Indian Jewelry Free Gold! The Houston-based electronic noise band's second album has a few gems — but nothing priceless. 
Pas/Cal I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura We were raised on witty, bouncy Belle & Sebastian-y pop — like this Detroit band's debut LP. One extra point for having a song with whistling in it. 
Icy Demons Miami Ice We expected Don Johnson doing a triple sow-cow. Instead, it's a damn fine Chicago art-rock collective's second album. 
Dr. Dog Fate This Philly quintet's got a PhD in '60s psychedelic rock (which may explain why Lou Reed loves 'em.) 
Physics for Future Presidents Richard Muller A nuclear power plant can't explode like a nuclear bomb, spy satellites can't actually read license plates, and solar power can't break our fossil fuel addiction. Knowing why is crucial, physicist Richard Muller insists, for aspiring leaders and intelligent voters alike. This accessible, worthwhile primer explains the essential physics behind nuclear weapons, terrorist attacks, surveillance technology, and global warming. — Kyla Dunn
The Ridiculous Race Steve Hely & Vali Chandrasekaran What started as a lark for two Hollywood sitcom writers turns into a lark of a book after they challenge each other to a round-the-world race, no airplanes allowed. (Spoiler alert: One cheats — big time.) Traveling in opposite directions, they alternate chapters, cracking lame jokes all the way — two pop-culture-soaked nerds encountering the big, smelly world in all its unpredictable glory. It reads like a 300-page Simpsons episode. — Mark Horowitz
