Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Comparisons to the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene have dogged this indie-rock collective. Mind you, it’s not bad company to be in. And it’s easy why the comparisons keep coming up. TGID’s sound leans heavily on trumpets, violins, organs and almost evangelical sing-alongs. The group’s debut album, recorded at Toronto Island’s Gas Station Studios, features a joyous ode to growing old together (“We’ll Make It”) and such wonder-filled lines as the title track’s “every time we see the stars, we feel the charge.” June 19

With Jack White’s recently revealed relationship to Canada’s Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac (distant cousins), you might expect to hear some Celtic fiddle on the Stripes’ latest release. Instead, we get bagpipes on tracks like “St. Andrew (This Battle is in the Air)” and the anthemic “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn.” There’s also mariachi trumpet on the wacky “Conquest,” once sung by Patti Page. But mostly, it’s another blues-drenched, deliciously thumping classic from the Motor City’s best garage-rock duo. June 19

Moore came up in the shadows of Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and others, and was treated with even less respect than those pop tarts. Moore’s acting career hasn’t fared much better. But the 23-year-old is now making a serious stab at musical credibility with this collection of songs co-written with the Weepies, Lori McKenna, Rachael Yamagata and Chantal Kreviazuk. Although hardly provocative, the substance of “Extraordinary,” “Gardenia” and “Ladies Choice” is the promising sound of a pop princess growing up. June 19