18NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS DIG!!! LAZARUS DIG!!!

Evidently unconvinced that the righteously depraved Grinderman proved he can still rock, Nick Cave reunited with his longtime backing band for this set of literary garage punk. Caked with organ buzz and psych guitar spray, Lazarus recalls Grinderman’s back-alley blare—no surprise, considering the overlap of personnel. But the brand name does wonders for Cave’s yarn-spinning. Who else would stick the titular character in a New York City soup queue? M. W.

17THE ROOTS RISING DOWN The Roots’ eighth studio album, basically the second volume of a pre-Obama sociopolitical jeremiad, could’ve been subtitled No We Can’t. But it’s not a nihilistic lickshot. As hip-hop’s anxious elders, the Philly crew hum with a riveting focus—drummer/producer ?uestlove refines their sound to a snaky bop and drone, while Black Thought, plus a sterling quorum of guest MCs, spits with a multifaceted, cosmopolitan bitterness. The prescient closer, “Rising Up,” finds hope in a D.C. go-go groove. C.A.

16MY MORNING JACKET EVIL URGES Thanks to My Morning Jacket’s epic live show, even casual fans know frontman Jim James is a legit guitar hero for the Guitar Hero age. James’ songwriting gifts have always been more obscure, but on Evil Urges, the Kentucky outfit’s fifth studio album, catchy soul-rock slow-burners such as “Thank You Too!” and “Librarian” permanently prove that MMJ are far more than jam-band noodlers. “Highly Suspicious,” a bonkers funk experiment, will blow minds beyond Bonnaroo for years to come. M.W.

15BECK MODERN GUILT Chalk it up to societal sea change. Rather than strutting on about sexx laws or summer girls, Modern Guilt found Beck getting existential on our asses. Singing about lost “Orphans” and shallow “Profanity Prayers” in a voice ranging from a whisper to a weary slur, the baby-faced boundary-buster (with coproducer Danger Mouse) delivered a spooky dose of downer psych. Even rhythm-heavy tracks “Gamma Ray” and “Chemtrails” came swaddled in ghostly moans. If only all bummers were so bouncy. D.M.

14 VAMPIRE WEEKEND VAMPIRE WEEKEND

No act raised more questions in 2008 than Vampire Weekend: Did they deserve all the hype? Was using vaguely “African” guitar styles an act of cultural appropriation? Were they serious about those boat shoes? Save it for grad school. What really matters is the sheer youthful effervescence and musical ingenuity of these Ivy Leaguers’ self-titled debut. Frontman Ezra Koenig’s picaresque lyrics and the band’s rhythmically playful, adorably fussy guitar pop proffered plenty of pleasure you needn’t think about to enjoy. D.M.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY MAT T JONES