New Albums: The Avalanches, Elizabeth Cook, Clams Casino,

Wildflower

(Astralwerks ***)

nolead ends Like Terrence Malick or Henry Roth or Guns N' Roses, The Avalanches went away for what seemed like forever, and now their new work faces the challenge of living up to impossible expectations. Sixteen years ago, the sample-mad Australian production crew released Since I Left You, a plunderphonics masterpiece that built on hundreds of snippets of found sound. It has grown in cult stature as the years have passed and absence has made the ears grow fonder. Now, with Wildflower, the Down Under mixmasters are finally back - sample- clearance delays and founding member Robbie Chater's struggles with autoimmune disease were causes of the delay - and their freewheeling aesthetic is still in place. With contributions from a carefully curated collaborators list that includes Toro Y Moi, Camp Lo, Father John Misty, Jennifer Herrema, and, on the more grating than ingratiating "Frankie Sinatra," rappers MF Doom and Danny Brown, there's no shortage of fun to be had. But at this late date in the digital era, The Avalanches' cut-and-paste technique comes off as more dependably entertaining than musically revelatory. Not nearly as mind-blowing the second time around.

- Dan DeLuca

nolead begins Elizabeth Cook
nolead ends nolead begins Exodus of Venus
nolead ends nolead begins (Agent Love/Thirty Tigers ***)

nolead ends Elizabeth Cook used to come across like the direct heir of Loretta Lynn - a spitfire whose songs could be as frank as the music was unapologetically hard country. This is a singer, after all, who titled a previous album Balls.

After six years, during which she dealt with death and divorce, the Grand Ole Opry regular has reemerged with a largely new sound. While the acoustic-textured "Straightjacket Love," with Patty Loveless on harmony vocals, is a crisp slice of mountain music, the rest of Exodus of Venus veers toward blues and rock. The songs are built around electric guitar and Hammond B3, and the result is a vibe that's darker and more atmospheric, bereft of humor or twang. It befits songs with titles such as "Dyin'," "Slow Pain," and "Methadone Blues."

Cook has never been one-dimensional - she could always be as affecting as she was feisty. She digs deep here, too, and if the results are sometimes more allusive than before, they still hit hard. The spunk and unflinching honesty that have always fired her, like her Florida drawl, continue to underpin her music.

- Nick Cristiano
Elizabeth Cook, with Derek Hoke, 8 p.m. Aug. 10 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. Tickets: $18. Information: 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com.

nolead begins Clams Casino
nolead ends nolead begins 32 Levels
nolead ends nolead begins (Columbia ***)

nolead ends Clams Casino is New Jersey's king of electronic cloud rap, a sound so woozily atmospheric and cool beat-specific, it's as if this producer (a.k.a. Mike Volpe) is slicing rice paper with a scalpel every time someone opens his or her mouth to sing-speak over one of his dreamy tracks. Known for 2011's hushed Heavenly Instrumentals album, its immediate follow-ups, and his work as the soundman behind the weird, lushly wonky "I'm God" from MC Lil B, and Vince Staples' Summertime '06, 32 Levels - Casino's first vocal album - allows a handful of voices onto his delicate, sensually rhythmic tracks.

While Lil B makes his dark, silly presence known on the throbbing "Witness" and "Be Somebody" (the latter with the histrionic A$AP Rocky), other brand-name rappers prop up Casino's electro mix of videogame tones, Just Blaze-inspired beats, and cloud-cluster ambiance. The archly stoic Staples steps into the muted hoot of "All Nite" and makes a chattering noise akin to throwing a handful of ball bearings onto cotton candy. Hollywood-based vocalist Kelela brings a much-needed feminine touch to the proceedings with the aptly titled "A Breath Away." Still, Clams Casino's gooey, windy, creepy instrumentals, such as "Skull," are the best, creating more menace and sexual tension than any human voice could.

- A.D. Amorosi

Good Charlotte, Youth Authority; Michael Kiwanuka, Love & Hate; Jack & Amanda Palmer, You Got Me Singing; Jeff Beck, Loud Haller.EndText