Pitchfork

Microcastle and its bonus disc, Weird Era Cont., sidestep much of the art-damaged squall of previous Deerhunter records, but they don't embrace 1950s and 60s pop as dramatically as lead singer Bradford Cox had intimated in early interviews. Instead, this 2xCD set captures urgent and imaginative songs that reorganize 4AD haze, off-kilter indie pop, crashing garage-punk, forward-leaning krautrock, and hypnotic Kranky ambience into a singular-sounding call-to-arms, or at least call-to-guitars. Black Lips' Cole Alexander guests.

Jace Clayton, aka DJ/rupture, returns with another outstanding mix. While Uproot feels every bit as purposeful as minor classics Gold Teeth Thief and Minesweeper Suite, it's far more subdued and spacious. Combining dubstep, pulsing ambience, and orchestral flourishes on tracks from Ghislain Poirier, Shackleton, and Ekkehard Ehlers, Rupture doesn't just wade through music, he constructs an alternate history.

Dømkirke-- a vinyl-only, 2xLP set recorded in March 2007 in a 12th century Norwegian cathedral-- showcases the metal band's impresice malleability and versatility. Members of Earth and Mayhem guest.

Caught between shoegaze, Britpop, and, eventully, American indie, Adorable never got the recognition they deserved, something that this Cherry Red compilation aims to rectify.

Johnny Dark, the one-time member of Junior Boys, whose skittering and spacious beats helped to define that group's seminal Last Exit, launches a new project with vocalist San Serac.