THE RACONTEURS
Broken Boy Soldiers
(V2)

Jack White, it turns out, doesn’t hate the bass. After defining an esthetic with the minimalist guitar-and-drums format of his influential White Stripes, it seems the shaggy genius is content to play in a regular old rock band after all. White got together last summer with longtime friends, fellow singer-songwriter Brendan Benson and the rhythm section of garage rockers the Greenhornes, and presto, instant supergroup. He sounds relaxed sharing the spotlight: White’s unmistakable, keening blues-rock is only part of the recipe now, with Benson’s thinner, psychedelic pop present in equal quantity. But the standard format also proves that with the White Stripes, the medium was indeed the message, and that Meg need not fear for her place in rock history. DG

PFEUTI
Last Terminus
(Soundispatch)

Forget, for a moment, unfortunate terms like “post-rock” or “post-jazz.” Think instead of intertwining guitar and saxophone melodies and a rollicking rhythm section, with hints of electronic effects to add texture. This is the sonic palette that Pfeuti, a Tokyo-based quartet that includes two gaijin and two Japanese, work with to great effect on their long-awaited second album. Manabu Kunugi’s sax lines and Cal Lyall’s picking and strumming steer the way, while Peter Slade’s bass and Naomi Chiaki’s drums provide the propulsion. The quartet never bores the listener, sustaining interest with a range of moods from the funky post-bob of “Potlach” to the cool asymmetry of “Threshold” to the quiet contemplation of “Al Shifa.” DG

NE-YO
In My Own Words
(Def Jam/Universal)

This freshman album from rising R&B star Ne-Yo, who earned his stripes in the industry writing for Mary J. Blige et al, went Platinum and still hasn’t stopped. Record label Def Jam, where he worked before being signed, must be pleased with their gamble. At times, In My Own Words comes off like an effort to say “I wanna sex you” a dozen different ways in as many tracks; more often than not, however, the stories told by this 22-year-old, through syrupy vocals and catchy, soulful beats, reveal some deeper, more impassioned reflections on love we might expect from more seasoned soulsters like Anthony Hamilton. Bonus points for not (yet?) following in the footsteps of more ab-sessed “musicians” of the genre. Catch Ne-Yo at Shibuya O-East on June 7. Beau Miller

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI
In Case We Die
(V2)

In 2004, Australian collective AIH debuted with the charmingly homespun Fingers Crossed, a record that used eclectic samples and instruments to create minimalist pop. Despite recording this follow-up effort in their own new studio, AIH have managed to retain a playful DIY sound, only now with increased focus and even more attention-demanding oddities. With operatic intros, tablas, power drills and trumpets, In Case We Die is as vivacious as can be while remaining rooted in pop. After the delightful catchiness of “Wishbone” and the Tom Tom Club-lite single “Do The Whirlwind,” the tail end mellows down to the appropriately titled closer “What’s in Store.” With AIH, we can never guess what’s next, but it’ll surely be as worth checking out as this. Robert Poole


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