Wilco

“Sky Blue Sky”

(Nonesuch)

The often adventurous, always interesting Wilco has navigated its way out of the foggy musical landscape it found itself in on its last studio effort, “A Ghost Is Born,” and emerged into the clearing of “Sky Blue Sky.”

“Ghost” (2004) followed the brilliant “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” (2002), but showed the effects of what singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy later admitted was a battle with prescription-drug addiction. Where Tweedy and his then-band mates creatively played with the sonic palette on “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” like latter-day Van Goghs, some of “Ghost” sounded as if the band had gone colorblind.

The band’s first live collection, “Kicking Television” (2005), treaded water as Tweedy quit drugs (and cigarettes). But “Sky Blue Sky” is proof that he has begun to find his way back to the fresh, intuitive and at times brilliant songwriting that set him apart from the bumper crop of alt-country and Americana tunesmiths who emerged in the early 1990s.

Wilco’s signature soundscapes are gone on this record, but they’re not missed.

Some fans have derided the new record as a retrenchment or worse, a color-by-numbers approach. They should listen more closely. Songs like “Either Way,” “What Light,” the title track, and the album’s emotional centerpiece, “Impossible Germany,” will stand out for years in an already impressive catalogue.

A sweet sound alone doesn’t score. It’s the songs, as emotionally open as anything Tweedy has penned in years, and gracefully interpreted by a band he calls his best.

Not every track on “Sky Blue Sky” is a home run, but there are enough winners here to restore confidence in Tweedy, and give us hope that this fascinating band hasn’t peaked yet.

– TOM GROENING

The Clientele

“God Save the Clientele”

(Merge Records)

Imagine if the Beach Boys grew up on the English coastline, instead of the beaches of California. Replace the surfing and cars with afternoon tea and bicycles. Can you hear that in your head? Good, then you have a sense of what British four-piece the Clientele sound like.

On its third proper album, “God Save the Clientele,” the Clientele do what they’ve always done – lush, hazy, dreamy pop, featuring the sleepy vocals of lead songwriter and guitarist Alasdair Maclean. In addition to the Beach Boys, the band is heavily indebted to ’60s harmonic visionaries the Zombies, albeit with a slightly darker twist, as well as some gently country leanings.

The songs on “God Save” run the gamut from the bouncy jangle of “Here Comes the Phantom” to the winsome, atmospheric ballad “I Hope I Know You,” all swathed over with violin, pedal steel and loads of harmonies. “Bookshop Casanova” sounds like a missing track from the Velvet Underground’s “Loaded,” while the vaguely psychedelic “The Garden at Night” shows that the Clientele does know how to rock. It just prefers not to.

“God Save the Clientele” isn’t terribly different from any of the band’s other releases, but thanks to the strength of the songwriting and the simple pop beauty inherent, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

– EMILY BURNHAM

Ozzy Osbourne

“Black Rain”

(Epic)

There’s a reason Ozzy Osbourne fans are so loyal to and appreciative of the heavy metal icon, and it’s not his TV show. Osbourne has learned what so many other artists and groups seem to forget as their careers advance: If you have a winning formula and-or signature sound, don’t screw it up.

This latest album from the Prince of Darkness is his first in six years and reportedly the first he’s ever recorded while sober. Sobriety hasn’t adversely affected Osbourne as “Black Rain” floods the senses. The beauty of it is it could just as easily have been recorded 20 years ago and it plays as solidly now as it would have then. The sound is vintage Ozzy, even though he can no longer hit all the high notes he used to, but when you’re a hard rocker who’s almost 60 years old and a recovering substance abuser, the fact you still have a voice that others want to listen to is an achievement in itself.

The first thing you notice is the driving bass, which is crystal clear and powerful without being distorted or heavy-handed. The second is Zakk Wylde’s exceptional guitar work. Even the lyrics are ear-catching. Oh, and no need to fret, ’80s power-ballad fans have a couple songs to appreciate, most notably “Here for You.” There’s nothing here not to like for listeners, be they hard-core Ozz addicts or just rock aficionados in general. This is proof that old rockers like Ozzy never die, they just sober up … and still rock steady.

– ANDREW NEFF

Editors

“An End Has a Start”

(Fader Label)

Taking the epic, widescreen ambition of U2 and Coldplay and combining it with the dark danceability of Joy Division and Interpol, Editors are back with an impressive sophomore effort, “An End Has a Start.”

The quartet from Birmingham, England, has followed its bleak but powerful 2005 debut, “The Back Room,” with a set that builds on that record’s strengths while adding a more layered and varied palette of sounds.

Album opener and first single “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors” clearly aims to top Coldplay at its own game, throwing piano into the band’s trademark guitar squall and peaking with a huge chorus that will likely win over both the rock kids and the soccer moms. For fans of Editors’ first album, the frantic title track and the addictive dance-rock of “The Racing Rats” should join earlier standouts like “Munich” on iTunes playlists and mix CDs for many months to come.

And best of all, the band proves it’s not a one-trick pony with a few slower, more contemplative songs like “Push Your Head Towards the Air,” giving frontman Tom Smith a chance to actually sing instead of just declaiming his lyrics in a stentorian manner that draws lazy comparisons to Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. Smith still leans toward vague platitudes in many of the songs, but the sheer force of Editors’ instrumental attack is usually enough to obliterate any concerns about pedestrian lyrical content.

This is a young band that is still growing by leaps and bounds, and “An End Has a Start” is the perfect introduction for newcomers. Plus, once Editors are huge, you’ll be able to tell your friends you were into them way back in 2007.

– TRAVIS GASS