes, creeping anxieties, and tortured break-ups. It might be annoying if it weren’t so good. Tegan and Sara employ a mix of streamlined acoustic guitar, almost too-candid songwriting, their paired, somewhat girly voices and the hint of airy synth washes, snappy beats and perky bass lines. Tegan and Sara’s strength has always been the ability to cram an almost impossible number of hooks into a song without clutter.

—John Adamian