Barefoot in the Head

For their fifth album, Chris Robinson Brotherhood overhauled their rhythm section. Regardless of the shaggy Southern rockers’ style—whether it’s clavinet-spiked country-funk (“Behold the Seer”) or rural psychedelia that sways like Georgia pines (“Dog Eat Sun”)—drummer Tony Leone and bassist Jeff Hill steer the band with grooves that emphasize smooth elasticity and percussive subtlety over backbeat heft. Their hypnotic allure comes out on “Hark, the Herald Hermit Speaks,” a textural gem shaded with slurred harmonies and tumbling electronics.

Also: Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, Avey Tare, Dan Croll

Also: Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, Avey Tare, Dan Croll