POP/ROCK

Cage the Elephant, "Thank You Happy Birthday" (Jive)

Matt Shultz's scratchy, wobbly, jumpy voice isn't pretty by any means. But it is the perfect instrument for the manic desperation and sardonic defiance of his Kentucky band, Cage the Elephant. This second album is more abrasive, rowdier, more unstable and pushier in the right ways. Where the band's self-titled debut glanced at the Rolling Stones, punk, grunge and Kings of Leon, the new album also throws in post-punk, the Pixies, more electronic effects and more flat-out hollering from Shultz.

The music can swerve in odd directions at any moment. The songs whipsaw between fury and pessimism, between cynicism and tenacity. The songs spare no one, even (or especially) the band's peer group. Guitars churn frantically in "Sell Yourself" as Shultz sputters, "I know your type, I know exactly what you want to do/and if the money's right, you think I'll just agree." And amid the revved-up, dissonant surf-rock of "Indy Kidz" Shultz sneers, "I wanna be just like you."

Mere punk insolence would be too one-dimensional for Cage the Elephant. Its slower songs -- still frayed with noise -- counsel perseverance against any odds. There are two versions of "Right Before My Eyes." One is a paradoxically upbeat surf-rocker with big harmony choruses; the other is a hidden track that closes the album. Played quietly, like a Beatles ballad, it's brave enough to set bravado aside.

JON PARELES, New York Times

Gorillaz, "The Fall" (self-released)

It's no surprise that Damon Albarn -- music's most popular dilettante, having surpassed his '90s peer Beck to become a much more high-profile second act than anyone thought possible -- has made an album via iPad. The prospect of this compulsive collaborator going it alone by such minimal means left open an interesting question of what shape his music would take now, devoid of Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed or De La Soul. "The Fall" is a low-budget capsule of his usual eclecticism, with Ali Farka Touré-style Malian guitar on "Bobby in Phoenix" and bloopy motorik techno on "Detroit." The squiggling opener, "Phoner to Arizona," is an interesting 8-bit take on the Flaming Lips' "Embryonic," but the rest is airy sketches and backgrounds (and 38 seconds of yodeling).

DAN WEISS, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Cheryl Bentyne, "The Gershwin Songbook" (artistShare)

When you cue up a set of Gershwin, you want a singer such as Bentyne, who has been part of Manhattan Transfer since 1979. She is sweet-sounding and unfailingly upbeat on these 14 well-known staples of the George and Ira Gershwin canon. She's a ball of good feeling, never feeling stressed or less than polished. Clarinetist Ken Peplowski provides some fine counterpoint here, especially on the intro to "(Oh Sweet and Lovely) Lady Be Good." A lot of the licks by the supporting band should sound familiar on these rather typical settings. At least bassist Kevin Axt gets a little funky on "S'wonderful." Bentyne, though, stands out for her solid professionalism and ebullient personality.

KARL STARK, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER