"We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" by Modest Mouse

The good news is that Modest Mouse has returned with more of the challenging and innovative indie-rock that distinguished 2004's "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," pushed to prominence by punkadelic tune "Float On."

The bad news? Perhaps seduced by its heady whirl in the spotlight, the band also has dragged along a few meek formulaic tracks that should have no trouble shimmying up a rock radio playlist.

First single "Dashboard," infectious but hardly inventive, and the yawner "We've Got Everything" fade into sonic wallpaper against such adventurous compositions as the aggro-metal genre-shifter "Florida," featuring James Mercer of The Shins. Singer Isaac Brock remains a jack of all traits as he yelps, bellows and seethes through rollicking, off-center tunes that are folk-tinged, pop-tweaked, beat-crazed and very vaguely attached to a seafaring theme. The music's at its best when Modest Mouse goes overboard.

Download: atmospheric "Fire It Up," intense "Fly Trapped in a Jar" and pretty "Little Motel," showcasing newly added guitarist Johnny Marr

Consider: "Education," "Parting of the Sensory"

Skip: "Dashboard," "We've Got Everything"

— Edna Gundersen

"Introducing Joss Stone" by Joss Stone

Joss Stone's latest isn't quite the declaration of independence and maturity suggested by its title. The young singer still relies heavily on her collaborators, principally writer/producer Raphael Saadiq; and her singing can suggest a precocious kid dressing up in her mom's classic rock and soul records.

Still, with a little help from her friends — in addition to Saadiq, proven pros ranging from Billy Mann and Diane Warren to Lauryn Hill — Stone has put together a fun, funky collection that channels old-school influences with distinctly contemporary sass.

Download: the sly, slamming "Put Your Hands on Me" and lush, sultry "Bruised But Not Broken," one of Warren's best ballads in years.

— Elysa Gardner