In Brief

** 1/2 Indigo Girls, “Swamp Ophelia,” Epic. If only Emily Saliers and Amy Ray weren’t so acutely aware that we’re listening. The folk-rocking duo labors to imbue every lyric with heart- or mind-expanding meaning, sometimes sapping the music’s bracing, insouciant spirit. They come through with a few songs that adroitly balance earnestness and gracefully emphatic playing, notably “Touch Me Fall” and “Dead Man’s Hill.”

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).