Juice Aleem
Jerusalaam Come
(Big Dada)

The problem with UK hip-hop — and maybe this is purely an American sentiment — is it lacks memorable MCs. Luckily, Juice Aleem commands attention. His eccentric personality will get fans of Cee-Lo and Andre 3000 taking notice. Jerusalaam Come is Juice's official debut, but his history in the UK's underground scene has him sounding finely groomed. The biggest problem is production: It changes genres like a drunk driver changes lanes. Juice, however, faces every challenge the beats throw at him. — Anthony Fantano

Polvo
In Prism
(Merge)

Polvo looms large among certain indie musicians. After disappearing for more academic pursuits, the band (with its original core frontmen) is back with a new record. Polvo's signature warped guitar sounds are as distinctive and immediately identifiable as ever. What has changed is that where older Polvo records almost sounded like field recordings from some unknown country, the band now has settled comfortably into rock mode. They're from where we're from; they're just not like everybody else. — John Adamian

Despised Icon
Day of Mourning
(Century Media)

You don't listen to Despised Icon so much as you inflict them upon yourself, the way you might go in for surgery you don't need. Day of Mourning delivers yet more technical deathgrind, but its short running time and straightforward song structures represent a break with the band's more challenging back catalog. Alexandre Pelletier's drumming remains beautiful, grotesque, and inventive. However, his performance is so absurdly flawless that it was almost certainly played on a triggered kit. — Dan Barry

Pisces
A Lovely Sight
(Numero Group)

Record collectors are a little like archeologists, digging for lost ruins. A Lovely Sight is the unissued 1969 LP by Pisces, a psychedelic band from Rockford, Ill. The counter culture met the Rust Belt, yielding interesting results — backward drums, overdriven guitars, spooky harmonies, spectral echoes and huge drum sounds. Moments of bombast, like the spoken-word pseudo-end-times nonsense of "Genesis II," are offset by weird mammoth tracks, like the carnivalesque "Motley Mary Ann." — John Adamian

Alice in Chains
Black Gives Way to Blue
(Virgin)

Reviewers everywhere are either slavishly praising the band for simply reuniting, or — in rarer cases — trying and failing to explain why something on this disc doesn't feel right. It's not the absence of Layne Staley; newcomer William DuVall is a solid, if less dangerous frontman. It's about the songwriting. The first single, "A Looking In View," is out of place on the album, notably because it's heavier, awesomer, and more like vintage AIC. It's essentially Jerry Cantrell's 3rd solo album. Mopey, not gritty. — Dan Barry