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Jonas Brothers
Lines, Vines and Trying Times
(Hollywood)

Of course the Jonai are interested in broadening their demographic appeal. At this point, after all, medical science is unable to prevent girls from aging beyond their twelth birthday. But their approach to sonic maturation is flat-out inexplicable. Late teens and early twenty-somethings are supposed to be enthralled by the corny brass lines and Vegas-lounge arrangement of the opener, "World War III," and the gruesomely mistitled "Much Better"? Only if they're into Blood, Sweat & Tears toward the end of the David Clayton Thomas era. And while "Paranoid," the lead single, is kinda catchy, that's only because it blatantly lifts the riff from "Everybody Wants You" by Billy Squier -- another artist who's not exactly battling the Black Eyed Peas for chart supremacy. True, the power-pop influence that made 2008's A Little Bit Longer guiltily pleasurable on occassion remains in force. But this time around, the results are often so dumb that they're capable of causing your medulla oblongata to scream in pain (exhibit A: "Poison Ivy"). Frankly, the boys would be better off cranking out parmesan like "Before the Storm," co-starring Miley Cyrus, and then putting the proceeds in the bank for as long as they can. Interest rates aren't what they used to be, but low yields are preferable to the humiliation caused by trying to grow from teenager to baby boomer over the length of a single "tasty" sax solo.

The Black Eyed Peas
The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)
(Interscope)

For the most part, the critical intelligentsia has looked askance at the Peas' latest due to its backburnering of the hip-hop style on which the act was founded, as well as the presence of more party-hearty exhortations than conscious comments. Frankly, though, I felt relief, not disappointment, over the approach. Frontman will.i.am's hip-hop productions have grown stale over the years -- the use of Dick Dale's "Miserlou" in "Pump Up" may have been the nadir -- and I don't think the world needs that many more rhymed paeans to Barack Obama at this point. Moreover, the album's lead single, "Boom Boom Pow," is among the most brainlessly exciting radio smashes in recent years. Predictably, nothing else here tops it, and "Now Generation" represents a different sort of brainlessness -- the kind that's capable of inspiring self-lobotomy as a defense mechanism. But thumping efforts such as "Rock That Body," "Meet Me Halfway" and "Missing You," which cleverly recast Fergie as a club diva, are divertingly superficial -- an invitation to dance your troubles away, or at least to ignore them as long as the beats continue. And in times like these, what's wrong with that?

Eric Skiff
Resistor Anthems
Self released

Released last year, Eric Skiff's charming Resistor Anthems is a nine tracks of chirping, lo-fi electronic beauty. Reportedly created almost entirely on a borrowed Gameboy hacked into a musical instrument, the album displays an impressive grasp of melody, space and sound design.

Green Day
21st Century Breakdown
(Reprise Records)

The five years since the release of American Idiot, an album so strong that most critics didn't believe the Green Day crew had it in them, have only added to the burden of expectations for 21st Century Breakdown, as Billie Joe Armstrong and pals understand all too well. Each note echoes with so much diligence and dedication that the material can't help but feel a little self-conscious, like a term paper turned in by a rapidly maturing student determined to get an even higher A than he did last time around. Which is not to say the recording's a bore. Tracks such as "¡Viva La Gloria!," "East Jesus Nowhere" and "Horseshoes and Handgrenades" are propulsive and powerful, and statement songs such as "21 Guns" earn their drama. But the themes at the heart of the three-part quasi-narrative tend to look back to the Bush era rather than anticipating what lies ahead - the chant of "I don't want to live in the modern world," from "American Eulogy," is a case in point - and the arrangements of "Before the Lobotomy" and the like are so willfully "classic" that they can feel calculated. These guys are still working at a high level, and the care with which the album has been constructed may well mean that the tunes will sound better over time. But some more spontaneity would have been welcome. After all, this is punk rock, not the Eagles.

Savoir Adore
Machines EP
Cantora Records

This follow-up to the New York-based quintet's 2008 debut, The Adventures of Mr. Pumpernickel and the Girl with Animals in Her Throat, is the latest in a long line of artists releasing free download EPs to hype upcoming full-lengths. However, this three-song, 10-minute collection shouldn't get lost in the crowd. Infectious-as-hamthrax melodies, deliciously varied instrumentation, and alternating boy/girl vocals from Paul Hammer and Deirdre Muro make Machines addictive, cavity-causing indie pop bliss. The opener, "We Talk Like Machines," which will be included on the outfit's sophomore full-length in August, is driven by a bouncy bass and guitar, chirping in unison, while Hammer and Muro's wistful and ingenuous vocals create just the right bitttersweet balance. If this is an indication of where Savoir Adore is headed, the next album should be a treat. Check out the EP for yourself for free at the band's website.

A Lull
Chicago scene veterans Nigel Evan Dennis, Mike Brown and Todd Miller have pulled together their collective indie rock experience to produce a lush, intricate, headphone-ready indie pop record that surprises, delights and frustrates - all in just over 11 minutes. Realized with countless percussion instruments, horns, strings and old-fashioned rock instrumentation, the four tracks that make up the Ice Cream Bones EP flow like mercury - dense, viscous, beautiful and unpredictable. The record's lead single and opening track, "Skinny Fingers," is the easiest to hold on to - at least, at first. For the first few minutes, its simple melody, enigmatic refrain and gently plucked acoustic guitar are reminiscent of Mike Kinsella's work in Owen. Then it builds to a repetitive, layered and trumpet-lofted second movement that is disorienting in a pleasantly ethereal way. The entire weird, rollercoaster universe of the record is contained in the microcosm of that opening track.

Eminem
Relapse
(Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)

The haters have been laying for this one, and there's no denying that Eminem has provided them with plenty of ammunition. Devoting an entire album to his drug problems and rehab struggles invites accusations of solipsism (yeah, yeah, it's a hip-hop tradition, but let's stay on point), and his out-of-date pop-cultural references to everything from Silence of the Lambs to Jessica Simpson suggest that he's about as current as music-master Dr. Dre's largely retro loops. But his wordplay and delivery are still the most distinctive in the genre despite his long layoff, and his devotion to spewing out whatever thoughts enter his noggin without fear that they might make him look like a dipshit (e.g., "My Mom," in which he blames the woman who bore him for his pill habit) is a helluva lot more interesting than the sort of self-censorship most celebrities prefer. Sure, there are plenty of times here where Em seems whiny, defensive or played out ("Old Time's Sake" is one title he should have avoided), but he remains a car crash impossible to drive past without rubbernecking. It really did feel empty without him.

Welcome to another edition of Sound Bites, our economy-sized album reviews. This week, Chris Callaway and Mark Bliesener weigh in on recent national releases from Quiet Company, Death Cab for Cutie, Pete Doherty, the Fratellis, the Life and Times and the View after the jump.

MSTRKRFT
Fist of God
Dim Mak/Downtown

MSTRKRFT's latest electro opus highlights both the duo's ace skill set and inherent limitations. The eleven tracks all feature gigantic synthesizer riffs and banging percussion arranged into head-nodding, fist-pumping anthems. That's a good thing in the sense that everything here is pretty catchy but it gets tiresome fast. After a few listens, the incessantly strident dynamics and full-bore tempos lead to ear fatigue and boredom.

Doves
Kingdom of Rust
Astralwerks

It's not exactly a mystery why Doves remain more popular in the U.K. than on these shores. After all, the band's music tends toward denseness, not instant accessibility -- and Jimi Goodwin and the brothers Williams, Jez and Andy, feel that brevity is highly overrated. But if Kingdom of Rust won't knock earlier efforts such as 2000's Lost Souls and 2002's The Last Broadcast off their deservedly high perches, the album remains a satisfying listening experience for reasons that are tough to explain but easy to enjoy. "Jetstream" conjures up notable sweep from the unlikeliest of elements (vintage keyboard Velveeta, "Theme From Shaft" high-hat); the title track and "The Outsiders" rock with more abandon than usual; and "10:03" and "Compulsion" revel in the sort of drama that Brits seem more capable of pulling off than Statesiders. Must be the accents.