The Knux, Remind Me in 3 Days... (Interscope) - With 10 years of bling under their belts, brothers Krispy Kream and Al Millio fled their Katrina-ravaged Big Easy for a fresh milieu in the Hollywood Hills. And it shows: The lyrical drive of their debut album is now bedecked in club-crazed, West Coast extravagance. Tracks shimmy from remix-friendly singles like “Cappuccino” and “Powder Room” to intense guitar-jams in “Bang! Bang!” and “Daddy’s Little Girl.” Although the duo is routinely slammed for rehashing Outkast beats from back in the early noughties, Remind me in 3 Days... is an astute hybrid of fiery, clap-your-hands punk rap and garage hop. -- Eiseley Tauginas

Labelle, Back to Now (Verve) - Trading 1960s bouffant cuts for space-age pantsuits, Labelle, the original girl-group power rangers, have been strutting their stuff, on and off, for 47 years. Back to Now is easily the reunion of the year, and on tracks like “The Truth Will Set You Free,” the gospel-funk-rock fusion poured on heavy by Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash sounds as mighty as ever. On “Roll Out,” featuring Wyclef Jean, the makers of “Lady Marmalade” bring their women’s lib sensibilities to the automaton generation. But they overplay the sap on too-earnest tracks like “Tears for the World” and “Dear Rosa.” A previously unreleased version of Cole Porter’s “Miss Otis Regrets” from 1970 demonstrates the glory that was, and isn’t quite now. -- Evelyn McDonnell

Fires of Rome, You Kingdom You (The Hours) - On their debut album, this New York-based trio bursts out of the gate with vocals reminiscent of Bowie and guitars that rage like Zeppelin. Steadily piloted by lead vocalist Gunnar, You Kingdom You is an ode to the classic days of rock ’n’ roll doused with post-modernism. The album oscillates between soaring falsetto (“Dawn Lament”) and rousing aural kinesis (“Bronx Bombadier”) with such ease that it leaves listeners with a tinge of nostalgia for the golden age of rock. -- Cory Carroll

The Killers, Day & Age (Island Records) - Frontman Brandon Flowers has always rocked a dazzling powerhouse voice, and on the band’s third studio album, the Killers tone down their synthesizers, showcasing his soaring vocals. Day & Age elevates the band out of their sophomore slump, as they return to their dance-pop-rock roots, and branch out into new sonic territory with emotive epics (“Goodnight, Travel Well”), stirring anthems (“Spaceman”) and pulsing ballads (“A Dustland Fairytale”). And while Flowers promises an angst-ridden exit on “I Can’t Stay,” by the album’s end you’ll wish he wouldn’t go. -- C.C.

Morel, The Death Of The Paperboy (Outsider Music) - Morel, nom de groove of Richard Morel, remains both an icon and iconoclast of dance music, from his work with legendary deejay duo Deep Dish to “Blowoff,” his club-night collaboration with Hüsker Dü founder Bob Mould. Famed for merging heartfelt songwriting with atmospheric electronica, Morel, on his masterful new album, takes this alchemic approach to unexpected heights, exploring the inevitable love hangover following nights of “disco drugs and lots of fun.” One song, “Shoegazer Disco,” aptly distills his genius for transforming smokescreen guitars and spacey, emotional vocals into poignant dancefloor anthems. -- Matt Diehl

Ladyhawke, Ladyhawke (Modular Records) - Like snorting lines of glitter from the neon surface of a just-completed Rubik’s Cube, the disco debut album from New Zealander Ladyhawke (known as Pip Brown to fellow Kiwis) is thrilling, heady and a little dizzying. This eponymous collection of dance anthems and power ballads bleeds, sweats and tears the 1980s into shreds on each buoyant, breathy track, relying heavily on thick synthesizers that pay homage to everyone from Cyndi Lauper and early Material Girl to ELO. “Paris is Burning” and “Dusk Till Dawn” are standouts, but picking favorites on this album is like having to choose between the guys from Wang Chung. -- Nick Haramis