Just as Blondie's second album, Plastic Letters, was a pale imitation of their self-titled debut, Eat to the Beat, their fourth album, was a secondhand version of their breakthrough third album, Parallel Lines. There was an attempt, on such songs as "The Hardest Part" and "Atomic," to recreate the rock/disco fusion of the group's one major U.S. hit, "Heart of Glass," without similar success, and, elsewhere, the band just tried to cover too many stylistic bases. "Die Young Stay Pretty," for example, dipped into an island sound complete with modified reggae beat (a foreshadowing of the upcoming hit "The Tide Is High"), and "Sound-a-Sleep" was a lullaby that dragged too much to be a good change of pace. The British, who had long since been converted, made Eat to the Beat another chart-topper, with three major hits, including a number one ranking for "Atomic" and almost the same success for "Dreaming," but in the U.S. the album was greeted for what it was -- slick corporate rock without the tangy flavor that had made Parallel Lines such ear candy.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Side projects shouldn't be this good but Galantis -- featuring Christian Karlsson of Miike Snow and Linus Eklöw from Style of Eye -- are excellent on Pharmacy, a vibrant debut LP that's bright, attractive, and oozing with earworms. EDM is the main category header with bass drops and dramatic buildups in plentiful supply, but Karlsson and Eklöw are pop or alt-pop songwriters at heart, always up for a clever turn of phrase and offering genuine uplift that will survive all the uploaded acoustic cover versions yet to come. "Forever Tonight" and "Runaway (U & I)" are the best examples, with messages and moods that could stand tall without all the slick production. As icing on the cake goes, the beatmaking and studio wizardry here are delicious, falling somewhere between a Disclosure-sized "wow" and an Empire of the Sun sense of what suits the song. Cheeseball words like "glisten" and "love" fill progressive house numbers that are weighty enough to balance them, then "Dancin' to the Sound of a Broken Heart" gives the more goth-minded listeners a shoutout with some moody minor chords. Top it all off with "Peanut Butter Jelly" (not the similarly named booty song but a way cool blast of neo-disco) and Pharmacy is a fantastic and instantly gripping effort, one that brings reminders of first encounters with acts like the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Basement Jaxx.© David Jeffries /TiVo

In the grand tradition of sequels, Sound-System picks up from where Future Shock left off -- if anything, even louder and more bleakly industrial than before (indeed, "Hardrock" is "Rockit" with a heavier rock edge). Yet Hancock's experiments with techno-pop were leading him in the general direction of Africa, explicitly so with the addition of the Gambian multi-instrumentalist Foday Musa Suso on half of the tracks. "Junku," written for the 1984 Olympic Games with Suso's electrified kora in the lead, is the transition track that stands halfway between "Rockit" and Hancock's mid-'80s Afro-jazz fusions. Also, "Karabali" features an old cohort, the squealing Wayne Shorter on soprano sax. Despite succumbing a bit to the overwhelming demand for more "Rockits," Hancock's electric music still retained its adventurous edge.© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo

You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It (Or You'll Lose That Beat) is an eight-track, 31-and-a-half-minute soundtrack to a low-budget 1970 film that features an embryonic version of Steely Dan: Donald Fagen on keyboards, Walter Becker on bass and guitar, and Denny Dias on guitar and percussion, plus John Discepolo on drums. There are only four actual songs, plus three instrumentals and a reprise of the title track. Yet the playing is suggestive of the sinuous sound that Becker and Fagen would cook up a couple of years hence in the Dan. Nevertheless, it should be sought out by hardcore fans only; there are no gems here, only some baubles.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

The novelty success of Afroman's "Because I Got High" in 2001 was a commercial blessing for the underground rapper, but it wasn't a lasting success. When he returned in 2004 with his follow-up, Afroholic... The Even Better Times, he was no longer signed to Universal and enjoyed none of the benefits provided by major-label backing. He was an independent artist again, which is perhaps for the better (for both the artist and his fans). You see, Afroman is a one-man phenomenon: he writes his own songs, produces and engineers them, and markets them with his own website. He doesn't really need a major label. He can do it all himself, from the studio work to the live touring band he leads, and though he may not get a mass-market media push, he doesn't have to deal with major-label bureaucracy. He can release whatever music he likes, and he gets a much greater slice of the revenues. Such independence is the essence of Afroman and his music -- listening to Afroholic is like stepping into his own private world of warped West Coast rap parody. Since there is a whopping total of 33 songs here, and since they all sound fairly similar because they're all produced and rapped by Afroman, you can really get caught up in his little world, which seems to be shaped greatly by the similarly sly, rhetorically playful influences of E-40 and Too Short. Each of the songs here is like an extended skit. Afroman first lays down one of his patented aquatic basslines and some click-clattering drum programming, and then he delves into his comedy raps, many of which are plays on common topics (cars, weed, 40s, women, hustling, California, saggy pants) and many of which are interpolations (including those of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," "Just My Imagination [Running Away with Me]," and "No Thing on Me"). Granted, the production is lo-fi and sparse, sounding not unlike mid- to late-'80s hip-hop (mostly 808 and synth in conjunction), and the humor can drag on, given the enormity of the album and its lack of guests (the appearance of E-40 on "What If" stands out refreshingly). Everything considered, however, Afroholic is an impressive accomplishment. Like a West Coast Biz Markie, Afroman is often clownish, but it's easy to see him for the diverse talent that he is. Plus, it's nice to hear the rare rapper who doesn't take himself too seriously.© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

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Just as Blondie's second album, Plastic Letters, was a pale imitation of their self-titled debut, Eat to the Beat, their fourth album, was a secondhand version of their breakthrough third album, Parallel Lines. There was an attempt, on such songs as "The Hardest Part" and "Atomic," to recreate the rock/disco fusion of the group's one major U.S. hit, "Heart of Glass," without similar success, and, elsewhere, the band just tried to cover too many stylistic bases. "Die Young Stay Pretty," for example, dipped into an island sound complete with modified reggae beat (a foreshadowing of the upcoming hit "The Tide Is High"), and "Sound-a-Sleep" was a lullaby that dragged too much to be a good change of pace. The British, who had long since been converted, made Eat to the Beat another chart-topper, with three major hits, including a number one ranking for "Atomic" and almost the same success for "Dreaming," but in the U.S. the album was greeted for what it was -- slick corporate rock without the tangy flavor that had made Parallel Lines such ear candy.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Side projects shouldn't be this good but Galantis -- featuring Christian Karlsson of Miike Snow and Linus Eklöw from Style of Eye -- are excellent on Pharmacy, a vibrant debut LP that's bright, attractive, and oozing with earworms. EDM is the main category header with bass drops and dramatic buildups in plentiful supply, but Karlsson and Eklöw are pop or alt-pop songwriters at heart, always up for a clever turn of phrase and offering genuine uplift that will survive all the uploaded acoustic cover versions yet to come. "Forever Tonight" and "Runaway (U & I)" are the best examples, with messages and moods that could stand tall without all the slick production. As icing on the cake goes, the beatmaking and studio wizardry here are delicious, falling somewhere between a Disclosure-sized "wow" and an Empire of the Sun sense of what suits the song. Cheeseball words like "glisten" and "love" fill progressive house numbers that are weighty enough to balance them, then "Dancin' to the Sound of a Broken Heart" gives the more goth-minded listeners a shoutout with some moody minor chords. Top it all off with "Peanut Butter Jelly" (not the similarly named booty song but a way cool blast of neo-disco) and Pharmacy is a fantastic and instantly gripping effort, one that brings reminders of first encounters with acts like the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Basement Jaxx.© David Jeffries /TiVo

Toro y Moi's debut record, Causers of This, fit firmly in the newly formed chillwave tradition. Chaz Bundick (the sole member of the group) created a sound that was hazy, lazy, and submerged with lots of peaceful melody and an easygoing late-night warmth and charm. On the follow-up, Bundick could have done more of the same and it would have been just fine, thanks to his way with a melody and the invention he put into the lo-fi arrangements. Instead, Underneath the Pine takes some of the chill out of the wave and strips away much of the murk. The resulting record is a shiny, dreamy affair that retains all the hooks and feel of the first album but adds some energy and pop immediacy. The biggest change, apart from the more focused production, is that in between albums Bundick seems to have (mostly) forsaken his shoegaze fetish and discovered Stereolab and their take on space age bachelor pad music. Many of the songs on Underneath have the chiming guitars, blocky organ parts, squiggly synths, and robotic rhythms, as well as the tight and looping vocal harmonies, that Stereolab patented. Bundick adds some soft rock chord changes to the mix, and the resulting sound -- while highly reminiscent of the Lab -- actually ends up sounding quite unique. The real piano (or a reasonable imitation of one) that pops up now and then is a nice touch that distances Underneath from the chillwave aesthetic. The unabashedly fun dance tracks on the album are also a leap forward. While Causers’ "Low Shoulder" was danceable enough, “New Beat” and “Still Sound” leap feet-first onto the dancefloor with steady rocking beats, pumping basslines, and sensually delivered vocals. The keyboards on both tracks are kind of magical too; the shimmering piano runs on "Still Sound" and the cheesy but super-funky synth on "New Beat" are perfect. Based on these songs, Bundick could easily slip out of this whole chillwave thing and become a disco hero. Within the context of the album, though, they provide a boost of energy and fun that makes the record really pop. Underneath the Pine is an improvement in every way on Causers of This, and it should be the start of a long and interesting run of records by Bundick and Toro y Moi.© Tim Sendra /TiVo