Björk [ tickets ]
"Vespertine" (Elektra)

Known for taking chances, Björk Gudmundsdóttir lives up to her reputation on "Vespertine," an album on which she continues to shun music as pop product in favor of music as art. The album is Björk's most experimental effort yet, a potentially illogical melding of orchestral arrangements and pulsing electronica, created by a group of artists that includes harpist Zeena Parkins and electronica duo Matmos. No two songs on the collection are alike, but the one constant is Björk's voice, which the elfin Icelander uses in astounding ways. She girlishly whispers one moment and belts out a guttural crescendo the next, and does both most effectively on the closing track, "Unison," a song that perfectly captures the quirkiness and beauty of her delivery. The most introspective and slow-tempo collection in Björk’s catalog, "Vespertine" proves to be a rousing showcase of her captivating vocal talent. --Jon Zahlaway, liveDaily staff writer

The Isley Brothers [ tickets ]
"Eternal" (Dreamworks)

Time has not been kind to genres the Isley Brothers have appropriated in their nearly 50-year career ('50s R&B, Motown, disco). But as their shape-shifting, shockingly energetic new album suggests, they are eternal. An instinct for fearless (and sometimes shameless) re-invention is on vivid display. Varied collaborators (Rapahel Saadiq, R. Kelly, Jill Scott) inspire without dominating, though four sleepy slow-jams by Jimmy Jam weigh down the middle. Ernie Isley's ballsy guitar heroics are present on the best tracks ("Move Your Body," "Ernie's Jam"). Ronald Isley's sweet, fine tenor knows no age (even on a Peter Cetera retread). Standout track "Contagious" is a sex narrative only a veteran of life could have written, and is emblematic of the album. Picking through the bones of styles bygone, producer Kelly strings together melodic choruses while the warblings of Ronald's strange sugar-daddy alter-ego, Mr. Biggs, recall the old adage: Old age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill. --Jack Shay, citysearch.com

Sparklehorse [ tickets ]
"It's a Wonderful Life" (Capitol)

Sparklehorse follows the well-worn trails blazed by Neil Young and Velvet Underground. "It's a Wonderful Life," the band's third record, yokes sad/cute melodies to an impressive range of styles, from backwoods waltzes to slow-burning country crunch to lightly psychedelic pop. Guest vocalists PJ Harvey and Tom Waits fit perfectly into the mix. But ultimately, the record is kept from wonderfulness by too much drowsy material--it lacks Young's screwball conviction or the hallucinogenic intensity of the VU. The momentum built by the feedback-drenched pop of "Piano Fire" is quickly lost on the following track, a pretty but ineffectual lighter-waver. And then there's "Apple Bed," which features a chorus of "Please, doctor," and which moves so slowly, you might need a doctor to treat you for narcolepsy by the time it's done. "It's a Wonderful Life" certainly has moments of sparkle, but the band could use a little more gallop. --Justin Hartung, citysearch.com

John Lee Hooker [ tickets ]
"The Healer" (Razor & Tie)

John Lee Hooker, who died in June, earned a spot in the pantheon of great bluesmen with a voice as muddy and dark as Delta dirt and a trademark boogie guitar sound. 1989's "The Healer" marked a major popular comeback for Hooker, and if you haven't heard him before, this reissue is a good place to start. The album captures Hooker past his prime, but he still has his chops, and he surrounds himself with sidemen such as Carlos Santana, Los Lobos and Robert Cray. Though "Cuttin' Out" and "Think Twice Before You Go" hop things up, Hooker and friends do their best work on the more mournful, subdued tunes, particularly his excellent duet with Bonnie Raitt, "I'm in the Mood." If you're looking for more hard-driving numbers, you should check out his earlier work, but "The Healer" will cure what ails you. --Christopher Bahn, citysearch.com

Robbie Fulks [ tickets ]
"Couples in Trouble" (Boondoggle)

Country singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks has made forays into rock and pop before, but it's rare for an artist to make such a radical change as Fulks has with "Couples in Trouble." Even a fan who can get past the absence of twang and playfulness may miss Fulks' lucid lyrics, now largely supplanted by Poetry. (Who made up the rule that serious rock shouldn't be understood without a lyrics sheet, and sometimes not even then: "Sentries in glass, your grim forebears/Flank the escarp, hold slave the prize"?). But the lyrics do offer literary rewards--"Brenda's New Stepfather" is both a funky New Orleans stomp and an excellent read--and the music is very ambitious and usually successful. Imagine Elvis Costello making an eclectic album like "Spike," creating the kind of marginalized characters that Stan Ridgway and David Baerwald have written about, and produced for triple-A radio. Rock for grown-ups. --James Woster, liveDaily staff writer

Previous Spin Cycles:

August 8: Usher, Prince, Freedy Johnston, Joy Division, Chocolate Genius

July 26: 'NSync, Aaliyah, Cake, Toni Price, The Beta Band

July 12: Melissa Etheridge, Tha Liks, Perry Farrell, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Craig David

June 28: Sisqo, Gorillaz, Built to Spill, Miles Davis, The White Stripes

Have a comment or question? Send a message to the Spin Cycle editor: Don Harvey.