Beck, “The Information” Interscope

With his enduring interest in retro sounds, it can be hard to tell whether Beck is moving forward or backward, revisiting old territory or breaking new ground. On “The Information,” the answer is probably both. Call it “avantretro.” The first song, “Elevator Music,” reworks his own loser-blues sound circa “Mellow Gold,” mixing it with old-school video game effects that are very much in fashion today. It’s impossible to date. “New Round” opens with banjo strums and electro-atmospherics, then evolves into a lovely little overlapping round. It’s a perfect metaphor for Beck’s music: he gets somewhere by chasing his own tail.

Decemberists, “Crane’s Wife” Capitol

“Crane’s Wife,” the fourth album and first major-label release from the Decemberists, finds the Portland, Ore., indie rockers moving beyond their sepiatone acoustic sound. Witness the 12-plus-minute epic “The Island, Come and See…,” which starts with a mellow riff on the Beatles’ “Come Together” before moving through a succession of psychedelic touchstones: wah-wahing guitar, double-time drums, and orgiastic electric organ that splits the difference between the Doors and Pink Floyd. Singer Colin Meloy mostly sticks to his patinaed wordplay, telling gaslight fairy tales through cumbersome rhymes (for instance “bayonet” with “arabesque”).

The Kooks, “Inside In/Inside Out” EMI

Britain’s latest retro-rock chart-throbs arrive with the typical mix of NME-fueled hype and inter-band cat fighting. Like their predecessors — notably the Libertines and the Arctic Monkeys — these adorably sleazy lads know their way around a pop tune. Their jaunty first single, “She Moves In Her Own Way,” and the headlong rush of “See the World” are especially good. Maybe too good. “The Kooks sound like they’re rolling over and begging Radio 1 to f*** them,” says Johnny Borell, lead singer of rival UK band Razorlight. For once, the sniping rings true.