Melodiously laid-back adult pop

Brad Pitt grabs a shield and gets all mythological

Kevin Smith goes mature and mainstream

Emerging in 2001 with "Circle", a collaboration with Doseone of the oddball cLOUDDEAD collective, Boom Bip was an onomatopoeically perfect alias for the creator of glitchy, goofy-footed hip hop. Now, it's doubtful Bryan "Boom Bip" Hollon would describe what he does as hip hop in any way. Corymb (it's botanical) is a giddily gorgeous collection of remixes (Boards Of Canada, Four Tet and others) and new tracks.

Despite drug battles and internal strife, Jeff Tweedy's band sound newly liberated

Early, lunatic work by Japanese gods

Exquisitely frosted debut from Toronto's Tony Dekker

This belated sequel to 2002's triple-album retrospective Love God Murder features 18 songs that might easily have fitted under one or another of that set's individual headings. Not, perhaps, "Murder"—the only death here is that of the Native American hero of Peter LaFarge's "Ballad Of Ira Hayes", a war hero allowed to fall into alcoholism and ignominy after he'd helped raise that iconic flag at Iwo Jima—but certainly "Love" and "God".

Third album from Scottish indie four-piece has roughly accurate title

Superior then-and-now compilation ensures the circle remains unbroken