The Beastie Boys
Ill Communication (reissue)
(Capitol Records)

As a latecomer to Beastie Boys fandom, I never got around to buying all their albums. I knew lots of tracks from Ill Communication, but I didn't experience the entirety of the disc until this reissue arrived. It's certainly no stretch to say it deserves its many critical accolades. The tracks slam out of the speakers in a non-stop explosive groove that obliterates genre cliches, propelled by slinky bass and exceptionally witty (if whiny) rhymes in Brooklynese. This one is a worthy score for its remastered tracks alone, but the deluxe version of the album comes with a second disc offering a dozen bonus tracks. Some of them flow so seamlessly with the original set they effectively make the reissue a double album. (On the other hand, hearing the band play basketball is a minute and half of your life you'll never get back.)   —James Heflin

Sliimy
Paint Your Face
(Warner Brothers Records)

French pop artist Sliimy (rhymes with "Jimmy") signed his first record deal while he was still in high school, and Paint Your Face is the result of that early success. The album offers happy, high-energy, synth-laden pop and some sad acoustic ballads. Sliimy's voice bounces from effeminate, over-the-top fierce to soulful and vulnerable, reminiscent of Amy Winehouse—and he does it all with a French accent. Highlights include his cover of Britney Spears' "Womanizer"—a slow, sad acoustic version. Chances are you've never heard anything quite like Sliimy.  —Jennifer Burwell

Jim O'Rourke
The Visitor
(Drag City)

Jim O'Rourke's first new album in eight years is an exercise in frustration. The all-instrumental record consists of one 38-minute track that features O'Rourke performing every sound you hear. His weapon of choice is acoustic guitar, but here you get piano, woodwinds, electric leads, banjo, cymbal crashes, drums and more. It comes as no surprise to learn that the album was reportedly culled from close to 200 separately recorded tracks. The music often stops as quickly as it starts, with sudden fade-outs and sometimes alarming returns to full volume. There are echoes of Phil Spector's "wall of sound" production, but as a whole, it more closely resembles a bunch of good ideas that were strung together instead of being given the chance to fully develop.  —Michael Cimaomo