Depeche Mode is back on tour again after a health emergency. The band’s new album Sounds of the Universe (Mute/Capitol/Virgin) opens with the dark and slightly dreary “In Chains,” but the tone shifts with the addition of some beats on “Hole To Feed.” The nearly bare “Wrong” echoes vintage DM, while “Fragile Tension” returns with a, well, fragile dance vibe. The most readymade dance tracks in “In Sympathy,” “Jezebel,” and “Peace,” which reminded me of Erasure.

The Killers continue to embrace a 21st century new wave style on the group’s third and most recent disc Day & Age (Island). They ask the eternal question, “Are we human or are we dancers?” on “Human” and then answer it by providing an irresistible beat. “Joy Ride” is a joyous and funky vintage disco workout; whereas, “I Can’t Stay” goes in a rhythmic Latin direction.

Manners (Columbia) by Passion Pit ranks as one of the most exhilarating and infectious dance discs of the year. Virtually every song stirs up the desire for ecstatic dancing, beginning with the radiant “Make Light” and progressing to the big beats of “Little Secrets.” “The Reeling” is the perfect name for a song that is sure to set more than a few people awhirl, “Eyes As Candles” is a luminous homage to the ’80s and “Folds In Your Hands” is a handclapping holiday.

Possibly the most buoyant dance album around, Junior (Astralwerks/Wall of Sound) by Röyksopp is guaranteed to enliven practically any gathering. With priceless assistance from Nordic dance divas Robyn, Lykke Li, Karin Dreijer-Andersson (of The Knife) and Anneli Drecker (of Bel Canto), Röyksopp turns up the heat on the dance floor. Take your pick from the Stevie Wonder riff that powers “Vision One,” the humanity in “The Girl and The Robot,” the Giorgio Moroder homage of “This Must Be It,” the rubbery rhythm and wordplay of “Tricky Tricky,” and choral energy of “It’s What I Want.” Speaking of Dreijer-Andersson, check out the self-titled debut disc by her other project Fever Ray (Mute). On it she explores a variety of electronic circuits.

Right from the start, Franz Ferdinand never did anything to mask its fondness for dance music. And its latest album, Tonight (Domino) is no exception. The bare-bones funk of “Ulysses” (which at first reminded me of Radiohead’s “House of Cards”) warms up our ears for the booty swirl of “No You Girls.” “What She Came For” delivers more hip-shaking good times before “Live Alone” invites other body parts to join the party. “Can’t Stop Feeling” and “Lucid Dreams” give you all the reason you need to keep dancing.

When you think of French dance music, Daft Punk and Air are probably the first things that come to mind. That’s what makes Phoenix such a treat. The group’s debut disc Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote) is an ass-shaking affair, powered by an undeniable ’80s influence. I dare you to try sitting still when you hear “1901,” “Lisztomania,” “Fences,” “Lasso,” “Girlfriend” and “Armisitice.”

Where the three straight white dudes of Tortured Soul learned to make such flawless and soulful disco music is anyone’s guess. Ours is not to question why. Ours is to get our groove on, and the baker’s dozen tunes on Did You Miss Me (TSTC), including “Home To You,” “In My Fantasy,” “Another Lover,” “At The Bottom,” and “Your Dream Is My Dream” provide plenty of pulsating beats.

Listen closely to the album Reintegration Time (Normals Welcome) and you can hear the influence of OMD on Canadian electro group Shout Out Out Out Out. It’s evident on opener “Run” and throughout the disc. In fact, with the occasional hip-hop inspired number tossed in here and there, the ’80s play a considerable role in the SOOOO’ s sound. The Phenomenal Handclap Band, on the other hand, looks to the ’70s, to Pink Floyd, for instance, as inspiration for the fine and funky beats on its eponymous Friendly Fire debut disc. There’s some fun wordplay (“All of The Above” and “15 to 20”) and plenty to dance to, as well.

For your year-round dancing needs, keep in mind Paper Route and Pendulum, who pepper their dance dishes, Absence (Universal Motown) and In Silico (Atlantic), respectively, with a hard rocking seasoning. If you dig the aforementioned Robyn and Lykke Li, as well as Röyksopp, then be sure to get your hands on Andreas Kleerup’s debut album Kleerup (Astralwerks), which features both Lykke Li and Robyn, and so much more.