Home spun -- What Jeff Pizek's listening to

Beirut, "The Flying Club Cup" (Ba Da Bing!)

Indie folk/pop orchestra sounds more French than Balkan this time

Between the Buried and Me, "Colors" (Victory)

In a ho-hum year, this is a stunning pinnacle of progressive metalcore

The Go! Team, "Proof of Youth" (Memphis Industries)

Another buoyant mix of indie rock, jump-rope rhymes,'70s cop show horns and '80s hip-hop beats

Every Time I Die, "The Big Dirty" (Ferret)

Brash, brawny, ballistic hardcore with a sarcastic Southern rawk soul

Limbonic Art, "Legacy of Evil" (Nocturnal Art Productions)

Underrated symphonic black metallers' long-awaited comeback