Spock’s Beard hasn’t sounded so Spock’s Beard-y in years, as they return with a new lead singer and a throwback new release that recalls the glory years with Neal Morse. (It helps that Morse contributes two songs, as well.)

Both Depeche Mode and the Waterboys are back with equally improbable returns to form. They get there by recalling everything you loved about their work in the late 1980s.

A sprawling retrospective set provides new vistas for experiencing the shooting-star genius of the late Duane Allman, and we return once more to an emotional reminiscence from Miles Davis which would ultimately be his last major concert.

David Bowie and Eric Clapton return with albums that recall their glory years, while Shooter Jennings — both as a solo artist and as a producer with Fifth on the Floor — makes two appearances on our list.

Every once in a while an artist puts it all together. Memphis, a Boz Scaggs project that is by turns silky smooth and then a raucously grooving delight, is that record. Elsewhere, the Replacements make a triumphal return, as well.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds return with an R&B-soaked groover. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell combine for a long-awaited Americana reunion. Johnny Marr is ready to reclaim his throne as a guitar god for a new generation.

This is one of those whip-you-around New Music Mondays that requires a fastened seat belt. Hold on tight, kids! We’ve got a fantastic reunion with the Bad Seeds from Nick Cave, and intriguing narrative prog from the Stick Men

They say this is a week for lovers. We’d like to make an addendum: For prog lovers, that is.

We have scorching new jazz from Wayne Shorter for you, along with equally trenchant — and, yeah, loud — stuff from Richard Thompson and Lisa Loeb.

New Music Monday spans a dizzying range of styles, from rootsy stuff to jazz, from blues to classic rock. Those blues? Check out Ben Harper and old-school harp-master Charlie Musselwhite.