Juliette Lewis, 'Terra Incognita'

Release date: September 1, 2009
Record label: The End
Official Web site: http://www.myspace.com/juliettelewis

The buzz: One day she’s the thespian playing a crazy chick in “Natural Born Killers”—and the next thing you know, Juliette Lewis has transformed herself into some kind of indie rock weirdo goddess, replete with on-stage knee pads, festival appearances and rabid fans. And, oh yeah, some decent music. This makes for her third album overall, but first since dropping initial backing band the Licks and forming a new outfit, the New Romantiques.

The verdict: Did we mention that the Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez produced this record? It’s a defining characteristic here, as the sound is darker, yes, but also wilder and generally more interesting. Sure, some of it still seems like an amateurish actress-cum-wannabe-rocker side-project (see tracks “Hard Lovin’ Woman,” “Fantasy Bar” and “Romeo” in particular), but it’s rather palatable when taken in total. And a few moments actually rate highly for PJ Harvey/Patti Smith–heavy alt-rock, like the propulsive title track and an acoustic haunter called “Suicide Dive Bombers.” Lyrically, though, it’s mostly a mess.

Did you know? Lewis reportedly once dated Michael DeWitt, a nanny employed by grunge rockers Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.