MARGARET GLASPY Echo the Diamond (ATO) — Echo the Diamond is Margaret Glaspy’s third album, but it feels like the proper follow-up to her sterling 2016 full-length debut, Emotions and Math. Between those two outings, Glaspy released Devotion, which held a solid set of songs that were obscured by overly slick production. As if in direct dialogue with its immediate predecessor, Echo the Diamond is filled with tracks that are riveting precisely because they lack evident fuss. Glaspy reportedly pushed herself to write quickly and brought the same strategic haste to the recording process. Working with a crack band that includes Bad Plus drummer Dave King and indie rock journeyman bassist Chris Morrissey, Glaspy laid down the whole record with only three days of studio time. What could have resulted in hesitancy or sloppiness instead brought the opposite: The tracks bristle with confidence. Thumping opening track “Act Natural” sets a high standard with its crisp hook and resonant lyrics, and everything that follows is similarly strong. Glaspy is highly distinctive on record, immediately identifiable by her rich guitar parts and vocals that are like if melting butter could sing. That strong artistic personality bring unity to songs of appealing range. “Female Brain” has the grinding snarl of vintage punk, and “Hammer and the Nail” lithe and jazzy. Either way, there’s no missing that they sprung from Glaspy’s bright inspiration. In additional to the cuts already mentioned, check out these gems: “Get Back,” “Irish Goodbye,” “Memories,” and “My Eyes.”

BUCK MEEK Haunted Mountain (4AD) — Any fan committed to adding every last Big Thief–connected release to their physical music collection is going to need to fortify their likely buckling shelves soon. Even as the overachieving band keeps churning out smashing new singles like it’s no big thing, its various members are proving they have more than enough creative gusto to pursue side projects that can compete in quality with their output of their day gig. Buck Meek’s third solo LP, Haunted Mountain, certainly makes that arguments. Always the eager collaborator, Meek co-wrote several songs with Jolie Holland, though his trademark introspective neo-folk delivered with laid-back assurance remains the vibe. The title cuts sounds like the creation of a time-shifted Neil Young who grew up with Pavement as a formative influence, and that be a fair summary of the whole kit-caboodle combo that is the album. Meek has called this a collection of love songs, and that starry-eyed sentiment comes through in the erudite tenderness. On “Didn’t Know You Then,” he coos, “Our first kiss felt like home/ With tears in our eyes/ And now, one thousand kisses later/ Each one feels like the first time,” and it’s like a dreamy prom night at Lo-Fi High. Further enjoy this new peak from Meek with the following: “Mood Ring,” the extra chewy “Cyclades,” “Undae Dunes,” “Lullabies,” and “The Rainbow.”