Liz PhairSoberish (Clear Vinyl)

Phair reunites with producer Brad Wood, the man behind her indie-rock landmark, and the result is her sharpest, most confident record in ages. The guitars jangle, the hooks bite, and her conversational candor about love, regret, and middle-aged messiness is as disarming as ever. There's a loose, lived-in cool to the whole thing. A welcome return to form from one of indie's most fearlessly frank voices.