Like Patti Smith, Corin Tucker took time off from being a punk-rock heroine to become a mom. The lyrics to her solo debut reflect that, touching on kids, distant partners and hunger for a former self. "Who is the zombie that is wearing Mommy's clothes?" she sings, as weary rocker moms worldwide nod in solidarity. She's not shredding the awesome vocal cords so much, but she gets fierce in other ways, trying on cellos and piano ballads. When she finally cranks it up Sleater-Kinney-style on "Doubt," it feels earned: a cry of self-determination, as inspiring as ever.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”