IModern composers with MFAs in electro-acoustic composition are rarely this fun. Crafting danceable and beautiful music out of cheap electronics, Baltimore's Dan Deacon has made an important record that doesn't take itself too seriously. The Woody Woodpecker samples, the comically altered vocals, and the childish abandon of the record are almost enough to disguise how intricately crafted each track really is.

It might be a little reductive to simply say that Dan Deacon is the electro version of Animal Collective, but if it gets people to buy this record then who really cares? And now for something different, Gang Gang Dance, Brooklyn's very own spazzy ethno-dub group, has released a 33-minute experimental DVD created by band member Brian DeGraw, featuring new music culled from live dates and rehearsal tapes. The visual imagery is mainly pastoral scenes and shots of the band playing, cut and pasted within an inch of its life just like the soundtrack itself.

For the DVD impaired, there is an additional disc with unreleased jams from the Gang, a boon to all of us who have been thirsting for more releases since their great album in '05, God's Money. For the uninitiated, seeing the music and image synced up best translates the appeal of this oft misunderstood band and will undoubtedly convince you to see their incredible live show next time they're in your town. We know very little about Optimo aside from the fact that they're from Glasgow and they routinely release some of our favorite mixtapes.

Kill the DJ 2 was great, but we were really blown away by some of the mixes on , particularly the No Wave and Tropicalia music history lessons. This latest leans heavy on the dance side of things, but it's spiced with just enough noise and rock to keep it interesting. This is the soundtrack for the discerning listener's sweaty, debaucherous, drug-fueled all-night party.

Indie rock supergroup and recent Warp signees, Battles, have delivered one of the most surprisingly good releases of the year. Comprised of four talented musicians, among them former members of Helmet and Don Caballero, Battles plays the kind of math rock that hasn't been cool since 1998. Where the album succeeds is in how they've changed this genre just enough to be interesting in the context of current music.

You get a feel for African pop guitar here, a little bit of over-the-top stadium rock drums there, and enough weird noises and squiggles courtesy of resident knob twiddler Tyondai Braxton to make this not only a good album but to put it on the cutting-edge of what modern rock records should sound like. Somehow Sandro Perri has totally been slipping under the radar. Maybe its because he records for a Canadian label or because he doesn't live in Brooklyn, but its unusual for a musician this talented and this prolific to go unnoticed.

He's the man behind the offbeat favorite from last year, Glissandro 70, as well as Polmo Polpo, the pseudonym under which he has released three of the finest North American electronic music albums of the past ten years. Despite his experimental pedigree, Sandro Perri is also a man with a guitar, and on this album he expertly covers songs from his own catalog, recasting them as organic and twangy where they once shimmered like stainless steel. Recorded at the same time as his modern classics, Elliott Smith and Either/Or, New Moon is a welcome addition to the Elliott Smith catalog.

If you're as weary of posthumous releases as we are, you are more than justified. Previously unreleased tracks from artists as diverse as Nirvana and Tupac have never failed to disappoint. But here we have an entirely different beast mdash;an album of outtakes and deleted songs every bit as strong as the tracks that made the cut.

Obviously Elliott Smith fans should buy this without even reading our review but for those who've never heard this artist, you can start here and not hate yourself in two years when you own everything he ever recorded. Canadian songstress Leslie Feist has that rare voice that conveys strength but sounds fragile enough to leave you concerned it might fracture at any moment. She uses this instrument to great effect on her latest album, which took only a week to record entirely in a rented house near Paris.

The album varies from rocking indie pop to sparse and haunting loner folk, each style fitting like a glove and sounding lovely mdash;it's absolutely perfect music for this time of year. Bill Callahan first came to prominence under the name Smog as a part of the 4-track home recording movement in '80s indie rock. Nowadays he prefers to go by his given name, but his music is still characterized by intimate songs given an honest country-folk interpretation.

His vision of American roots music is spooky and sweet, aided by wonderful arrangements from Royal Trux's Neil Michael Hagerty. The album is such a pleasant affair that it's easy to overlook the fact that very few artists are capable of delivering an album this strong 20 years into their career. Swedish psychedelic rock revivalists Dungen took the world by storm two years ago with an album meticulously recorded to sound like a relic from 1968.

What seems like a gimmick at first mdash;hyperactive booming drums, fuzzed out guitars, and jazzy flute-led passages mdash;is supported by enough great songwriting and artistry throughout the record to transcend the conceit. It's more of the same with the new album, only this time there's 20% more mellow grooves and 10% less fuzz. Even without the novelty of the vintage sound this is a great band, and any new album they release is a welcome break from whatever current digital sounds have been dominating your iPod.

Sweden's The Field creates ethereal, dense dance music that envelops you like a warm blanket. Axel Willner, the ambient techno producer who is behind the Field, has been making waves for the past few years with well-received singles and appearances on label compilations, but the debut full-length album he's produced is something of a revelation. Opening with a four-on-the-floor techno song, the record comes down from this rush to create soundscapes that are as "sublime" as the album title would lead you to believe.

It's rare to hear club music that is so perfectly suited for home listening. Nick Cave is taking time away from his normal output of murder balladry to focus on violent and unhinged music in the vein of his early band The Birthday Party and "Funhouse"-era Stooges. Picking up the guitar to perform with his new band, Grinderman, the focus is on raw emotion and very loud feedback.

The standout track is still the first single released, "No Pussy Blues," which is surprisingly not as offensive as it sounds. The latest from Blonde Redhead is yet again another reinvention and another resounding success. This self-produced effort tries on many different textures aside from the guitar pop the band is known for, most prominently the dreamy feeling of My Bloody Valentine as well as electronic flourishes and rhythms.

All of the experimentation seems perfectly suited to their sound and never self-indulgent, leaving an album with few flaws and a consistent level of brilliance.

At this point it's fair to say that the Arcade Fire are not minimalists. Their debut album was chockful of melodrama, hooks, crescendos, codas, and anything else necessary to make every song into The Best Song Ever.

The result was a great record, and this one picks up right where Funeral left off. What we love about the Arcade Fire is that, for an indie band, they tend to measure themselves against the canon of rock music rather than any scene. It makes each of their records seem more important and timeless than almost every other "next big thing.

" We particularly like the E Street Band feel of the song "Keep the Car Running." Hisham Bharoocha (primarily known for formerly playing drums in Black Dice and singing in Lightning Bolt) is a prime example of how New York scenesters have gone from punk-rockers to hippies in a few short years. Kids no longer go straight edge, they meditate.

The organic food market has replaced the record store as the coolest place to be seen. Hisham, likewise, has gone from playing in hardcore punk bands to embracing a more tribal sound that builds on repetitive, polyrhythmic drum patterns and the chanting of his own voice. In a live setting, he does all this by himself but Full Bloom benefits from his own studio overdubbing and makes the album much more complex and rich.

If you'd rather go to an ashram than on a drug bender, this album is for you. Originally from Benin in West Africa but raised in France, Julien Jacob creates sublime acoustic music. Relying mainly on his own acoustic guitar, his voice, and various percussion instruments, Julien creates his own brand of pop music that incorporates the crooning of chansonniers like Serge Gainsbourg with the folk music of Africa and the Middle East.

It is a potent blend of styles, and listening to this album gives the sense that we may well be hearing a lot more from this artist in years to come.