"Lust Lust Lust" by The Raveonettes; Vice

In Denmark, the winter comes on like a thick sheet of ice, the sky darkens to gray, and booze makes up for the lack of warmth. That dark cool has always filled the Raveonettes' music, with Danish duo Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo weaving their noir tales with panache.

On "Lust Lust Lust," Wagner and Foo mute recent 1960s girl-group influences and return to the band's gritty roots, a departure from the "Wall of Sound" pop of 2005's "Pretty in Black."

The album starts with "Aly, Walk With Me," a harmonious tune that rides a steady, slithering beat until it erupts into a storm of clanging fuzz, part-Velvet Underground, part-Jesus and Mary Chain.

"I fell out of heaven / To be with you in hell / My sins not quite seven / Nothing much to tell," the pair chant in unison on "Lust," made catchy in its austerity with Wagner's echoing guitar riff.

Gusts of pop still emerge, but with a hard-banging edge.

"Sad Transmission" splits between hand claps and billowing distortion, "With My Eyes Closed" pines for lost love with shoegaze drowsiness, and Foo's crisp voice cuts through hazy songs such as "The Beat Dies" with a reminder that the Raveonettes' beauty isn't about perfect polish but fuzzy, haunting imperfections.

Check out this track: "You Want the Candy" is as good a tune as any the Raveonettes have pumped out, with a head-bopping beat and jangly guitars looping over a golden pop refrain and a dense blanket of reverb.

— Solvej Schou

"My Life's Been a Country Song" by Chris Cagle; Capitol Nashville

Chris Cagle hopes he's prophetic on his new song "It's Good to be Back," in which the country singer sings over an aggressive, arena-rock beat, "Too much time away, I'm back to stay, but I ain't settling down."

Taken from Cagle's new album, "My Life's Been a Country Song," the lyrics refer to the Texas native's extended absence from recording — and from country radio. After launching his career with back-to-back gold albums starting in 2000, Cagle hasn't enjoyed a Top 10 hit since 2003's "Chicks Dig It."

"My Life's Been a Country Song" starts and ends strong, showing the live-wire spark that originally drew listeners to him. "What Kinda Gone" offers Chris the chance to show off his wide-open style, while the title cut cleverly tracks how a fan can find the right song for most anything they're experiencing in life.

Unfortunately, the album goes soft in the middle, such as on the predictable love song, "If It Isn't One Thing."

Still, there's enough here to start moving Cagle forward again.

Check out this track: "No Love Songs" allows Cagle to flash his humor and dramatic range in a song about two new friends bonding over beers and stories until a love song comes on and ruins the evening for one of them.

— Michael McCall