ALL THEM WITCHES, House of Mirrors (BMG). Brilliantly bluesy sludge with the most earnest of vocals. It’s like Mark Sandman (of Morphine) fronted Slipknot, with Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan producing. Despite the weight behind the tunes, the sound is sincere and musical. The band makes the most out of traditional blues chord progressions, giving us a form to hold onto while we bang our heads. Even the quieter material has a serious edge to it. It’s the perfect record for playing loud and working through some stuff.

DAVID TORN, Now I Imagine a Place Not The Same (Kou Records). Without a doubt, David Torn is one of the most innovative guitarists on the musical landscape. His ability to bend his instruments, effects pedals, and electronics is all but unparalleled. Such is the case on this album, where Torn returns us to the realm of the sonic unknown, his guitar taking us wherever it will. And then there are times when Torn backs off the heavily processed sound to let us hear his picking technique, combined with his unconventional tunings, taking us to a different place altogether. A good way to describe this album is present, as it is important to be in the moment in order to get the most out of this rather abstract artist.

GREGORY HUTCHINSON, Kind of Now — The Pulse of Miles Davis (Warner Music). Given the opportunity to channel his inner “Philly” Joe Jones, Joe Chambers, or Tony Williams, drummer Gregory Hutchinson chooses instead to bring his on light swing to the music of Miles Davis on this sublime release. The tunes cover music from both Davis’s acoustic and electric periods, helping to show Hutchinson‘s range. Ambrose Akinmusire gets the daunting task of filling the trumpet role, which he does without issue. The piano of Gerald Clayton also helps to carry the day. The songs are not covers in the strictest sense. Hutchinson calls them “continuations of what Miles started,” which makes for a good description. The band respects tunes enough to give theme statements their due respect, then venture off to their own territory, making for an interesting modern take on classics that are at least half a century old. It’s good to know the conversation is still going.

EINAR SOLBERG, Vox Occulta (InsideOutMusic). Don’t let the presence of an orchestra fool you. Leprous vocalist Einar Solberg is bringing the rock. Solberg’s soaring voice has never been more earnest. That its soaring over a background of both metal and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (or neck deep in it via black metal growl) just makes things more thrilling. A rock artist playing with a symphony may not be anything new, but it doesn’t always work. Here, it most definitely does. In many ways, this music would be at home on a Broadway stage. One can almost see the phantom emerging from the wings. This is a great musical context for Solberg, one highly worthy of respect.

DEVIN TOWNSEND, The Moth (HevyDevy Records). In a word: epic. Devin Townsend pulls out all the stops in what could be called a prog-metal opera, complete with heavy riffs, earnest vocals, theatrical production, and symphonic orchestration. This is Townsend’s passion project, an album he has been working on for a decade. It sounds like it. Townsend has poured every ounce of himself into a concept album revolving around a personal journey of self-discovery and change, where every note has deeper meaning than the last one. This album is Tommy or Quadrophenia on a new plane of existence.

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