Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark -- Peel Sessions 1979-1983 (Virgin/EMI) Songs about love, war and civil engineering from the new wave masters of the single-digit melody. 8.5 (RB)

Ranee Lee -- Dark Divas (Justin Time/Fusion III) A double CD preview of a stage show that's coming to the Jazz Fest, put together by Ms. Lee, saluting seven distinctive singers. 7.5 (LD)

The Maggies -- Cryptic Valentine (Chickenman) Solid, spot-on prog-pop from Mass., with good harmonies, far-out synths and (bonus!) Jim Woodring jacket art. 7.5 (RB)

Various -- Music from... The Virgin Suicides (Emperor Norton/Outside) All the other, non-Air stuff--the Sloan tune, the Styx, the 10CC, the Todd Rundgren and lotsa Heart. 7 (RB)

The Temptations -- Ear-Resistible (Universal) After 40 years, the quintessential Motown combo can still make some musical sunshine on a cloudy day. 7 (GD)

XTC -- Wasp Star (Apple Venus Vol. 2) (TVT/Universal) In Andy Partridge's words, the guitaristic "pigs" to Volume 1's symphonic "sheep." And they can still get it up! 7 (CY)

Lois Maffeo & Brendan Canty -- The Union Themes (Kill Rock Stars) Songstress Maffeo and Fugazi's Canty team up and get downright sappy. 6 (JC)

Keoki -- DJ Mixed.com (Moonshine/Koch) NYC bad boy Keoki cleans up his act, going from crack baby to muscle geek--but hey! He still plays crappy, shallow trancy-breaks. So 1995. 5 (KE)

Alan Frew -- Wonderland (EMI) Guess who's back: the frontman from Glass Tiger. Fuck, I thought we were Frew with this loser. 1 (RB)

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