Neon Indian: Psychic Chasms

Artist: Neon Indian
Album: Psychic Chasms
Date Released: October 13, 2009
Genre: indie electronic, electronic, alt-rock
Rating: 7.9

Peaches: I Feel Cream

Artist: Peaches
Album: I Feel Cream
Date Released: May 5, 2009
Genre: indie electronic, techno, electro-techno, dance, dance punk, synthpunk
Rating: 7.6

Former elementary school teacher turned potty mouth techno-dance musician, composer and producer, Peaches has released her fourth studio album -- and it's solid. Her lyrics are sexually explicit and provocative as usual; the beats, synth pulses and grooves are highly addictive and laden with ear candy. The album's got a lot of attitude and is a ton of fun. Track highlights include "Billionaire," "I Feel Cream," and "Take You On."

Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue

Artist: Bibio
Album: Ambivalence Avenue
Date Released: June 23, 2009
Genre: post-rock, experimental, indie electronic, electronica
Rating: 8.5

Review: On Ambivalence Avenue, England's Bibio (aka Stephen Wilkinson) weaves together densely textured and dynamic layers of heavily processed samples and beats. The album's mood is warm, welcoming and summery.

Bibio dips into a variety of influences, some as immediate as Boards of Canada, Justice and Caribou, and others as far back as Future Sound of London, Jean-Michel Jarre and even Ummagummesque Pink Floyd; Bibio shows outstanding creativity as he reworks these influences into something that still sounds very fresh.

Ambivalence Avenue will appeal to those looking for straight-forward pop while also appeasing those looking for something a bit more daring and complex. There's absolutely nothing to be ambivalent about here in the slightest.

Fever Ray: Fever Ray

Artist: Fever Ray
Album: Fever Ray
Date Released: March 24, 2009
Genre: indie electronic
Rating: 8.8

Review: Fever Ray is the solo project of Karin Dreijer, lead vocalist of the electronic music duo The Knife. Well, calling it a 'solo project' is not entirely fair; Dreijer is getting help from co-producers Christoffer Berg, Van Rivers and the Subliminal Kid. The end result is a sound not too dissimilar from what Knife fans have come to expect.

But as Fever Ray, Dreijer is able to explore a sonic space with much darker and eerie overtones. The album is an intimate and spooky journey that's as distinctive as anything bound to come out this year. Dreijer's vocals are intermixed with brooding electronic swells and an often minimalist percussive arrangement. Fever Ray's extremely tasteful use of sonic space adds to the album's over all intimate tone and its hints at alienation.

One of my favorite lyrics are featured in "Seven":

I've got a friend who I've known since I was seven
We use to talk on the phone, if we have time, if it's the right time

Accompany me by the kitchen sink
We talk about love, we talk about dishwasher tablets, illness
And we dream about heaven

Definitely one of the year's best.