His bio maintains that Ilya Monosov was shaped by dissident Russian culture in the late Soviet period and that this influence can be discerned in his music and English-language lyrics. Collaborating with members of the acoustic, medieval psychedelic group Fern Knight, he has shaped a moody album sung in a . . .

OK, so The Replacements hung around for an album too long (maybe even two albums), but their arc is the stuff of legend with good reason. Gather ’round, children, and you will hear stories of the early ’80s, when “alternative” music was still called “college radio” and good old punk rock was still relevant. Well, kinda . . .

Dosh is a prodigiously talented pianist and multi-instrumentalist who crosses many borders with his music. His latest album, featuring violinist Andrew Bird, blends Terry Riley minimalism with rock on “Don’t Wait for the Needle to Drop,” rolling African rhythms with Krautrock on “Bury the Ghost” and generally goes . . .

Ah, nostalgia. Longtime Milwaukee mainstay Danny J has gathered some friends to bask in the love of—just as the title implies—rock ’n’ roll and soul music. The saluted genres are defined loosely enough to encompass purely pop nuggets by Jay & the America . . .

The selections on Willie Nelson’s four-disc career retrospective support everything we suspected: With few exceptions, the material he recorded in Nashville in the 1960s was undistinguished, assembly-line work. It was only when he broke away from country conventions and headed south to Austin, Texas, with the ’70s . . .

Third justifies its 11-year buildup in that it’s not the type of work you quickly digest before moving on to the next thing. Portishead’s bleak outlook and laser-like ability to hone in on human loneliness mean that you’re taking on the weight of the world when you listen to one of their records. That these records contain almost too much . . .

Many of the rhythms associated with Mexican music are represented on this CD by one of that country’s top mariachi bands. That the genre has become associated with a tourist brochure image of Mexico is unfortunate, given its potential for soulful expression. Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano lives up to that potential . . .

In 1967, rock bands on both sides of the Atlantic were struck with the full potential of the record album as a broad aural canvas. In that year the multiracial Los Angeles group Love recorded Forever Changes, which despite its obscurity at the time has been deemed a milestone in art rock by some critics. The album’s latest repackaging includes the original Forever Changes plus an unreleased alternate mix of . . .

From the vanguard of Milwaukee's musical alchemy scene comes the latest brainchild of percussionist Jon Mueller and guitarist Chris Rosenau, a collaborative effort of playful droning and epic meanderings that bury the airy connotations of experimental music beneath fuzzy guitar attacks and resonating grit. Somewhat-restrained experimentation and just-enough indulgence allow all four tracks to take flight. A steady pulse brings each back to the ground . . .

On the second release in the New World Blues series, the only numbers that sag are those where Milwaukee guitarist Mike Starling drifts into trite elevator music (“Pot O’Gold”) or fake Gypsy stuff (“Jinni”). These are more than compensated for by the many standout moments, including the spare rasp of “Above the Clouds . . .