DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, the Better (Verve / Universal)

DJ Shadow: "Warning Call" (f. Tom Vek)

It has been five years since the release of The Outsider, DJ Shadow's divisive and eclectic take on the "hyphy" (hyperactive) electro-rap sub-genre. Though it was as far-reaching and hard to define as anything that he'd done, the album also alienated plenty of fans with its mainstream production values and radio-friendly guest vocals.

Now, after a lengthy layoff, Shadow is back with The Less You Know, the Better, an album that will better resonate with his original fan base. The club sounds that caused the consternation are gone, which should allow listeners to appreciate the producer's breadth without distractions.

The diversity is on display from the album's first handful of tracks. "Border Crossing" mixes sampled rock riffs with skittering beats; "Stay the Course" is a funky hip-hop track with guest MCs Talib Kweli and Posdnuos; "I've Been Trying" layers vocal samples over acoustic guitar, gooey electronics, marching snare, lap-steel guitar, and flute. Not far behind are the rock-hop hybrid "Warning Call," featuring Tom Vek (in shades of the new Boom Bip album), and "Sad and Lonely," a melancholy piano and violin ballad that also makes compelling use of sampled vocals. And there are still touches of Shadow's sense of humor, notably the opening sample: "I'm back. I forgot my drum!"

Like all albums that need time to be digested, The Less You Know, the Better may prove to be better received down the road than it is right off the bat. But as a notable return to form, it should be a grower for many.

Feist: Metals (Cherrytree / Interscope / Universal)

Feist: "How Come You Never Go There"

Following the avalanche of praise for The Reminder in 2007, Leslie Feist stepped away from her solo material a bit, instead spending time on guest appearances, collaborations, and gigs with Broken Social Scene. After four years, however, the Canadian songstress has completed her long-awaited follow-up, and Metals doesn't disappoint.

Each track, though led by Feist's gentle crooning, takes its own path and bears the stamp of the album's varied co-producers, including Chilly Gonzales, Mocky, and Valgeir Sigurðsson. Choirs of youthful voices complement a heightened symphonic atmosphere, likely courtesy of Sigurðsson, and slivers of other styles are further blended into the singer-songwriter's canon.

A touch of old soul supplements the lead single, "How Come You Never Go There," and blues guitar makes a key appearance on "Anti-Pioneer." Unconventional sax master Colin Stetson drops a whirling bridge on "A Commotion," an orch-pop song that makes contrasting use of choral harmonies and dudes yelling the refrain.

In all, Metals delivers a slightly wider glimpse of Feist's abilities. Whether it can live up to the hype of its predecessor is yet to be determined.

Dessa: Castor, The Twin (Doomtree)

Dessa: "The Beekeeper"

The only female member of Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is a spoken-word vocalist, singer, and MC whose anticipated full-length debut, A Badly Broken Code, was released early in 2010. Since that time, the album has generated underground and above-ground buzz alike, praising Dessa's vocal diversity and storytelling abilities.

Castor, The Twin is a reflection of the live adaptation, described as "part rap show and part cabaret," that developed following the debut's release. With the exception of an advance single ("The Beekeeper") from Dessa's next album, Castor features new, fully live renditions of her older material. Built around upright bass and strings, electric guitar, piano, vibraphone, and a drum kit, the updated arrangements are organic and rich.

The re-recorded songs have a much stronger chamber-pop sensibility than anything else, but a jazz flavoring touches many tracks, including the standout "Dixon's Girl" from A Badly Broken Code. Whether or not you're familiar with Dessa's material, Castor, The Twin is worth checking out as an exciting reflection of her future.

Talkdemonic: Ruins (Glacial Pace)

Talkdemonic: "Revival"

Honorable Mentions

Absu: Abzu (Candlelight)

AIDS Wolf: Ma Vie Banale Avant-Garde double LP (Lovepump United)

The Browning: Burn This World (Earache)

Dreamers of the Ghetto: Enemy/Lover (Temporary Residence)

The Drift: Blue Hour (Temporary Residence)

Exitmusic: From Silence EP (Secretly Canadian)

Loney Dear: Hall Music (Polyvinyl)

Man or Astro-Man?: Your Weight on the Moon reissue (Overground / Plastic Head / Candlelight)

Myka 9: Mykology (SoundVise Records)

The Pine Hill Haints: Welcome to the Midnight Opry (K)

Siskiyou: Keep Away the Dead (Constellation)

Colin Stetson: Those Who Did Not Run EP (Constellation)

Tarana: After the Disquet EP (self-released)

Zola Jesus: Conatus (Sacred Bones)

Strange but absolutely true facts about Man or Astro-Man?

Over their constant global journeys, Man or Astro-Man? played in over 30 countries and 49 states (everywhere except Delaware–this was mostly out of spite, but also partially due to a lack of demand). They did 8 sessions for the late John Peel. They were huge on South American MTV for one summer. They tried to get sued by NASA over a T-shirt design but were unsuccessful. One member once threatened another member by shaking a water bottle in their face. They put 436,000 miles on a Chevy 20 conversion van. They only had their van broken into once, but the thief only stole guitars from a short-lived member of the band so it wasn't that big of a deal. They hit 2 deer (accidentally) with their aforementioned van on separate occasions during various tours. Once after nearly being arrested in Orange County, CA. for stealing their own trailer, a police officer scolded them for mistaking a basset hound for a beagle. They were banned from college radio in Atlanta for 3 years after causing mild hysteria by announcing that a plane had crashed on I-85 during rush hour traffic. After not being able to agree on what music to play on the van stereo, they instituted a "headphones only" rule in 1996. The biggest crowd they played for was 40,000 at the Lowlands festival in the Netherlands and the smallest crowd was for 2 people (one was the record store clerk) at an in-store somewhere in Southern Australia. Fitness legend/Three's Company star Susanne Somers became a fan of their first record after meeting the band at a battered women's convention.