The New Troubadours: Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling wander the globe soaking up inspiration for their fresh take on folk.

Of Montreal, Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl). On their ninth studio album, these melodic misnomers from Athens, Georgia, continue to build upon their boffo brand of carnival pop. “Nonpareil of Favor” boils over with typical bubbly fare, anchored by frontman Kevin Barnes’s charming falsetto. On “For Our Elegant Caste,” an unexpected experiment in indie funk, Barnes lilts, “We can do it soft-core if you want, but you should know that I go both ways.” Similarly, “Gallery Piece” features lyrics like, “I want to hurt your pride, I want to slap your face, I want to paint your nails,” a perfectly bathetic trajectory for a perfectly contradictory band. —Nick Haramis

Brazilian Girls, New York City (Verve Forecast). As the title of their art-groovy third album suggests, Brazilian Girls make music for urban spaces: airports, nightclubs, deserted streets. The trio -- only one of whom is female, and Italian -- are residents of New York City but citizens of the world. There are songs here in four languages, about “St. Petersburg,” “Berlin” and a plethora of cities name-checked in “Internacional.” Riff genius, immaculate drummer and fashion diva: The Girls resemble Blondie more and more every year. And that’s a good thing. -- Evelyn McDonnell

The U.K. chanteuse takes off her disco vixen guise and slips into something decidedly more intimate.