Various Artists, “Almost Alice” (Buena Vista)

This isn’t your average soundtrack. And Tim Burton would like to think his “Alice in Wonderland” isn’t your average cinematic remake. “Almost Alice” has pop stars pontificating musically on the characters and stories that fill Lewis Carroll’s book. Avril Lavigne internalizes Alice’s struggle in “Alice,” while Boulder electro duo 3OH!3 tells listeners to “Follow Me Down” the rabbit hole.

It’s an interesting device, though it’s not as strong as fans might hope. Too often these songs come off sounding like an easy paycheck — rather than an artful, collaborative project around a beloved story.

Some of the stronger offerings come from Oklahoma rock act All-American Rejects (“The Poison”) and Cure lead singer Robert Smith (“Very Good Advice”). The Rejects’ teen-friendly ballad could easily find a home on FM radio, and Smith’s freaky cover of the song from the 1951 Disney cartoon is an odd treat.

But did we really need another cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”? Not even the glittery-voiced Grace Potter can make that venture legitimate. – Ricardo Baca

Peter Gabriel, “Scratch My Back” (RealWorld)

Is there anything less essential than an album of covers?

Covering other artists’ work is a familiar move for most musicians, but making an all-covers album is risky. We’ve all heard bad examples, but done well it also has the potential to reinvigorate — or at least remind people of — certain performers’ talents, and the appropriately titled “Scratch My Back” at least plays to Peter Gabriel’s strengths.

Much like ex-Talking Heads leader David Byrne, Gabriel has turned away from his more commercial, pop-oriented work of the 1970s and ’80s to focus on world music and conceptual projects the past couple of decades. “Scratch” is no different, managing to make Paul Simon’s “Boy in the Bubble” and David Bowie’s “Heroes” sound complex and contemplative and oddly grave, backed only by strings and the occasional wave of piano and horns.

Still, Gabriel’s distinctive voice wraps itself beautifully around melodies from Radiohead and Neil Young, and indie darlings Bon Iver and Regina Spektor, highlighting the quality of the originals and his own talent for reinterpretation. It’s nothing new, but good music doesn’t always have to be. – John Wenzel

Benny Andersson Band, “Story of a Heart” (Decca)

Benny Andersson is a legend, though this release — his current band’s first U.S. release — shows a side of him we’re not accustomed to. Americans love (or hate) Andersson for his contributions to pop music. He was one of the primary songwriters behind Sweden’s ABBA, after all.

This 20-year-old band is a very different creation, focusing instead on Swedish and Celtic folk music, classical-style composition and other anachronistic styles of song (waltzes, polkas). That is until you get to the third (and title) track, which sounds like a lost ABBA B-side — complete with soaring female vox vocals from Helen Sjöholm.

Yep, this record is all over the place — as if Andersson wanted his pop singles and beloved folk tunes on the same mixtape. But as a whole, it doesn’t stick together all that well. – Ricardo Baca

Golden Triangle, “Double Jointer” (Hardly Art)

With the garage revival and the ’80s shoegaze/twee resurrection both well under way in the past few years, it’s no wonder new bands have a hard time choosing which side of the fence to slouch on. Awkwardly straddling the gap is Brooklyn’s Golden Triangle, whose latest, “Double Jointer,” is a muddy and whimperingly ordinary record. Nevertheless, one gets the impression that this sextet could really show you a thing or two on a small stage. Heck, it’s not the lack of heart that’s the problem; it’s the soul that ain’t there. So what, exactly, is confounding their mission?

Two glaring culprits — bad production and lackluster female vox — slam the nails in “Jointer’s” coffin. Starting from opening track “Cinco de Mayo,” it seems that the band’s done their homework on how to write a catchy riff. After the first 60 seconds, however, you can’t help but feel like the whole band’s being smothered by a pillow, Chief-style.

Guitars and bass swim together in a tureen of oily, anticlimactic soup; unlike their influences, Golden Triangle can’t seem to achieve that coveted ocean of noise with finesse. The ensuing ten songs offer little more in the way of variety, which, in some genres (punk, I’m looking at you) can be sweetly sublime. Here, it’s nothing but a tranquilizer dart — albeit one decorated with some of those nice craft feathers.

For a band that seems to pride themselves on what a rollicking good time they have, it’s a mystery as to why the hell someone forgot to crank up the treble, distortion, and — duh — volume on the guitar, or why their karaoke-quality singing sounds like everybody’s bored and hiding in a room at the end of the hall.

Using all that reverb as a big, fleecy security blanket isn’t classic; it’s cheating. Let’s not be shy, all you lads and lasses. If you’ve been running feral with the likes of King Khan, Black Lips and Jay Reatard (R.I.P.), you can’t afford to blanche. Unless, of course, that’s precisely it — with buddies like those, the world is your beachside oyster bar.

“Double Jointer,” like a wobbling colt, can’t seem to stand sturdily on all of its legs. It marches ahead, stalwart, with punchy rhythms and sweet harmonies. It flails and gasps for air in a murky, blase bisque. On a track like “Jinx,” it seems the girls finally get it together and belt one out; on a track like “Jellyroll,” a piano listed in the liner notes is absurdly and almost spectacularly inaudible. Save yourself the afternoon nap and check their touring schedule — apparently, where these kids really twinkle is live.
– Alex Edgeworth

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Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of Reverb and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post. He is also the executive director of the Underground Music Showcase, Colorado’s premier indie music festival. Follow his whimsies at Twitter, his live music habit at Gigbot and his iTunes addictions at Last.fm.

John Wenzel is the co-editor of Reverb, editor of the Get Real Denver blog and an A&E reporter for The Denver Post. His book “Mock Stars: Indie Comedy and the Dangerously Funny” was recently published by Speck Press. He also maintains a Twitter feed of random song titles.

Alex Edgeworth is a Denver-based writer and Reverb contributor.