The Hold Steady returns with Boys and Girls in America.   (Photo: Rober Deckker)

The Co-Kings of Rock
Local favorites the Hold Steady and TV on the Radio break out with career-making albums.
• Boys and Girls in America, Vagrant Records; October 3.
• Return to Cookie Mountain, Interscope; September 12.

The Rapture Dig In
A fiercely honed album of impassioned wailing; sharp, needling guitars; and herky-jerky beats.
• Pieces of the People We Love, Vertigo/Motown; September 12.

Nashville Via the L.I.E.
Mindy Smith sings for Long Island.
• Long Island Shores, Vanguard; October 10.

Yo La Tengo Pick a Fight
A sprawling work that almost entirely forgoes the noisy, experimental rock the band is known for in favor of bouncy pop-rock gems.
• I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, Matador; September 12.

Beyoncé Takes Over
Look past the movies and the new fashion line—she’s making the best music of her career.
• B’Day, Sony; September 4.

Ornette Still Hears the Future
Coleman is now embraced by nearly every jazz institution, but he still plays like a rebel.
• Sound Grammar, Sound Grammar Records; September 12.

Losing Their Religion
Evanescence, caterwauling Christian rockers, suffer a crisis of faith.
• The Open Door, Wind-Up; October 3.

Justin Gets Dirty
The follow-up to Justified is stripped down, streamlined, and, well, sort of sexy.
• FutureSex/LoveSounds, Jive; September 12.

The Best of the Rest
Jazzy mash-ups, a lone Stroke, the baddest gangstas, and more.