Apologies for the absence of TTTB last week—it’s just like us to start a column then have it disappear a fortnight later. Hark! We have returned! h1,.breaker {border-top: 1px solid #ccc; padding-top: 1em;}; h1 {clear: both;}

MUST BUY: Baroness - Yellow & Green

This record is already polarizing a lot of fans, if this tiresome Facebook comment thread is to be believed. Seems a lot of folks would be more than content with Baroness circling the wagons and putting out sludge jam after sludge jam, which while partly understandable also reeks of fan entitlement, something about which John Baizley and company probably never think. Yellow & Green is different, yes, but the myriad ways in which Baroness manufacture brooding intensity on their new album is endlessly impressive, whether it’s the driving "Take My Bones Away" or the mountainous drums in "Green Theme" that, upon first listen, straight-up floor the listener. It’s not often that a band releases an 18-song, 75-minute double LP as sprawling as this and have it not just work, but have it be their best work to date. One of the top albums of 2012 thus far. (Relapse Records)

THEN BUY: Certain People I Know - Certain People I Know

Just about everything Bob Nanna puts his name on is worth a listen, and this eponymous debut from Certain People I Know is no exception. It’s got that same soaring Midwestern emo feel Hey Mercedes did, but it’s also a little more austere—there are no huge anthems here; nothing that’d fit on a mixtape next to Foo Fighters or on a video game soundtrack. Really, it’s an almost perfect sonic crossroads between Braid and Hey Mercedes, and the songs where Nanna trades off with other vocalist Lauren LoPiccolo ("Our Lady of Guadalupe," "All You Gotta do is Show") are a real treat. Drummer Damon Atkinson, also of Braid, gets a few bright spots behind the kit, especially evident in the fills adorning "NYE." (Count Your Lucky Stars)

BANDCAMP RECOMMENDATION: Sore Eyelids - Sore Eyelids

This Stockholm, Sweden-based trio play post-punk that’s airy, cathartic and unpredictable, while still sounding endearingly rough around the edges. The vocals, distant and haunting, fit the tone of the music quite well, which ranges in tempo but never sounds anything but dreary. In layman’s terms, they sort of sound like Joyce Manor doing Morrissey covers, yet way better than that could probably ever be. Stream their album below; the whole thing is damn near astonishing, but "Over" and "365 Days of Nothing" particularly stand out.

ALSO OUT THIS WEEK:

Verse - Bitter Clarity, Uncommon Grace: Providence, R.I. hardcore heroes return after their breakup with a new album that’s more of the same in the best way. Verse always expertly toed the line between melody and aggression, and that continues here. The hardcore scene is better when they’re active. (Bridge Nine Records)

Prawn - Ships EP: Another solid release in a long line of solid releases from Topshelf. Prawn have that "Topshelf band" sound, for lack of a better term—swirling emo that nods to bands long since gone (and some since reunited)—but it’s not as rough around the edges as a lot of stuff out there. Prawn call bands like Park to mind, in that their sound is more calculated, better produced and altogether slightly more accessible than that of many of their contemporaries. (Topshelf Records)

Jimmy Cliff - Rebirth: Reggae legend returns with his first album in eight years, produced by Rancid’s Tim Armstrong. It’s a nice comeback for Cliff, whose voice is still as smooth as it was in the 70s when he was hitting with classics like "The Harder They Come." Rolling Stone has the stream. (Universal)