A sonic grease as thick as the juices glazing McDonald's deep fryers coats Dead Combo's self-titled debut. The Finnish-born, New York City-based electropunk duo soak their songs in the stuff, sizzling every guitar riff, rudimentary drum-machine beat, Moog belch, and human utterance in electrified white noise until the entire disc crackles like sizzling rice.

It's this frayed-chords-about-to-spark-fire aesthetic that enriches the punk nihilism that seeps into so many of the combo's lyrics, from "You Don't Look So Good" 's "You don't look so good / Why do you feel so cold?" to "Drunk Beatnik" 's "You like looking, looking for trouble / All you see, all you see is double" and "Splinter" 's double entendres about secrets breaking through skin. Along the way, Nuutti Kataja and Harri Kupianinen gum up their cover of "Let's Dance" with sticky, junk-sick deliveries and further futurize the theme from 2001 on "2002."

These two are adept at keeping the most cynical of tones from coming off as cold, though, having logged time in such rock acts as Piss Factory and Emma Peel (which included members of Pussy Galore, Foetus, and Pain Teens). With Dead Combo, they've crafted a sleazy, scuzzy package nearly as raw as the flesh openings sliced by the Stooges and definitely more Suicide-al in tone – although they also erect monoliths of distortion in twisted new takes on Spacemen 3 exploration. With so many freshman punks hoping to grime up the dance floor with their apocalyptic beats, Dead Combo truly bomb the basements here. (Jennifer Maerz)

Bobby Darin
Aces Back to Back CD/DVD (Hyena)

There's a lot more to Bobby Darin than "Mack the Knife" or "Splish Splash," but it's not like anyone in the under-40 demographic can find that out without some independent research or personal guidance (though the new Darin biopic, Beyond the Sea, may change that). I got turned on to Darin by a friend who made me a mix CD that includes his weird, borderline misogynistic "Be Mad Little Girl," which features a female voice repeating the words "you chicken" over and over in the background as Darin explains why he can't "make love" to her: it's the law.

The hodgepodge Aces Back to Back doesn't have "Be Mad Little Girl" (which can be found on the Capitol Collectors Series CD), but the CD does have 20 other songs showcasing Darin's diversity and willingness to branch out and even fall flat on his face. Much of the disc draws from music of the late '60s and early '70s, which wasn't just the end of Darin's short career but also the end of an era – thanks to all those rock musicians with their loud guitars and marijuana cigarettes. Darin adapted more gracefully than, say, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, but there are some awkward moments here, including attempts to remake then-current hits by Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, and Gilbert O'Sullivan into Vegas show tunes. There are also a handful of Darin originals, including attempts at hippie protest-folk songwriting ("Simple Song of Freedom"), as well as more surefire material like Steve Allen's "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," and, of course, a live "Mack the Knife" – in case you forgot how great (and how dark) that one was.

The latter two also show up on disc two, a DVD that mixes very-early-'70s-looking performance footage with some cool documentary bits. Did you know Darin was also an excellent guitarist? One glaring oversight: despite the in-depth liner notes, there's no information on when or where the recordings were completed, let alone the names of the musicians who played on them. Still, this is an entertaining set that may fill in cracks in your Darin collection that you didn't know existed. (Will York)

Trick Daddy
Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets (Atlantic)

Back when Trick Daddy went by Trick Daddy Dollars, he was considered a little too rough for the mainstream, but Luke of 2 Live Crew saw potential and put him on "Scarred." A few years later he dropped Dollars from his name, released "Nann Nigga" and "Shut Up" on the clubs (with the help of fellow up-and-comer Trina), and now he's one of the Dirty South's most beloved exports.

It's no secret that Trick Daddy loves kids, as he professed on his jammer "Love the Kids," and he continues that love on his latest offering, Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets. The album features a bunch of guest MCs – including Twista, Ludacris, Ying Yang Twinz, and Jazze Pha – and has the standard thuggish, ruggish songs, but more prominent are feel-good anthems like "These Are the Daze." A lovely chorus accompanies Trick Daddy while he recounts events in his life and reflects, "Daddy ain't made no punk and momma ain't raised no chump."

Taking a cue from the Nas track "I Know I Can," T. Daddy moves on to "I Wanna Sang," an inspirational message to the kids, encouraging them to work toward what they want. At the start of the song, Trick hears a teacher has told a kid who wants to be a rapper that his dream isn't realistic and that he should focus on construction. Trick counters that doing construction isn't realistic because being in the sun all day is too hot. Checkmate.

The album's current single, "Let's Go," has some metalheads weeping because it samples Ozzy's classic "Crazy Train." But don't cry, metalheads: the song is good, and the original still exists – and if you don't like this track, retreat to your bedroom and listen to "Symptom of the Universe" because that's 100 times better than "Crazy Train." "I Cry" features Ron Isley and is perfectly suited for lovemaking. So put it on and love make. (Nate Denver)

Various artists
DFA Compilation No. 2 (DFA)

They can't claim sole credit for getting rockers to dance their mess around, but Tim Goldsworthy and James Murphy have certainly contributed their fair share. Transforming previously clunky acts such as the Rapture into pro-disco maestros (e.g., "House of Jealous Lovers"), the production team better known as Death from Above has given New York City's rock scene a collective hit of X since 2001 with their raucous fusion of minimalist funk, PiL-inspired post-punk, and early-house grooves.

Most impressive, however, is that despite nods to such early-'80s acts as A Certain Ratio and ESG, the duo's first vinyl-only singles – collected on last year's superb DFA Compilation No. 1 – never devolved into the "borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered '80s" Murphy mocked on LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge."

Incredibly, DFA Compilation No. 2 is even better. With 30 tracks spanning three discs – including a killer mix CD – the anthology features songs by Liquid Liquid, Black Leotard Front, and the Juan Maclean, among others, which largely prove Goldsworthy and Murphy continue to earn their rep as today's premier indie producers. And though it would've been nice if it had included their remix work with Chromeo, Junior Senior, and Le Tigre, the collection will have you too busy cutting rugs to complain about a few omissions. Indeed, upon hearing highlights like LCD Soundsystem's "Yeah (Crass Version)," Pixeltan's woozy "Get Up/Say What," and especially the choppy punk of J.O.Y.'s "Sunplus," it's hard to imagine anyone not completely succumbing to a state of dance-floor euphoria. (Jimmy Draper)