A trio of pairs top our list this week. Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray unleash their third disc of old-school roots rock and rockabilly as Heavy Trash, collaborating with a bona fide cast of contributors to create some of its finest tunes on a disc that expands its repertoire.

No-nonsense rap duo Themselves — Adam “Doseone” Drucker and Jeffrey “Jel” Logan — returns from a six-year silence to release a third album, a sample-driven disc that is both experimental and traditional.

Lastly,as Minamo, avant-violinist extraordinaire Carla Kihlstedt and prolific classical pianist Satoko Fujii create two worlds of experimental chamber music on two discs. (more…)