Guitars and Microphones

Kate Pierson has defined the eccentric soul of the B-52s for more than three decades. Now the feisty Jersey girl has a private Idaho of her own. Executive-produced by Sia, Pierson’s solo debut is a collection of brassy manifestoes about independence and, naturally, outer space. One of the best intergalactic jams, “Bottoms Up,” was co-written by Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi. While Pierson doesn’t roam too far from the B-52s mother ship, she does leave the surf guitars behind — except on the New Wave-y single “Mister Sister,” an LGBT-rights anthem that Cyndi Lauper probably wishes she wrote.