Another week, another Mercury music section to ignore as you save up for your trip to Las Vegas to check out the grand opening of Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer, the Southern rock band's very first foray into the restaurant biz. Come for the "Free (Range) Bird," stay for the "Sweet Home Abalone." But you should probably steer clear of "That Smell."

Wild Flag seemed to come out of nowhere, but the super-duper-group (a phrase I just coined—and trademarked) has played together in various formations throughout the years. Now the four have created a spectacularly good debut album.
LISTEN:

Wild Flag - "Electric Band"

Black Star changed the hiphop landscape after the deaths of 2Pac and Biggie. Then the duo of Yasiin Bey (TAFKA Mos Def) and Talib Kweli went their separate ways. Now they're back. Has hiphop changed in the intervening years? And for the better, or the worse?
LISTEN:

Black Star - "Re:Definition"

New Jersey's Real Estate stock is going up... What? Oh, no, you read that wrong. The New Jersey band Real Estate. Your summer home in Asbury Park is still worth less than it was in 1979.
LISTEN:

Real Estate - "Green Aisles"

When they're not pummeling audiences with heavy riffs and gruff vocals, Atlanta's Mastodon likes to, you know, just hang out and stuff. They eat cheeseburgers, drink beer, and listen to Genesis' 1980 album Duke.
LISTEN:
Curl Of The Burl by mastodonrocks

Plus plenty more in our Up and Coming listings.