Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom
(Ipecac)

Notorious for his cacophonous leadership in Mr. Bungle, Mike Patton goes "pop" on Peeping Tom, his most accessible recording since Faith No More. But when "pop" and Patton meet, don't expect tunes reminiscent of AM radio's heyday. The Mamas and the Papas might've indulged recreationally, but they didn't have lyrics like these, from Patton's sly "Mojo": "Roll it up and smoke it again/Line it up and snort it again/Fix it up and shoot it again." The pop wink comes next, with a nod to Britney: "I can't believe I did it again."

Working with an international cast including Massive Attack, Amon Tobin, Kool Keith, Kid Koala, Norah Jones and others, Patton delivers his unique, skewed takes on rock, hip-hop and Braz-jazz ("Caipirinha," with Bebel Gilberto, juxtaposes synth squiggles and thunderous grooves with samba), among other idioms. It's an outstanding headphones listen, too, revealing minute sonic details such as a bicycle chain on "Five Seconds." The funky "Don't Even Trip" recalls Ween's passion for soulful authenticity and penchant for hysterical, biting lyrics. Norah Jones subverts gender double standards on the tantalizing "Sucker," and "How U Feelin?" throws a whole bunch of funk in the trunk. And "Kill the DJ," with Massive Attack, flutters with extraterrestrial samples that lead to a soaring chorus. Patton's in fine form on this 11-song frolic with, of course, more than enough subversion for careful listeners.

— Mark Woodlief

Various Artists
Big Star Small World
(Koch)

Several years ago, I asked former Dream Syndicate guitarist Steve Wynn if, given the choice, he'd prefer to be successful as opposed to being influential. "Success is fleeting," he said with conviction. "Influence is forever." That homily should have been tattooed on the biceps of every member of Big Star. The Memphis soul/pop avatars were the blueprint for every power-pop band that followed them and were name-checked as an influence by most of them. As wildly influential as they were, their unit sales at the time numbered in the hundreds, and they broke up in obscurity and debt. But, as Steve Wynn observed, there's no expiration date on influence, a fact well demonstrated on Big Star Small World, a lovely tribute to Big Star's lasting pop legacy.

There isn't a sour note in the lot, which includes: the Gin Blossoms' sprawling reading of "Back of a Car"; the late, lamented Afghan Whigs' visceral spin on "Nighttime"; Kelly Willis' rootsy run through "When My Baby's Beside Me"; and Juliana Hatfield's fuzzy and swinging "Don't Lie to Me." Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, Wilco and the Posies (among others) are the icing on the cake. The resurrected Big Star, featuring Posies Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer along with founder Alex Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens, makes an appearance as well, with the bouncy "Hot Thing." If influence was negotiable, Big Star would have a penthouse view, and Donald Trump would be the band's valet. As it is, the guys will just have to accept the respect accorded them as one of the most influential "failures" of all time.

— Brian Baker

The Wreckers
Stand Still, Look Pretty
(Maverick)

Michelle Branch has always been likeable. Her songs are just poppy enough to stick around in your skull long after they've stopped playing, but not so poppy that she's annoying when inevitably overplayed on the radio. Her latest project, a "band" with former backup singer Jessica Harp, shifts Branch from girlie popster to country singer. Harp and Branch's voices blend together well, sharing similar vocal tones, which often causes their debut to sound like it's actually a solo project. The acoustic-based songs have enough twang to be awarded the country label, but it's more LeAnn Rimes than anything else.

"My, Oh My" conjures images of 16-year-old girls in pink cowboy boots running into Wal-Mart, while opener "Leave the Pieces" is more reminiscent of Branch's previous albums. The title track is an achingly quiet track that leaves you wondering where you put that copy of Branch's The Spirit Room that you secretly bought when it came out in 2001 and played on repeat for months. The Wreckers is an interesting experiment, but sometimes it feels like Branch is faking it just a little bit. While Harp is a legitimate country singer, Branch should probably stick to doing pop songs.

— Emily Zemler

Dave Alvin
West of the West
(Yep Roc)

Dave Alvin's music has a lot in common with his home state of California. When the region was carved out of the frontier at the edge of the sea, it was a rustic area that desperately wanted to be considered cosmopolitan. Throughout his career, first as the frontman for the Blasters and then as a solo artist, Alvin has combined rough-hewn roots rock with the twangy zest of rockabilly and the contemporary energy of punk. Recently, Alvin's been looking over his shoulder at his (and our) rootsy past; his 2000 collection of covers, Public Domain, was a stripped- down masterpiece that won him a Grammy for Traditional Folk Album.

Alvin's latest themed project is similarly sparse musically but rich in heritage; West of the West is the native Golden Stater's salute to California songwriters (or outside writers smitten with the state and reflecting its influence). True to form, Alvin doesn't merely cover his chosen songs, he inhabits them and transforms them from the inside. In this way, Jackson Browne's high-octane "Redneck Friend" becomes a jazzy blues lament, Tom Waits' shambling "Blind Love" lopes into roadhouse swamp-blues territory, and Brian Wilson's iconic "Surfer Girl" reels out like Americana doo-wop gospel. And proof of Alvin's own songwriting credentials comes on his co-write with Tom Russell, the dusty cantina swing of "Between the Cracks." Clearly, Alvin could take any set of material and make it uniquely his own, but with West of the West's California thread, he takes an interesting conceptual element and makes it intensely personal.

— Brian Baker

 The Wedding Present
Search for Paradise: Singles 2004-2005
(Manifesto)

When the Wedding Present returned in 2004 after an eight-year absence, it didn't exactly take the States by storm. But then, the band's always been bigger in the UK, as this CD and DVD collection implies by labeling itself as a "singles" collection (it's not like any of the songs were actually stateside hits) and including the kind of material (b-sides, videos, acoustic versions) that its fans overseas crave. That's not to say it's not a good collection. In addition to three "singles" from 2005's Take Fountain, Search for Paradise includes everything from strident guitar workouts ("Bad Thing" and "American Tan") to remixes (the Klee's twee take on "I'm From Further North Than You") and stabs at elegant pop ("Shivers" and "Nickels and Dimes"). The surprising thing is that, despite its grab-bag nature, it all sounds pretty cohesive — perhaps because so many tunes have to do with a bitter separation.

— Jeff Niesel