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Beach House has ranked high on the list of top-ten most anticipated indie albums of 2012. After teasing their fanbase with a dreamy single, “Myth,” Bloom arrives. Melodic and trancey, Bloom expounds upon the duo’s successful 2010 release of Teen Dream. Singer Victoria Lagrand’s distinctive voice is a reverb-soaked, alto version of the ethereal Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser. Yet rather than bombarding us with phonetic nonsense, Lagrand pens more direct poetry to anchor the drifty and wayward music. “If you build yourself a myth / Know just what to give,” the opening lines to the first track’s chorus, may not be intended to describe this band’s journey, but the duo is certainly a testament to the idea that creating mystique around your art draws people in. Beach House’s popularity has climbed steadily and quickly over the course of their four releases. Though their sound evolves less quickly than this, fans are loyal to the duo’s dream-weaving textures, comprised largely of guitars run through delay pedals and their vast collection of quirky keyboard instruments scored at thrift stores. Be sure to listen to “Lazuli,” “Troublemaker,” and “On the Sea.” Bloom arrives just in time for your windows-down drive to the beach.

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Rufus Wainwright is a hardworking musician who has earned undying love from his fans in a short career of brilliant songwriting and performing. His latest effort finds him rising to a new kind of starry height with his characteristic panache for melody and clever lyrics, all once more adeptly delivered by able hands on a piano and his languid tenor. “I’ve got the outfit for the party, but you’ve taken away the invitation,” he carelessly croons in the track “Rashida,” which builds like a track off of Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack, while the follow up track, “Barbara” is a placid lounge track. As usual, the most compelling tracks on Wainwright’s new album are the more intimate snapshots of his personal life.  In “Barbara” he describes the loneliness of a moment drinking rose in the rain, while in the sultry country sway of “Respectable Dive” he calls to a lover for a moment of indiscretion. Out of the Game is perhaps a bit of a statement piece for the artist, enlisting the talents of guitarist Nels Cline, Sean Lennon, and The Dap Kings, among others, but none of these guests outshine the songwriter here, but rather add tasteful textures to an already elegant ensemble.

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Kathleen Edwards’ long-awaited new album, Voyageur, is less of a departure than it is a journey, and like any transforming trip, it demands that we let go of any preconceptions about the destination. These songs are the perfect travel companions to their own haunted landscape. Edwards guides us through a house full of empty rooms, revealing the sadness behind a public smile and the numbness that follows broken expectations and the casual cruelties of love, until we find ourselves softly drifting down to hell with her. And yet, this isn’t a bummer ride at all — it’s elevating. In fact, Voyageur is a transitional album marking the first time that Edwards has ever tried to write with others. Now listen: Much is being made about Justin Vernon’s (a.k.a. Mr. Bon Iver) influence on this album – especially as both produced the album and he’s romantically entangled with Ms. Edwards. This is all well and cool and gives Voyageur some unexpected twists, but what’s also exciting (and not nearly mentioned enough) is that John Roderick of The Long Winters co-wrote many of these songs (you should check them out). Voyageur is the sound of Edwards flinging herself towards bold new horizons. She’s also as feisty as ever – and you should really come along for the ride.

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