Sheila Scoville discovers the great Townes Van Zandt through John Kruth’s freewheeling new testament to the hard-luck cowboy junkie, folk balladeer, lyrical healer and misfit hellion. And that doesn’t even begin to sum him up.

Matt Parish finds himself surrounded by lizard kings, not in an episode of Star Trek, but in the pages of Ben Fong-Torres’ exhaustive new photo archive of Jim Morrison and his merry pranksters.

Poison’d (EMI). Review by Christopher Long.

Are the Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Undiscovered (Interscope). Review by Andrew Ellis.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have yet to push the bounds of their bluesy garage rock to the highs that they seem capable of, but this didn’t stop Jen Cray from drinking herself into a stupor and enjoying the dirty rock.

Clocks/Pretender (Hybris). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Applause Cheer Boo Hiss (Rebel Group). Review by Jen Cray.

Supply and Demand (EMI/Blue Note). Review by Andrew Ellis.

Chris Catania finds himself floating on clouds of psychedelic fuzz and memories during this triple-bill of Clientele, Beach House and Single Man Affair. Not just another night out.

It Is What It Is (Little Red Records). Review by Andrew Ellis.

SC100 (Secretly Canadian). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Every Man For Himself (Island). Review by Andrew Ellis.

Don’t let the blinding sun of the tropics fool you. Daniel Chavarria’s new novel is prime Caribbean noir. Sheila Scoville adjusts her sunglasses and observes the bodies piling up.

Get The Gore (Bloodshot). Review by Jen Cray.

Cruel Melody (I am: Wolfpack). Review by Jen Cray.

The Re-Issues (Jaybird & Weight of the World) (I Scream). Review by Jen Cray.

A delightful romp recounting how shock rocker Alice Cooper was able to replace alcohol with golf – a mostly fictional delightful romp, according to Alice Cooper Band biographer Gail Worley.

Repair (In Music We Trust). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Mapmaker (Jagjaguwar/Brah). Review by Aaron Shaul.