A little bit of everything this week. Hopefully, all y’all find at least one new groove to move your hearts or your minds. I’ve laid out the jewels, my friends. You need only pluck them from the electronic ether. So sparkly. Let’s round ’em up.

Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

Sometimes Courtney comes off like an Australian Ian Dury, unreeling raps with wry humor and a keen eye over fuzzed-out guitars. At other times she unleashes her inner slacker and hits you with an early to mid 90s alternative vibe.

Are you sitting down? Good. Now press play and think. Or just press play.

Striking Matches – Nothing But The Silence

A little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.

In the grand tradition of Johnny and June, or Loretta and Conway, these two spark the fire and fan the flames. And make a glorious noise while they’re at it.

Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly

NSFW. Allow me to un-acronym that for those who don’t know: Not suitable for work. Or home, for that matter, if you’ve got small children. Also NFTFOH. Not for the faint of heart (unless you’re a seasoned rap connoisseur who’s accustomed to hearing the N word dropped with frequency–and some other words for which your mother would have washed your mouth out with soap).

But wow. This is next level stuff. Hypnotic, challenging, funny, funky, dark, cutting, monumental. A stone cold hip hop classic.

It’s almost unfair to take these songs out of context–this album should be consumed as a whole, as an American opera, a rich tapestry to unravel–but I’ll throw down a couple anyway.

Natalie Prass – Natalie Prass

This feels like multiple albums combined into one. Sometimes it’s sweet, like early 60s Brill Building; sometimes it’s soulful, like Dusty in Memphis; and sometimes it’s Scott Walker. If you know and like any of those sounds, then you may want to experience the many sides of Natalie.