At long last, a rock band with authentic attitude and the requisite sense of humor to keep things interesting. This New York-based quintet is self-assured and damned near capable of anything.

The 12 cuts on dog-ger-el run the gamut from psychedelia to glam rock, from new wave to reggae-ska, from technopop to power pop. Like this year's runaway hit act, Scissor Sisters, The Strines expertly craft new songs that sound like vintage radio hits. Kudos to guitarist Eric Kaye and bassist Erika Szanto who penned most of these cuts. Lead Georgia Haege from Australia has an unforgettable set of pipes, especially on the wiseass rant "Beard" and the hard-luck romancer "I'll Keep Waiting." How cool are Haege and The Strines? They've got the gumption to change key lyrics in David Bowie's '70s classic, "All the Young Dudes" (T. Rex is replaced here by PMS), and suggest innovation, not heresy. The energy coming off this studio CD suggests that after one live show, The Strines will be your favorite band. Order online at www.thestrines.com, CD Baby or iTunes.

Breezy autumn weekends, lazy winter workday lunches, a late summer night's star-gazing, a drowsy cityscape refulgent in springtime sunset...fill in your own images of peaceful attention and joyful relaxation inspired by the legendary Artie Traum's latest CD, Acoustic Jazz Guitar. This 15-track masterful work of mainstream instrumental jazz-pop is a compilation of 12 years of music making, featuring such greats as Tony Levin, Steve Swallow, and The Band, performing pieces all written or co-written by Traum.

Traum's tasteful and soulful stylings on acoustic and electric guitars and mandolin color his catchy tunes with lyrical melodies and thoughtful improvisations suitable for both the casual listener and the jazz aficionado. The music goes down smooth, but never sacrificing Traum's awesome depth of feeling, intelligence, and technical facility.  Among the CD's highlights include the gently swinging "A Day in Polizzi Generosa," the bluesy strutting of "Yankee Swamp," the shimmering guitar duet "The Sun at Worldset," the tasty Weather Report/world music influenced "Moroccan Wind," and the Pat Methenyesque jazz-rocker, "Mysterious Stranger." So, if you're ready for a sonic vacation, Artie Traum's got your ticket to paradise.

The concept: Take a greatest hits collection of songs from outsider songwriter and lo-fi recording artist Daniel Johnston—not actually dead, just suffering from sever bipolar disorder, 43 years old, and living with his parents—and pair it on a double album with covers performed by his more successful admirers: Beck, Tom Waits, Bright Eyes, Guster, Eels, Mercury Rev, etc. Go out and buy Discovered Covered and throw the covers disc away; it's beside the point. While many of the songs are well done, the slick recordings, on-key singing, and flawless execution leech the charm out of the originals; the covers are as unsubtle as Rembrandt trying to paint like Henry Darger.

Johnston's stripped-down music has an uncorrupted, Peter Pan-like quality, like a child banging at a piano, or a subway performer playing away, oblivious to the roaring trains passing by. But don't be fooled Johnston's primitivism. His pop hooks are as big as Bacharach's or McCartney's—they're just buried in layers of madness, sadness, and the sheer, raw personal honesty of Johnston's singing, which turns every song into a therapy session, every note into a cry for help, and every sound into a beautifully human, inimitable, joyful noise.