FLOOD

From the soulful gospel of “When You’re Smiling and Astride Me” to the cherubic synth-pop of “True Affection,” this kaleidoscope of a release is brimming with ideas both batty and inspired.

Karen Dalton, Linda Perhacs, and Nico are often mentioned in the same breath as Jessica Pratt. Although those artists were touchstones for listeners trying to describe her first release, this new set of recordings sees her traveling further down her own special kind of rabbit hole.

The Decemberists’ seventh album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World sees the Portland folkies beginning to rebuild after hitting reset on their prog-rock dalliances with 2011’s decidedly rootsy The King Is Dead.

Killer Mike and El-P are rappers that go together like cereal and milk. The veteran firebrands thankfully show no sign of stopping any time soon.

Ware crafts very urbane pop music using very modern electronic and dance sensibilities as the backbone.

The thirteen-year career of indie-pop duo The Rosebuds was established on the romantic relationship between Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard, who began the group in the midst of courting, wed at the zenith of their career, and kept limping along after a messy divorce.

Brooklyn-via-Alabama trio Bear in Heaven continue to melt down their prog and electro sensibilities into a white-hot core for their fourth album Time Is Over One Day Old. The verve of the group’s 2009 breakthrough release Beast Rest Forth Mouth even returns to some extent.

Australian pop marvel Sia Furler wrote some of the biggest songs of the past five years, including Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” but she continues to kick against all preconceived celebrity notions on her sixth album, 1000 Forms of Fear.