Simultaneously whimsical and admonishing, Ajay Mathur’s “Common Mistake” (Yakketeeyak Music) starts absurdly and somehow transforms into a charismatic track.

Before setting off on a solo career in 1996, Robert Allen, aka DownTown Mystic, paid his dues as a recording artist and hired gun for bands in NYC, playing at CBGBs, The Bitter End, Lone Star Café, The Fast Lane, and The Stone Pony. He was driving down the road when he passed a small,

Lana Del Rey has released the superb single “The Grants” (Interscope, Polydor), which takes listeners to church with little more than a piano and subdued choir.

The revival of a more rock-oriented expression of goth is well overdue in a post-darkwave era; and Die Oberherren may just be an essential aspect of the face of that reinvigoration.

Akin to an emotive ballad, GNS & V-Sensei ‘s “LOVE A LIE” reveals a troubling sense of love’s impending futility, as well as its undeniable attraction.

Puscifer’s ‘Existential Reckoning: Re-Wired (Alchemy Recordings, BMG) is definitely one of the better remix albums of recent years. The additional effort pays off in a more diverse, insightful auditory journey.

Highlighted by the irresistibly alluring, hypnotic voice of Josephine Olivia, VOSH’s ‘Vessel’ (Trash Casual Records) is harmonically complex and oh-so-severely superior.

Social: There’s an inarticulate sadness hovering over Centershift’s “Fade Away” (Auspicious Recordings), conveying a profound array of emotions, including regret and the ache of unease.