Grooms - Comb The Feelings Through Your Hair: The fourth and most recent album from Grooms is what it sounds like when Williamsburg indie rockers start to grow up. CTFTYH showcases a shoe-gazey noise pop-y sound that the band has been developing for years, and they're pretty excited about it. "This is the happiest I've ever been after we put out an album," reads a March 1st status on their Facebook page, and listening to this album I can hear why. Comb the Feelings is filled with the sense that these guys are coming into themselves. This is obvious both lyrically and musically on the title track - the chorus is an assertion of independence delivered with a tone of youthful punk-y defiance, which keeps it grounded in the band's roots. This is backed by a powerful drum line and dreamy synths and guitar that culminate into a powerful orchestral punch. Meanwhile "Cross Off" deals with a dwindling relationship by combining rationalizing lyrics ("I am not the bad police and neither are you/I'm just a devotee that noticed we're through") with the song's dreary melody to create a sense of both feeling the pain of a breakup and accepting the situation for what it is. It's some mature shit, and it's some shit the title of the album itself addresses. Combing your feelings through your hair sounds pretty romantic and indulgent, but it also implies that you're taking those feelings head on and pushing through and past them. Keep pushing on and you'll end up at whimsical, happy-go-lucky/can't-be-bothered vibes of "Later a Dream," which closes the album on a note of happiness in spite of challenge and just wildin out and doin you bc fuck the haters. CAROLINE

RIYL: Times New Viking, Tame Impala, A Place To Bury Strangers

Recommended Tracks: Comb The Feelings Through Your Hair (2), Foster Sister (10), Will The Boys (7)

Dan Deacon - Gliss Riffer: This sounds like a puddle of technicolor glitch-pop vomit spewed from the fingertips of the terrifying muppet that graces the album’s cover. Deacon is a mastermind of this sort of chaotic and colorful electro-phunk that appears childish at first glance, but masks a major creepiness. It’s like a demonic doll that cries and burps, but also watches you while you sleep. Under the candy-coating of popping synth and xylophone are lyrics about death and dismemberment, apocalyptic horror. It’s the kind of stuff you’d expect to hear in the wee hours of adult swim, the earnest insanity of a well-meaning high school art teacher who is losing touch with reality after one too many acid trips. This is the comedown, the uneasiness, the fried brain on display. If you really want to get a feel for what I’m saying watch the music video for “Feel the Lightning” that I linked to below. The pastel colors, goofy dance moves, cute chairs with legs who happen to be obsessed with sex. Mimes that appear out of your couch with blank stares and huge eyes, CREEPY. I met Dan Deacon once, he seemed like a pretty normal dude. But, if his music shows us anything, it’s that surface appearance is hardly an accurate depiction of the darkness within. SHILL

RIYL: Black Moth super Rainbow, Freezepop, Panda Bear

Recommended Tracks: “Feel the Lightning”, “Meme Generator”, “When I Was Done Dying”

of Montreal - Aureate Gloom: The one and only Sam Hill told me this album sucks. Specifically, he said it is too self-loathing and whiny, but he also said that I was probably correct in assuming that this album is better than that Julian Casablancas+The Voidz record that came out last fall. In other words, although Sam will probably not be burning “Aureate Gloom” into his iTunes, this album could also be much, much worse…. Well, Sam Hill is not reviewing this album. I am. Ashley Hawkins. My opinion is the only one that matters, and guess what? I like it. COME AT ME. I will admit that of Montreal’s last album – Lousy with Sylvianbriar – is better than Aureate Gloom, but the music on the new album is also much more upbeat and dance-y (which should make a number of you very, very happy). Straight up, “Bassem Sabry” is some good funky stuff that makes me want to dance like Napoleon Dynamite, and a few of the songs have some really cool post-punk (a la Talking Heads) vibes. I guess Kevin Barnes is being a whiny little bitch, so just don’t listen to his lyrics if you aren't a fan of his general cynical/pessimistic/self-pitying view on life. Problem solved. ASHLEY

RIYL: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Foxygen, Neutral Milk Hotel

Recommended Tracks: “Bassem Sabry” (1), “Monolithic Egress” (6), “Last Rites at the Jane Hotel” (2)

Moon Duo - Shadow of the Sun: Despite their name, Moon Duo is actually now a Portland TRIO with the inclusion of drummer John Jeffrey. The other two members consist of Wooden Shjips guitarist Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada. Together, they have crafted an exceptional piece of fuzzy drone rock inspired by the likes of Silver Apples and Suicide. Shadow of the Sun is a spooky meld of psych rock and underlying electronic oscillation. You will dance to this, ya feel me? The rhythms come in a pulsating wavy package that is, pleasurably, unsettling. “In A Cloud” is the scintillating daydream track, cradling you in equilibrium and then throwing you back into the second half of the album. “Animal,” the heaviest of the tracks, has a music video featuring a mustachioed rebel skating with various objects (even though the beginning of the video shows a sign that explicitly states NO SKATEBOARDING). Embark upon this dense, janky, interstellar journey. AA

RIYL: Wooden Shijps, Silver Apples, Black Angels

Recommended tracks: 2,4,5,8,9

Purity Ring - Another Eternity: With their sophomore album following their amazing debut Shrines, self described “future-pop” (shouts out to natalie) artists Purity Ring brings a much lighter, happier side of themselves that contrasts with the dark and dissonant of their debut. While Shrines sounds like a dark dystopian scifi movie, Another Eternity sounds like a pop album for a happy go luck teen movie, just with much more interesting production courtesy of Corin Roddick, the producer. I must admit, Another Eternity was a little bit underwhelming for me, but I acknowledge I only feel this way because it is the follow up to Shrines, one of my favorite electronic albums in the last three years. I feel like it’d be super hard to top their debut anyway because Another Eternity, if looked objectively and apart from their previous work, is a very solid album. The singer Megan James shows development by making her very poetic (and usually human anatomy themed) lyrics show more melodic character. I think the greatest thing to appreciate about this album is that Megan has clearly developed as a singer. The production starts to back away from the 808 trap drums that could be on a Mike-Will Made It or Lex Luger production and takes form of something other synth pop people/groups are making such as CHVRCHES. Although I prefer Shrines, Another Eternity is catchy, charming and deserves a listen. The production is still interesting and Megan’s voice is damn cute. DYLAN

RIYL: CHVRCHES, BROODS, The Naked and Famous, MØ

Recommended Tracks: Bodyache, Repetition, Begin Again, Sea Castle

New Adds: Grooms, Dan Deacon, of Montreal, Moon Duo, and Purity Ring