Enigmatic chanteuse Neko Case delivers her fifth album of powerful, country-inflected pop and dreamy folk rock. This time around, Case sings from the perspective of tornados, elephants, killer whales, and other assorted forces of nature, personifying that which most of us fear. Her alluring pipes rule the show, however, drifting from deep bellow to reedy cackle with ease. Neko Case continues to redefine what it means to be an empowered female performer in this sad age of washed-up “stars” like Britney, Jessica, and Lindsey — ladies, here be your real role model, all fiery red hair, brash persona, and mysterious stoicism. 

Canadian anarcho-radicalists Propagandhi continue to push their pro-gay, pro-feminist, pro-vegan, anti-fascist, anti-capitalist agenda on their sixth album, which also finds the band expanding further into speed-metal, thrash, and melodic hardcore realms. The addition of a second guitarist behind lead singer/axe-shredder Chris Hannah allows for more technical depth, but the Propagandhi fire still burns bright on tracks that ridicule revisionist history, lampoon on-air sports announcers’ support for the war in Iraq, and explore the paradox of humanely killing and eating animals. While the rest of punk rock wallows in its current emo/eyeliner phase, Propagandhi continues to fire on all cylinders. At least some things stay the same.

Haunting, hopeful, and heady, this sophomore batch of somber yet light-footed folk ‘n’ roll from Elvis Perkins and his backing band In Dearland adds furtive snatches of New Orleans brass, shambling blues, and early R&B jauntiness to Perkins’ lyrical flourishes. Personal tragedies — Perkins’ father Anthony died of HIV complications in 1992, and his mother was onboard one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11 — are still mined for subject matter, but bouncy instrumentation and playful vocal tics lead Elvis Perkins In Dearland out of the bleak landscape of the singer/songwriter’s 2007 debut, Ash Wednesday. 

Portland, OR, duo produces an exhilarating Americana blend, anchored by woozy accordions, tinkling pianos, and other bucolic arrangements. Adrienne Hatkin’s warbling vibrato elevates Autopilot Is For Lovers’ debut album to evocative heights, while The Builders & The Butchers multi-instrumentalist Paul Seely sprinkles To The Wolves with atmospheric klezmer, Balkan, and even garage rock influences. Uneven at moments, the record hinges on the success of Hatkin’s quavering voice, which at times falls flat and at others soars into fractured, Gothic territory.

Legendary journeyman guitarist Kid Congo Powers (of Gun Club, The Cramps, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds fame) emerges from the shadows to deliver another stupefied slab of volcanic underground garage rock. Congo’s twisted spoken-word vocal delivery makes The Velvet Underground the most obvious starting point for Dracula Boots, but other disparate influences like early surf rock, Chicano funk, and psychobilly burrow their way into the album’s dense soil. Although it won’t alter the world, Dracula Boots does boast some nifty guitar licks, groove-heavy bass lines, and hallucinogenic sound bites. And it’s always better to listen to an underappreciated innovator than to his hordes of imitators.

Sunny, catchy indie pop from the latest Brooklyn band to appropriate global influences into their 21st-century hipster style. Singer Lexy Benaim’s nasally croon flits in and out amongst sparkling keys and fast-strumming guitars, while quick blasts of horns and minor shards of noise spice up the luminous, endlessly positive Harlem Shakes sound. They may be treading the same waters as fellow Afro-beat fans Vampire Weekend, but like that easygoing band’s debut album of collegiate pop, Technicolor Health just plain sounds fun. And you can’t argue with that.

A diamond in the rough of Central Florida’s meager cover band/reggae/metal-obsessed music scene, this Cocoa Beach singer/songwriter’s debut comprises equal parts mid-career R.E.M., downtrodden folk, and uptempo Irish drinking songs. Damion Suomi’s resonant, Michael Stipe-like voice hovers gently over well-picked acoustic guitars on ballads like “Archer Woman” and “What A Wonderful Game,” while shambling, Guinness-drenched songs like “Darwin, Jesus, The Devil, And Me,” “San Francisco,” and “Sunday Morning” feature jolly jig cadences and in-the-bar sound effects like shattering glass. And the whole shebang begs for a drunken sing-a-long at Suomi’s home base, Paddy Cassidy’s in Cocoa Beach.

Legendary left-field rapper Aceyalone (of Freestyle Fellowship fame) continues his run of concept albums with a 33-minute set dedicated to the doo-wop, Motown, and early soul sounds that influenced countless numbers of contemporary MCs. A crack band of anonymous players (The Lonely Ones) lay down the loose-limbed, finger-snapping, hip-shaking foundation for Acey to spit his free-flowing verses over, and the tribute to pioneering African-American art forms is spot on. “To The Top’s” effortless combination of jump-and-jive jazz, call-and-response chants, and fun-loving summertime imagery perfectly embodies the Aceyalone & The Lonely Ones ethos. If only this were the first foot hip-hop had put forward back in the day…