Full speed ahead! That’s the rate at which alto saxophonist and Chicago native Matana Roberts and her extraordinary band push forward into uncharted sonic terrain. It’s not like we haven’t heard post-bop and free jazz in the same molds that Roberts, bassist Josh Abrams, drummer Frank Rosaly and Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker

The North Mississippi Allstars’ roots are deep in the Robert Johnson American blues catalog, as shown in the group’s 2000 debut, Shake Hands With Shorty. The band earned a formidable reputation for its live performances while touring in supporting roles and at festivals. They fit a niche between other blues rockers like the Black Keys and jammers like Dave Matthews Band. Tours also led to collaborations with artists such as R.L. Burnside, Robert Randolph and Medeski, Martin & Wood, so it’s not surprising that the band’s music has evolved and changed with each release. Their last album, 2005’s Electric Blue Watermelon, a collection of mostly upbeat tracks, earned them a Grammy nomination.

Pixies frontman Black Francis has produced another short CD in the white heat of sweat and inspiration. SVN FNGRS was written and recorded in six days with Francis (guitar, vocals, harmonica) accompanied only by a drummer and bassist. Much of it is melodic alternative rock driven by ringing guitars, though tangents are audible. With its slippery, sliding chords and barked vocals, “The Seus” suggests the Gang of Four

Veteran Milwaukee folkie Jym Mooney isn't singing about Warner Brothers cartoons on his latest CD, as its title and artwork might imply. Instead, he has collected 14 songs about his family. It doesn't get much folkier than that, and Mooney has a way of welcoming a listener to his clan, even as that welcome includes a 19 . . .

The ambient, disconnected work of minimalist composer K. Leimer exists on the fringes of experimental music. And yet, the Hawaii-based musician has nearly 10 albums to his credit. His latest release, Lesser Epitomes, is a 70-minute collection of 21 short and closely related pieces organized into three suites.

The Bulgarian Women’s Choir introduced many Westerners to the haunting chorales of their Eastern European nation. Several other ensembles have followed in their path. The London-based Perunika group, a trio of women of Macedonian descent (the region’s borders are porous), are resolutely traditional despite their . . .

The three Palestinian brothers of Le Trio Joubran are heirs to a family history of music associated with the oud, the ancient instrument at the root of the lute and the guitar. Their latest album is brooding and meditative, yet propulsive and rhythmic, as three sets of hands work the strings in harmony. Most of the melodies . . .

Once purveyors of traditional Jimmy Smith-esque, Verve!-era, dusty Hammond B-3 grooves, Medeski Martin & Wood (MMW) started down the avant-garde road of experimentation with 2000's The Dropper, dropped X for 2002's Uninvisible and had seemingly forgotten their organ-trio roots completely by 2004's End of the World Party. Which is maybe why a complete digression back to their musical womb—in the form of a children's album—shouldn't be that surprising. Instrumental interludes—gentle, curious, perfect segues between sleepy time and playtime—break up humorous tales ("Pirates Don't Take Baths") . . .

Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree rank among the most common reference points for progressive metal in the early 21st century. Serious and technical, yet still melodic, both veteran bands have proven that complex music can find an audience—if not always mainstream acceptance. Now along comes Bushwhack, an all-instrumental quartet of college students from New Haven, Conn., that picks and chooses influences from Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree and other modern progressive

Neenah, Wis., native Tim Schweiger has already amassed a lengthy résumé in northeastern Wisconsin punk and power-pop. That history no doubt contributes to Schwim Tiger's rounded, fresh-out-of-the-garage rocking. His overall vibe . . .