LOW BROWCiaraFantasy Ride

Ciara’s long-delayed third album is nothing if not flirtatious. The songstress offers silky vocals over hip-swaying beats catered for the dance floor. Though at some points the album flirts with falling flat, thankfully, the LP is bolstered with hit-making appearances. With tracks like “Love Sex Magic,” featuring Justin Timberlake and “Turntables,” featuring Chris Brown, the album takes on a playful air perfect for summer. Missy Elliot is featured on one of the highlight tracks of the album, “Work,” and does not disappoint. Honestly though, it just leaves you wanting a new Missy album instead.-Angelica Jaime

MID BROWStar Trek

The relaunch of Gene Roddenberry’s cult TV series doesn’t so much insult your intelligence as bludgeons it, racing along at the speed of coincidence without bothering to smooth out logic gaps, weird science or character flaws in this mostly charming two-hour film. It’s certainly entertaining, and there’s a certain je ne sais quois in watching fresh-faced actors regurgitate fan favorite lines like “live long and prosper.” Be wary of how director J.J. Abrams obfuscates the images with the tried-and-true motion blurs, lens flares and shaky camera movements that he uses in each of his projects. -Jeremy Gordon

HIGH BROWPassion PitManners

I fully confess: I do not get Passion Pit. Its debut LP, Manners, delivers on all of the things I dislike about the band: overly buzzy synths drive most of the mediocre songs, which are made even more unbearable by singer Michael Angelakos, whose piercing falsetto makes it sound like his nuts are trapped in a vise. “Little Secrets” encapsulates all of these elements in a truly bad song, sounding like a failed attempt at a Sega Genesis game soundtrack. At best, the album serves as second-rate indie dance fodder, which means Manners will likely be loved by many a hipster.-Benjamin Goldrich