Jacob Ganz

After two solid albums, Too Bright is something shockingly new for Perfume Genius: a set of muscular, magnificently controlled songs that explore darkness inside and out.

Highly emotional rock that reads as low-stakes at first, Lost in the Dream is evocative and pleasant if you let it float by in the background. But it's made with hooks that sink in deep.

Call it diversity or a lack of consensus, but no single act dominated this year's awards. Instead, the Grammys spread the love, though rock bands — including The Black Keys and fun. — fared well.

In rock and roll terms, the Portland-based band is a veteran act. When they started playing together 17 years ago, they had no idea the gig would last. Now, Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss have put out their eighth album, called American Gong.

In 1989, two members of the rock band Superchunk launched a tiny record label. Twenty years later, amid the struggles of the music industry at large, Merge has become one of the most respected and successful companies in the business.

Forty-five years after the debut of Terry Riley's IN C, the composer and his son, guitarist Gyan Riley, talk about performing the minimalist classic together.

Radiohead shook up the music industry last week, when it announced that its new album would not be released as a CD, or as a download through iTunes. Instead, it is offering In Rainbows through its own Web site for whatever price each customer decides to pay — even nothing.

In Rainbows, Radiohead's first album since 2005, will appear online Oct. 10, with a specially-boxed CD/LP set to follow in December. The band is working without a label and the album will debut on the Radiohead Web site.

In the last six months, singer-songwriter Ryan Adams hasn't released a new record. This may not seem remarkable, but last year Adams put out three CDs in the space of seven months. He has recently been in New York, preparing his next album.

There are some genuinely thrilling moments contained in the five movies nominated this year for a best picture Academy Award. There is not, however, a single sincere laugh, notes Jacob Ganz. He offers the case for a comedy category.