Vampire Weekend, “Oxford Comma” [from the album Vampire Weekend] Following months of blog buzz and an ensuing backlash, it’s a relief to finally have a full-length Vampire Weekend album to either love or loath. Musically, there’s plenty to enjoy — the charming “Oxford Comma” just one of numerous highlights — even if the band itself, or at least how it presents itself in the media, as well-to-do, smarty-pants college kids, can be insufferable.

Cat Power, “Naked, If I Want To” [from the album Jukebox (Deluxe Edition)] While there are plenty of great songs on Jukebox, most notably the spare “Silver Stallion,” there are a couple more to be found on the five-track bonus disc accompanying the deluxe edition. “Naked, If I Want To,” originally written by Jerry Miller and performed by Moby Grape in 1967, is one of those bonus disc highlights and ranks among the best of the overall album.

Drive-By Truckers, “Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife” [from the album Brighter Than Creation’s Dark] The calm beginning of a long album filled with songs about everyday people struggling with all matters of life, “Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife” is a heartfelt song by DBT frontman Patterson Hood that touches on life, death, love, and family. It’s a rare pleasure to hear the Drive-By Truckers put down their electric guitars for an acoustic meditation like this.

Shelby Lynne, “Just a Little Lovin’” [from the album Just a Little Lovin’] Shelby Lynne’s first album for alt-country label Lost Highway is one of her best, even though it’s essentially a covers album, comprised of songs originally performed by Dusty Springfield. Lynne, who generally writes all of her own songs, was clearly inspired for this album of mostly familiar songs, produced to remarkable effect by Phil Ramone. “Just a Little Lovin’,” the opening track of Dusty in Memphis (1969), opens this album, too, and it establishes a tranquil mood that lingers — blissfully at times — for nearly 40 minutes.

Willie Nelson, “You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore” [from the album Moment of Forever] Much like the Ryan Adams-helmed Songbird (2006), Moment of Forever finds Willie Nelson paired up with a celebrity producer (in this case, Kenny Chesney) to mixed results that are nonetheless entertaining. Willie tries on a number of hats on this album, including songs by Kris Kristofferson, Big Kenny, Randy Newman, Dave Matthews, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, and Chesney himself, but he’s most at home with his own material, in particular the late-album standout “You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore,” which does indeed inspire a chuckle or two.

Marvin Gaye, “A Funky Space Reincarnation (Original 12-Inch Instrumental)” [from the album Here, My Dear (Expanded Edition)] Marvin Gaye’s most conceptual album — and surely his most curious — gets the deluxe reissue treatment by Hip-O Select, and it’s a joy to revisit this commercial failure and wonder about its two-year genesis, from 1976-1978. The accompanying disc of bonus material casts much of the music in a new light, and though there are few major revelations, it does offer some new perspectives on the dark funk of Here, My Dear. An instrumental version of “A Funky Space Reincarnation,” one of the album’s most haunting songs — all eight minutes of it — is tacked on at the end and plays like the dark, disturbed inverse of “Got to Give It Up.”

Xiu Xiu, “Under Pressure” [from the album Women as Lovers] Xiu Xiu and Michael Gira team up for this fun cover of “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. When it kicks in on Women as Lovers, sequenced at track six, the unpredictability that is at the core of Xiu Xiu’s music is put aside for a few minutes of comforting familiarity. It’d be curious to hear an EP’s worth of covers by Xiu Xiu.

The Mars Volta, “Goliath” [from the album The Bedlam in Goliath] Absolutely overwhelming music — even the initial seconds of “Aberinkula,” the album-opener, are an assault. The highlight comes about 20 minutes in, with the back-to-back sequencing of “Wax Simulacra” and “Goliath.” Turn it up really loud and brace yourself.

Obituary, “Internal Bleeding” [from the compilation The Best of Obituary] Originally released in 1989 as the opening track of Obituary’s debut album, Slowly We Rot, “Internal Bleeding” is epitome of death metal as it was originally defined. The Best of Obituary, compiled by Roadrunner Records, looks back at the band’s prime, and while it’s not definitive, it’s a solid collection of career highlights that makes you wish more classic bands of the late-’80s/early-’90s death metal uprising were anthologized like this.