This week’s best albums
– Austin multi-instrumentalists The Octopus Project crafts a gem of progressive pop rock with dense, danceable jams.
– Finnish hardcore outfit Unkind delivers a D-beat beat-down while balancing attack with atmosphere.
– Black Moth Super Rainbow leader Tobacco and MC Zackey Force Funk join forces as Demon Queen, offering a weird, neon-laced fusion of gritty synth pop and rap.
– Produced by Prefuse 73, the sophomore album (and, sadly, swan song) from Cloudeater takes a left turn at trip-hop, heads past post-rock, and winds up outside any single genre.
– On her second LP, singer-songwriter Louise Burns conjures a versatile sound, appealing to admirers of Cocteau Twins, dark-wave devotees, and even fans of Ennio Morricone.
Honorable mentions
Coffins: The Fleshland (Relapse)
Daughn Gibson: Me Moan (Sub Pop)
Mount Eerie: Live in Bloomington, September 30th, 2011 (XRA)
Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana (Carpark)
Twin Peaks: Sunken (Autumn Tone)