Showman, street poet, soft-spoken ballad singer, shambolic bluesman—now that he is entering his fifth decade as a recording artist, there can be little doubt that the exhaustively dynamic Tom Waits holds a mythical status in contemporary music.

Berlin-based electro duo Modeselektor’s third album, “Monkeytown,” is a slicker, more compact effort than the duo’s previous work, and few of this year’s dance releases will dare to sound this eclectic. Hip-hop, house and dubstep influences ripple through the album, so any attempt to define the sound too emphatically is bound to fail.

Pop-punk band blink-182 completes its resurrection with “Neighborhoods,” its sixth studio album. The band has publicly admitted that the catalyst for their reunion came after drummer Travis Barker survived a near-fatal plane crash in 2008, allowing the trio to put aside past squabbles.

For many singer-songwriters, releasing a third album will only ever be a distant pipe dream. But, somewhat audaciously, British singer Laura Marling now reaches that milestone at the tender age of 21. In her last album, Marling’s backing band could occasionally threaten to overpower her vocals.