P A P E R B I R D When the River Took Flight Self-released A good chunk of Paper Bird’s new album has already been released. In the Internet age, this may not seem uncommon, but in the case of Paper Bird, it’s because five of the songs on When the River Took Flight (due to be issued on Friday, July 30, at the Gothic Theatre) were already featured on the band’s last two releases, A Sky Underground EP and Live at Twist and Shout. Luckily for avid listeners, these tunes definitely deserve an encore.

Familiar reprises like “Lost Boys” and “Dead as a Dead Man’s Bones” showcase a somber and desolate tone not initially associated with the group, while new songs like “Any Way But Slow” feature twisting three-part harmonies so sugary-sweet they could lovingly rot teeth away. Earnest and entrancing, this band is capable of bringing up a cavalcade of emotions you can only hope to experience again and again.

— ANDY THOMAS C H I E I M A I Z U M I A Time of New Beginnings Capri Chie Imaizumi knows a few things about new beginnings. After studying piano in Japan, she studied composing at Berklee College of Music, assisted legendary Miles Davis/Thelonious Monk producer Teo Macero, spent time in Denver, and recently moved to Los Angeles to work with hero and mentor John Clayton. So it’s fitting that the followup to 2007’s Unfailing Kindness is a concept album about her various journeys titled A Time of New Beginnings. The album is quite the voyage itself, showcasing Imaizumi’s far-reaching compositional and arranging talents. She also brought in some first-rate talent, like Randy Brecker, whose lush tone is all over “Information Overload,” and Clayton, who does some fine bass work on the gorgeous ballad “Fear of the Unknown.” — JON SOLOMON W E AT H E R M A P S Places Self-released They come a dime a dozen: singer-songwriters, toting acoustic guitars and an array of well-worn clichés. Fortunately for Weather Maps, leading man and singer-songwriter Jimmy Stofer is working from the same palette as some of the best in his game.

Bearing the clear influence of Bon Iver, particularly in his falsetto vocal timbre and phrasing, Stofer writes simple, pretty songs, with hushed arrangements that twinkle with orchestral fl ourishes, adding a touch of sentimentality that never hits overkill. Yet unlike Bon Iver, Stofer’s not afraid to groove: Standout track “Wichita, CO” maintains a solo guitar and a quiet tension that builds until about minute two, when it releases into a syncopated, Radiohead-like breakdown that carries through until just before the end. The danger, of course, is that music this easy to listen to is also easy to tune out, but for the astute listener, Places (slated for release on Thursday, August 5, at the hi-dive) will yield some pleasant surprises. — JEF OTTE Y E R K I S H Quality!

Self-released A combination EP and video, Quality! Is something you wouldn’t play in your car unless you had a DVD player. “Jovian,” the first video, starts off like a late-’90s party-band video, but as the song goes on, it’s clear that it’s about the ways in which we ritualize and rationalize fitting in with the expectations of others, be it at work or while socializing. “Nvurlture” shows the band in some kind of cage while angry lyrics are thrown about, encircling rhythms with images of fi re as a symbol of a rebellious spirit. The title track is clearly a stab at the empty gestures of cartoonish patriotism rampant in America of late and the way it erodes our country from within. Intelligent and thoughtful, Yerkish offers food for thought and not pathetic slogans.

— TOM MURPHY