The Jones
Sunday
Web: www.thejonesmusic.com
Area Show: Aug. 8 at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel
Somewhere between Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stone Temple Pilots, Wolfmother and the fictitious band Stillwater lies DC’s The Jones. But The Jones aren’t made up, they are an in-your-face, bad-ass trio, destined to save rock ‘n’ roll. Their steady, blues rock balances nicely between  rollicking and enchanting. Highlights include “You Don’t Have the Stones,” “Jukebox Junkie,” and “Sunday Dress.” A must-buy. Catch them at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel on Aug. 8. — Robert Fulton

The Gaslight Anthem
The ‘59 Sound
www.myspace.com/gaslightanthem
This band from New Brunswick, New Jersey has definitely hit the right note. Their punk rock sound, comprised from four guys: Brian Fallon, Alex Levine, Benny Horowitz and Alex Rosamilla, makes listening to “The ’59 Sound” easy. The Gaslight Anthem has a similar sound to O.A.R. and classics like Springstein or Otis Redding, but remains catchy and upbeat in their own way.  Fallon’s lyrics about love are honest, emotional and will get stuck in your head. Check out “Great Expectations,” “Film Noir,” and “Miles Davis and The Cool,” and before you know it you’re singing along to the entire 12-track album, which drops August 19.  — Ashley Estill

The Prairie Spies
Surplus Enjoyment
www.theprairiespies.com
Chicago-based rock band The Prairie Spies impress, at least for a while, on their debut full-length album, “Surplus Enjoyment.” In “Unresolved Anatomy,” the lead vocalist says “Seventeen’s not what it used to be,” and the combination of those words and the tune makes me miss being seventeen. The next track, “Murder, She Wrote,” is very blue-album-Weezer-esque, as is a lot of the album.  “Who’s Been Gettin’ High” has fantastic electric guitar and a catchy chorus. There are a few that aren’t so great on the album: “I Can’t Stand It” is angry, and “The Seeker” – it was good until the crazed-sounding voice (What happened? Why did they switch singers on me?) stated “When I see her she’ll be mine!” — Jennie Raff

Must Love Trash
In the Kingdom of Soggy Basements
Web: www.mustlovetrash.com
Area show: Aug. 22 at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel
DC’s jam rock band Must Love Trash has released the catchy “In the Kingdom of Soggy Basements,” a collection of seven tracks. This isn’t moody, navel-contemplating music for shoe gazers. At times reminiscent of Phish, MLT demonstrates a fun-loving attitude just perfect for a party or to just cut loose. Opening track “Bay 89” is a highlight, and “Blackout” shows the band has depth. Solid. Be sure to catch them on Aug. 22 at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel with Once Okay Twice, The Frustrations and Ra Ra Rasputin. — Robert Fulton

Plastilina Mosh
All You Need Is Mosh
Web: www.mrpmosh.com
P-Mosh — best known for their trippy hit “Mr. P. Mosh”— debuted many of the songs they hope to popularize in their first new album in five years at the Latin Alternative Music Conference in NYC. One of those songs included the new single “Toll Free”—featuring booming deep bass guitar chords in a song about the band’s fondness for really bad, cheesy TV infomercials. There’s also the hilarious rock / rap track “Danny Trejo”—an ode to the Mexican-American action star with the Spanish lyrics “life means nothing to him. He breaks the law by day, and kills two, three dudes at night. Chuck Norris gives him mad respect”—and in “Going to Mars Bolton,” a surreal space-y use of synthesizer is showcased.  — Alfredo Flores

Jana Hunter
There’s No Home
Web: www.myspace.com/janahunter
Area show: Aug. 14 at the Black Cat
One can love or hate this disc. Love it for its haunting layers and indie-calm. Hate it because it feels like it slowly doesn’t go anywhere. More experimentation would have been nice. Not a bad album at all, but you’ve heard it before. — Robert Fulton

The Fake Fictions
Krakatoa
www.thefakefictions.com
The Fake Fictions’ “Krakatoa” is one of those CDs that I have a love/hate relationship with. When, in the first song, singer Nick repeated “I’m in love with this feeling” close to 23 times in a row, I was pretty sure I wasn’t in love with this feeling of going insane. And while “Don’t Drink the Office Coffee” didn’t do it for me either (it sounds more like a ‘60s Batman chase scene than serious music), the album did redeem itself with other tunes that are fun and make you want to bob your head or even clap along, including “After Hours” and the title track. Skip ahead a few songs to “Esperanto” for the best song on the album – trust me, the other songs are all pretty similar to each other, so if you’re really curious just listen to about 10 seconds of one of them. Overall, if you’ve ever reached for the remote to fast forward to the action in a movie, then you know how I felt listening to this album all the way through. — Jennie Raff


FOX Japan
Hell
Web: www.foxjapan.net
Area Show: Aug. 17 at the Red & the Black
Solid indie rock from West Virginia group. Nine tracks here, often soaring, other times driving. Worth checking out.

Lea
Get it Right
Web: www.thisislea.com
Area shows: Various, including the Joni Mitchell tribute Aug. 14 at Strathmore.Area singer-songwriter Lea has a new album of her folk-inspired tunes. The hints of jazz and blues are nice additions.

Heather Renee
Song a Week
Web: www.heather-renee.com
Local Heather Renee has released an album of sweet-songs. She’s been releasing one song a week, so find more on her Web site.