Ray LaMontagne, "Supernova"

Damon Albarn

“EVERYDAY ROBOTS”

XL Recordings

Damon Albarn’s consistently unpredictable career has delivered plenty of thrills, from early 1990s Brit-pop beginnings with Blur to cartoon-band triumphs with Gorillaz, plus numerous memorable side projects along the way. But this is the creatively restless 46-year-old’s first proper solo album, so reminiscences like “Hollow Ponds” mean to tell us something more personal about a songwriter more typically at home relating nonautobiographical stories.

On the title track, on “Lonely Press Play,” and on “The Selfish Giant,” in which he proclaims that “it’s hard to be a lover when the TV’s on,” Albarn strains to make insightful points about alienation in the computer age. His observations about us all turning into automatons, however, are mostly banal. The album is always pretty and beautifully produced, but it’s also slow-paced and sleepy to a fault, as if Albarn felt the need to ditch any trace of playfulness in undertaking such a soul-baring project. Only on the 43-second trifle “Parakeet” and the bouncy “Mr. Tembo,” written for an orphaned baby elephant Albarn encountered in Tanzania, does he dare to lighten up and invite the listener to the party.

— Dan DeLuca,

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Wye Oak

“SHRIEK”

Merge Records

Reinvention has long been a dog-eared page in the rock band playbook, and “trade guitars for synthesizers” might be the most underlined statement on the page. For every band that manages that transition with grace and purpose, there are many more that seem driven by desperation, having exhausted the usual options. “Shriek,” the immersive new album by Wye Oak, somehow places the group in both categories.

Made up of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, and formerly rooted in Baltimore, Wye Oak built all of its previous momentum as an indie-rock band, finding a place for drifting languor, whorled distortion and just a hint of twang.

But after touring behind its 2011 album, “Civilian,” the duo was physically and creatively spent. Stack moved to Portland and then Marfa, Texas; Wasner, back in Baltimore, found she couldn’t spark any new material on guitar.

The sound of “Shriek,” all shimmer and hum, is a product of this back story, which also provides the album with a lyrical subtext.

When everything clicks, as in the ghostly bounce of “Schools of Eyes,” the band’s new direction seems inevitable. “Despicable Animal” exploits the framework, too, swerving from a calmly suffocating verse and bridge into a startling sunburst of a chorus.

There are also moments that suggest a voguish nod to retro synth-pop: “Logic of Color,” the album’s closer, could almost be a track by Haim, played underwater. Whether or not this world of sound represents the future for Wye Oak, it was a departure well worth taking.

ON TOUR: July 14 — Doug Fir Lounge, Portland; www.ticketfly.com or 877-435-9849.

— Nate Chinen,

The New York Times

TEEN

“THE WAY AND COLOR”

Carpark Records

Indie rock’s appropriation of mainstream pop sensibilities is a trend that continues to produce exciting results. The xx covering Aaliyah’s “Hot Like Fire,” “Wrenning Day” by Ava Luna, and the arty twists St. Vincent has applied to pop tropes on her new self-titled release have all led us on exciting divergences from the untheatrical indie template. TEEN is one of the latest acts to follow this example. Their second release, “The Way and Color,” is indebted to the ’90s R&B the band’s three sisters — Teeny, Katherine and Lizzie Lieberson — and new bassist, Boshra Alsaadi, grew up with.

“The Way and Color” begins with one of the album’s weakest tracks, “Rose 4 U.” As promising as Teeny’s vocals sometimes are, her voice sounds too thin for this material, which demands rich deliveries. She begins to find her footing on the album’s first single, “Not for Long.” The R&B vibes are front and center here, with the mellow chorus giving off the same warmth as an evening of girl talk with your wisest friends.

Although its experimentation makes “The Way and Color” a fairly strong release, some of TEEN’s ventures actually hinder the songs. The brass and woodwind coda of “Breathe Low and Deep,” for example, is approximately 50 seconds too long. “The Way and Color” may not be the final destination for this breed of indie, but it does serve as a striking signpost along the way.

— Maria Schurr, PopMatters.com

Ray LaMontagne

“SUPERNOVA”

RCA Records

Famous for his smooth, smoky voice and softly soulful, earnest craft as a songwriter, Ray LaMontagne has now rearranged his brand of Americana with sensual, reverbing psychedelia and the production help of Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach. The result: LaMontagne suddenly sounds as if he’s loose and having weird fun. When he sings about wanting his girl on this album’s title track, he seems, at last, to really want her — and not just to talk while sipping coffee.

Auerbach’s production should get much of the credit for the independence and sexual power of this recording. He brings to “Supernova” the same treatment he brought to roots-based artists such as Valerie June. On “Supernova,” we hear a track such as “Drive-In Movies,” with lyrics of youthful motives and desires, plus a jaunty, Brit-pop melody — swathed in dense organ sounds and oozing background voices. “Lavender” conjures more scents and taste sensations than the herb itself.

“Supernova” is LaMontagne’s most complex statement yet about life, love, and music itself.

ON TOUR: Aug. 12 — McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale; SOLD OUT; www.cascadetickets.com or 800-514-3849.

— A.D. Amorosi ,

The Philadelphia Inquirer