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It's a wonder Reed has time to get behind his drum kit at all, let alone lead two of Chicago's best bands. While his quintet Loose Assembly plays heavily improvised contemporary music, his quartet People, Places & Things has always embraced a strong historical current, paying homage to forgotten or overlooked Chicago music from six decades ago.

Middle Brother is a trio formed by members of other bands: Deer Tick, Dawes and Delta Spirit. Critic Ken Tucker says the group's new self-titled album reaches across decades of rock, folk and country music.

The band's 1976 greatest hits collection just became the first album ever to earn 4x Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, or 40 million units sold.

The New York band is enjoying the kind of buzz that most young musicians only dream of. It's just released its debut, and it's already been featured in The New York Times — and is about to appear on Saturday Night Live. The album is, surprisingly, worth the hype.

Patrick Flanagan leads the band Jazari, but to call it a "band" would be generous. Flanagan is Jazari's only member, and his primary tools are two Wii remotes. Using these controllers along with software he programmed himself, Flanagan plays elaborate percussion compositions with instruments such as the djembe, clave, cowbell, cabasa, agogo and bongo drums.

Frontman Anthony Kiedis says that, even with a new member in tow, the band still hammers out ideas the same way it has for three decades.

Since Weezer's debut in 1994, the band has released six more albums, gone through a re-organization, and earned a devoted following. Their new album is called Raditude. Last year, Rivers Cuomo, Weezer's lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter, released two solo CDs of songs that didn't make it onto the band's albums.

Smith had three albums out this past fall — two reissues and a new set of live concert recordings by two of his bands.

The Toronto band Tokyo Police Club features a group of young, self-taught musicians. Over the years, their energetic sound has evolved from crude beginnings, and music critic Robert Christgau says their new Champ feels more deliberate and thoughtful -- part of a healthy growing process for a constantly evolving band.

The band fits the mold of an era where music is becoming increasingly difficult to peg to one genre. Their flamboyant pop has been compared to Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles and Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie. On their latest album, False Priest, though, they sound more like a 1999-era Prince.