Listen Up

The Defectors, Bruised and Satisfied (Bad Afro). This slide-show of B-movies and '60s garage punk has just enough menace to incite real fear. The cartoon "Bring on the Dancing Ghouls" seems goofy, but the underlying threat has to be taken seriously. Elsewhere, the nightmare-inducing "Bruised and Satisfied" could be the sadistic flip side of "I Wanna Be Your Dog." — Rick Skidmore Great Deal of Noise, 13 Convolutions (Bluetracks). This cabal of Montreal film students weaves a multi-layered tapestry of sound straight from British gangster noir that's as haunting as a lipstick-stained collar, as brooding as the growl of a V-8, and sexier than a Parisian hooker in fishnets packing a silenced 9mm. Trip-hop is back with a vengeance. — Rob Williams

Mexican Institute of Sound, Piñata (Nacional Records). Camilo Lara, the man behind Mexican Institute of Sound, is among the most purely joyful music-makers on the planet today. On Piñata, he mashes together sampletastic snippets and the work of live musicians and singers (including Talking Head Chris Frantz and kindred spirit Tomoyuki Tanaka) to arrive at a style capable of simultaneously tickling brains and starting parties. — Roberts

Richard Pinhas, Metatron (Cuneiform Records). France's Richard Pinhas was fiddling about with electronic music long before it was fashionable, and his experience shows on Metatron, a double-CD set filled to the brim with captivating atmospherics. Vocal samples, a smattering of traditional instruments and diverse synthesized tones and washes combine to create a mysterious yet wholly tangible world of sound. — Roberts

The Used, Lies for the Liars(Reprise). For their third album, the Used have shed most of their screamo vocals for a more rhythmic but decidedly thunderous and bombastic assault that allows Bert McCracken's vocals to soar over theatrically atmospheric productions built on string sections, quirky Casio-like samples and synths. It's so calculated it hurts. — Glenn BurnSilverYakuza, Transmutations (Prosthetic Records). The experimental metalheads of Yakuza push the envelope even further with their fourth release. Elements of jazz, psychedelic and prog rock spike the Chicago outfit's heavy compositions with unexpected intelligence and accessibility. Despite occasional detours into wankery, Transmutations proves that Yakuza is a leader in the new school of thinking-man's metal. — Eyl