Saying that Jack Johnson's fourth record is languid and breezy is a little like saying the Cubs probably won't win it all this year, but "Sleep Through the Static" takes Johnson's über-chill, barefoot-in-a-hammock vibe to new heights—or mediums, depending on how you look at such things. Recorded purely with solar energy, "Static" traffics more in earnest, welterweight rock than his usual island-flavored vibe, which owes a lot to the subtle rhythms of his native Hawaii, and its pervasively midtempo skeleton is probably slow-rolling enough to completely alienate anyone not already in his camp. (This record will be a mighty tough sell at Coachella.) But fans who stick with it will find rewards like the sweet melody of "Angel," the hard-biting politics of the title track, the unlikely hook of first single "If I Had Eyes" and the jaunty saloon rhythms of "Monsoon." —Jeff Vrabel