Jeremy Lukens

Unlike those lying Doobie Brothers, Sisters 3 is actually a band comprised of three sisters: Cassandra, Beatrice, and Anna Christie Sadler. The Philadelphia trio has a vintage style, but it would be a mistake to lump them in with the folk pop revival trend of recent years. Their second album, Coruscate at the Meadow Gate, has a sound too diverse to fit neatly in any genre.

Were My Sweetheart to Go…, the second album by Austin chanteuse Lex Land, finds the singer continuing to cover themes of loss and unrequited love. A more introspective take on the topics, however, reveals a more confident songstress. The melancholia is still there (“Finally thought something might work out alright, but then it died during the Ides of March”) but Land seems better able to deal with it now.

Listening to Man Man’s music is taking a journey down a rabbit hole, observing a world that mirrors yours but is a little less predictable, a little less sane

It’s not easy to describe the sound of Royal Bangs. Singer Ryan Schaefer has said that he has no interest in conforming to the conventions of a particular genre of music. Instead, he would rather make whatever music he feels, without worrying about what it’s called. While that mindset helps create an eclectic mix, it frustrates fans and critics who are used to utilizing the names of genres and subgenres to define a band’s sound.

On their fourth release, the Kills place more emphasis on melody than on angsty rock riffing. Blood Pressures features fewer squealing guitars and buzzing feedback and more vocal harmonies. Hell, there’s even a piano ballad. Not to worry, though; the duo’s gritty sound, combining blues with a punk swagger, is intact.

The Valence Project was created in an attempt to revitalize trip hop music and bring it into a new era of creativity. Combining acoustic and electronic sounds, the collective strives to create trip hop that is more artistic and emotionally charged. The result is a mixed bag that succeeds at times and falls short on occasion.