‘Romantic Comedy’ by Big Troubles
label: Slumberland
genre: nostalgic pop
suitable for: mental illness

The second album by this New Jersey crew is a surprising improvement. While showing promise, the band’s 2010 debut “Worry” was too deliberately lo-fi and constrained by heavy-handed effects. “Romantic Comedy” keeps the best of that sound, but the songs are far more developed and genuine, and the effects are chosen with care rather than dumped over each track in buckets. Nice work, guys.

Even if the rest of the record were a dud it would be worth it for first single, “Sad Girls,” a gorgeous and miserable song with guitars so sharp it’s like an icicle tickling one’s ear lobe. It’s followed by “You’ll Be Laughing,” a mesmerizing slow jam matching singer Ian Drennan’s whispered vocals with a steady drumbeat and two somnolent guitars shimmering into outer space.

There are unabashed ’90s alt-rock influences peeking through and sometimes taking over completely. Singer Alex Craig, who splits vocal duties evenly with Drennan, has a Billy Corgan-ish voice that brings back memories of staying up late to watch “120 Minutes,” eating Totino’s pizza rolls. It feels surprisingly good to be back there. There is a lot to revisit from that decade, troubles and all.

Visit www.facebook.com/bigtroublesband.

‘Elsie’ by The Horrible Crowes
label: Side One Dummy
genre: instant classic
suitable for: driving into the river
This is the side project of The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon and one of his bros.

Slower and more atmospheric than that band, The Horrible Crowes could be seen as Fallon’s outlet for impulses deemed too dark for his other bros. Even so, there are a few songs that seem like The Gaslight Anthem on downers, particularly “Behold the Hurricane” and “Crush.” That’s not a criticism. I’ll take that all day.

But the record is most magical when Fallon challenges himself, as he does on “Go Tell Everybody,” which features a Tom Waits growl verging on an Otis Redding-style head explosion as the song builds intensity to the closing line: “I was a man of great sympathy / When I loved you baby / But tonight all my sympathy is gone.”

Tom Waits’ warped storytelling is clearly a major influence on these songs, but ultimately they still sound like Bruce Springsteen, Fallon’s most obvious influence. In this case, it is “Nebraska”-era Springsteen, particularly on the lovesick descent into darkness of “Black Betty and the Moon.”

“Elsie” holds some mysteries. Ian Perkins, the other half of the band, seems to be a major contributor with his atmospheric guitar work. Gaslight’s best songs are obvious immediately, but it took me a few listens to realize “Blood Loss” is this album’s best track. It builds slowly, features several different vocal styles, and an epic Gaslight-style chorus seems to appear from out of nowhere. 

Visit www.thehorriblecrowes.com.

‘The Old Magic’ by Nick Lowe
label: Yep Roc
genre: balladeering
suitable for: males in their mid 40s, according to Billboard (ouch)

As my wife often reminds me, I “don’t exactly have my finger on the pulse of today’s youth.” So, kids, you might not find this one rocking the jukebox at your favorite after-school joint. It’s by a figure of historical significance, Nick Lowe. He is a billion years old. He has produced Elvis Costello records. He produced the shit out of the first Damned record. As a solo artist, he released one of the great albums of the new wave era, “Jesus of Cool.” The savior has mellowed a bit over the years, but he is still cool.

“The Old Magic,” Lowe’s 13th album, is not about recapturing something from his early days; rather it reflects his career-long infatuation with the ineffable wonder of pre-Beatles American music—blues, country, jazz, doo-wop. As with most of his recent work, “The Old Magic” sticks with the lazy country, soft shuffle sound of an accomplished musician aging gracefully. He croons. Lowe’s singular lyricism, a combination of dry wit and emotional truth, remains Nick the Knife sharp.

In “I Read A Lot,” a highlight of the album, Lowe sings: “I read a lot / not just magazines / but other more serious things / to get me through the day / nighttime too / whilst wondering how in the world to go on without you.” The narrator on “’Til The Real Thing Comes Along” implores a woman to reach down and use him as a placeholder until her “dreamboat” arrives. Lowe has always played this charming everyman character so well, but it’s a ruse; everyone knows he will always be the Jesus of being awesome.

Visit www.nicklowe.com.

‘New Brigade’ by Iceage
label: ESCHO/Dais/What’s Your Rupture?
genre: thrash
suitable for: scrapes and bruises
While there is a great deal to love about the songwriting maturity of someone like Nick Lowe, it can’t replace the insane bliss of young punks cutting loose. These guys are from Denmark and their debut “New Brigade” has been reissued in the U.S. twice this year as new listeners are floored by its fast, discordant, yet surprisingly tuneful clangor.

Although there is something familiar about “New Brigade,” I don’t remember hardcore bands in the ’80s sounding so much like The Cure. The Cure on amphetamines, of course, but singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt has that romantic early-’80s voice that conjures images of fog and eyeliner. “Remember” is a great example: out-of-tune guitars are pounded to sound like two knives scraping together, but Elias sings melodiously, “I keep myself within / This long and holy light / Remember these days.”

Named after a Joy Division song, the band captures the self-destructive beauty of that band, yet influences are frankly irrelevant when there is so much raw energy bursting through.

Visit www.iceagecopenhagen.