Iran

Hints of TV on the Radio's atmospherics sneak into Iran's first disc in five years - no surprise, since Kyp Malone is their guitarist and Dave Sitek coproduced - but frontman Aaron Aites counters the otherworldly ambience with straightforward strains of classic indie rock (think Sebadoh and Pavement). That combination can be jarring, but mostly in pleasant ways. Such wrenching turns are rarely executed so skillfully.
- SPIN