Canvasback Music/Atlantic

Don’t let The Joy Formidable’s quieter songs fool you: The North Wales group is a straight-up rock band, particularly on their sophomore album Wolf’s Law. The disc, a follow-up to 2011’s The Big Roar, features raucous guitar riffs that rival Led Zeppelin ( “Maw Maw Song” ) and grandiose surges of static noise ( “The Leopard and the Lung” ). The group excels at releasing emotions through heavy riffs and pounding drums rather than hushed introspection – all propelled by singer Ritzy Bryan’s crooning yelp. The songs are replete with layers of sound, each track slightly more elevated and evolved than those on the group’s debut. It’s a good album, but it’s a collection of songs that will likely be better live.