Jazz Universe returns with our own survey of the top jazz recordings from this year—perhaps in the nick of time for some last-minute holiday gifts for others, or down-time exploration for oneself.

With its sophomore album, local psych band Mmoss has found its calling.

Under the spell of their droning rhythms, raw improvisations, and pulsing energy, the vision of green moss clinging to a riverside stone feels appropriate for this band. There’s a mysterious sentience to their music, murky but thrumming with life. “Only Children,” released last month on Chicago’s Trouble in Mind, sees Mmoss maintaining the vintage, psychedelic, folk-rock style showcased on their debut album, “i,” but also establishing a sound that is distinctly of their own making.

Any film director will tell you that the score of a film—the music composed to contribute to the collaborative whole of this very collaborative medium—is irrevocably an essential part of the film’s success. Long before lines of dialogue appeared in movies, everything from full-blown orchestras to tinny pianos provided the underscoring for the Silent Era. Timothy Fife and Tim Lang-Grannan are two Seacoast musicians now part of the tradition—more specifically, they’re creating scores for horror films. Their effort on the release of “Murder University” recently earned the Best Soundtrack award at the ShudderFest in Somerville, Mass.

The Seacoast’s favorite psychedelic rock band, Mmoss, has officially released its second full-length album, “Only Children.” They’ll celebrate with a show at The Press Room in Portsmouth on Friday, Nov. 30 at 9 p.m.

Beserkley Records, 1976: On nearly every track, Richman sings with humor and sincerity about difficulties with the opposite sex and other indignities of entering manhood as a social outcast. “Well, some people try to pick up girls and get called assholes / This never happened to Pablo Picasso / He could walk down your street and girls could not resist his stare / And so Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole,” he sings conversationally in what is perhaps the band’s most celebrated song, “Pablo Picasso.”

Dover-based rock band One Hand Free has been satisfying fans with a steady stream of new material all year long. The trend continues with the release of their latest downloadable recording, “Hard X.”

Set to introduce his new album with a show in Kittery, Seacoast folk icon Bill Staines reflects on a life-long career in music.

With the release of his latest CD, “Beneath Some Lucky Star,” Seacoast musician Bill Staines has now recorded 26 solo albums. An original fixture of the Boston-area folk scene in the early 1960s, Staines’ songs have been performed by the likes of Peter, Paul and Mary; Nanci Griffith; Makem & Clancy, and others. During nearly five decades of incessant touring across the country, he has performed in all 50 states. Staines still plays upwards of 200 dates per year, driving more than 65,000 miles annually. And, although he admits it is getting more difficult to pull all-nighters behind the wheel, he still enjoys traveling the country with his guitar. “I enjoy it. I love playing for people,” Staines said. “To me, every day is an adventure.”

A new exhibit at the UNH Library’s Multimedia Center presents LP cover art from classic pop-rock records.

The prevalence of album art faded with the demise of vinyl records and the rise of CDs. But from the late ’60s to the early ’80s, the art on a record sleeve said nearly as much about a band as the music contained within the vinyl grooves.

The RMS Five, a quintet version of local gospel group Rock My Soul, is releasing a new holiday CD with a pair of upcoming shows. The band will unveil “Christmas Every Day” with a holiday concert alongside the full Rock My Soul choir on Saturday, Dec. 8, followed by a CD release show on Sunday, Dec. 16.

Dover-based rock band Gnarlemagne sits atop the regional Bull Moose bestseller list this week with their newly released sophomore album, “A Warm and Cozy Volcano.” The group released their latest disc with a show in Dover on Nov. 3.

Soule Monde, a funky jazz fusion duo consisting of organist Ray Paczkowski and drummer Russ Lawton, will celebrate the release of their new self-titled album with a show at The Red Door in Portsmouth on Thursday, Nov. 15.

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre has been expanding its programming for the last year, and the trend continues this fall with the launch of a new live music series. Rock the Rep kicks off with two shows on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9 and 10. The first show will present local gypsy rock band Ryan Flaherty and the Burners, along with Boston-based jazz violin virtuoso Kenny Butler. The Saturday night show will include longtime local rockers Tim McCoy and the Papercuts and up-and-coming local rock band Red Sky Mary. A portion of proceeds from the show will benefit The Red Cross for its hurricane relief efforts in New York and New Jersey.

Once in a while, an event so unique and unusual comes along that it must be recorded for prosperity and offered up to the masses. That’s why Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys are offering a digital recording of their original score to “Metropolis,” performed live at The Music Hall in Portsmouth last month.

Local singer-songwriter Eli Elkus is a relative newcomer to the Seacoast music scene. Then again, as a teenager born in 1994, you might say Elkus is a relative newcomer to the world. Nevertheless, his new CD, “Meet Me in the Middle of Nowhere,” belies his age, featuring skillfully crafted songs and striking vocals.

With the release of their sophomore album approaching, members of Seacoast band Gnarlemagne ponder their musical evolution.

Listening to “A Warm and Cozy Volcano,” the sophomore album from Gnarlemagne, the band’s growth over the last few years is immediately apparent—literally and figuratively. It features the same horn-happy core members that appeared on their 2009 debut, “Run for Shelter,” but there are also three new instrumentalists. The music retains the same boisterous energy that has made them one of the Seacoast’s favorite live acts, but the arrangements are more complex, and the lyrics more mature. Gnarlemagne is shedding its party band reputation, but retaining its sense of fun.

‘Poor Howard’ Stith and Mike ‘Bullfrog’ Rogers bring their musical roots to the Seacoast.

Seacoast musicians “Poor Howard” Stith and Mike “Bullfrog” Rogers both have Midwestern roots on the Mississippi River. But they do not hail from the southern Delta region that spawned blues legends like Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson and Leadbelly. Stith was raised in Iowa and later moved to Minneapolis. Rogers was born in Rock Island, Ill. “We joke about that, that we’re from the wrong end of the Mississippi,” Stith said.

Thanks to Gravity to release new disc: There is now one more reason for fans of local legends Thanks to Gravity to check out the band’s upcoming performance at The Music Hall with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra—they’ll be releasing a new live EP. The band will be performing with the Portsmouth Symphony during its season opening concert on Sunday, Nov. 4. The CD will be available at the show, and band members will stick around afterward to sign copies and chat with guests.

Portsmouth’s Geoff Palmer and Portland’s Kurt Baker launch their own label with new CDs

For much of the 2000s, The Guts were the most prevalent pop-punk band on the Seacoast, while The Leftovers held the same distinction in the Portland area. The two bands often found themselves sharing bills and working with the same record labels, and their members developed a strong rapport on and off the stage.

Doctor Gasp returns to haunt New England with his Misshapen Jack-O-Lantern Tour.

Although the tour includes a handful of bar gigs, Doctor Gasp will also rear his beastly head at a number of art galleries, festivals and houses. Since he just moved out of his apartment and put all his belongings into storage, he’ll spend the month as a musical hobo. “My lease had run out and I didn’t find a place, so I was like, ‘Who cares? I’m going on tour,’” he said.

While many locals complain about the dwindling number of live music venues in Portsmouth, only a handful actively try to do something about it. John Lessard is one of them, having expanded the live music and comedy offerings at The Red Door over the last two years.

The Elysium Arts Folk Club, host of regular concerts at its intimate space in Rollinsford, has closed its doors. Owner Joseph Simes said the club, located at the Lower Mills at Salmon Falls, shut down due to low attendance and climbing rent.

Downtown Portsmouth now has two new venues for live music. The Thirsty Moose Taphouse on Congress Street has opened its downstairs lounge, and the Martingale Wharf on Bow Street has launched a live music series.

Melvins front man Buzz Osborne talks about their record-setting tour and new album, along with the influences of Judy Garland.

Buzz Osborne founded sludge-metal band the Melvins in Washington nearly 30 years ago. Since then, the band has released nearly 20 studio albums, influencing everyone from grunge acts like Nirvana and Soundgarden to metal bands like Tool and Mastodon. But, until now, the Melvins’ have never performed in New Hampshire.

In a rare collision between the reggae worlds of England and New Hampshire, Portsmouth will host an upcoming release party for a new project from London’s Micah “Mr. Williamz” Williams. The launch party for locally produced single “We Run England” takes place at The Red Door on Sunday, Sept. 30.