Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Vega has always been a scholarly folkie. After graduating from the performing arts school featured in the film musical Fame, she majored in English literature and began writing thoughtful songs like “Luka,” her 1987 hit about domestic abuse. Now, Vega has joined Norah Jones on the once jazzy Blue Note label. Songs like “Edith Wharton’s Figurines” and “New York is a Woman” carry on in a literary vein, while “Pornographer’s Dream” cleverly sets a tale of desire to a seductive bossa nova beat. July 17   

When New York’s Interpol arrived in 2002 with its debut album, Turn On the Bright Lights, there were many comparisons to British doom-and-gloom bands like Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen. Although the band’s singer Paul Banks still bears a scary vocal resemblance to Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, Interpol is developing its own icy, angular sound. Standout tracks on the group’s third album include the upbeat “Heinrich Maneuver,” the peppy “Pace is the Trick and the chiming “Rest My Chemistry.” July 10

Although it has been overshadowed by labelmates Arcade Fire, Spoon’s stature is on the rise. The Austin indie rock band scored a critical breakthrough with 2005’s Gimme Fiction album, which wound up on many year-end lists. Then frontman Britt Daniel helped to score the Will Ferrell comedy-drama Stranger Than Fiction, with the band contributing several songs to the soundtrack. Spoon’s sixth studio album, despite its stuttering title, is a smooth and seamless blend of story songs and Steely Dan-like pop. July 10