Underrated / Overrated

Tame Impala: Not only is it probably one of the better band names in recent memory, but this Australian trio has also delivered one of the best records of 1969 that happened to be recorded some 40 years later. Fuzzy yet irresistably catchy, “Innerspeaker” at times resembles some hazy record clerk daydream of John Lennon fronting Blue Cheer, yet somehow never sounds like just another psych-rock tribute act. Tune in, turn on, rock out.

‘Blood Simple’ (1984): Recently re-released on Blu-ray, the Coen brothers’ noirish debut often gets overshadowed by the ongoing cult of “Lebowski” and the nihilistic Oscar winner “No Country for Old Men.” With a remake on the way from the director of “House of Flying Daggers,” now is a perfect time to revisit its humid, amoral world, featuring the great M. Emmet Walsh, Frances McDormand and the most startling newspaper delivery ever filmed.

The depth of ‘Get Low’: Though there’s no disparaging Robert Duvall’s work as a Depression-era backwoods hermit or the pitch-perfect music by dobro master Jerry Douglas, this indie drama overall left us wanting. The idea of an unlikable guy throwing his own funeral to hear tall tales about himself was great, but where were those stories? Where, in fact, were any other fully developed characters? A decent movie, but it should have given us more.

Lady Gaga overload: We get it, Gaga. You’re the heir apparent to Madonna, you’ve added some engagingly arty steak to pop music’s typical sizzle, and you’ve almost reached your goal of world domination. Now it’s time to go write a new album, something that just can’t happen when you’re flogging the same old songs, hitting every photo-op and stage-diving at Lollapalooza. To put it bluntly, how can we miss you when you won’t go away?