Wether or not Little Red is better than On A Mission is up for debate; the former is a much more consistent and even listen, but the latter features much higher highs and lower lows.

A shake up in the lyric department would be nice to see next time around, but on this outing Lana Del Rey is able to sell it with striking vocal performances and breathtaking compositions.

Tapestry of Webs makes the band's debut EP seem like forgotten practice demos. Across the board, the album displays acts of jazz, salsa and anti-post-pop (if that's a word), and it all leaves the listener coming back for more.

It's musically complex and ambitious, but flashes of powerpop shine through, making this Aloha's hookiest effort to date. Its pop aspect is more nocturnal than sunny, though, with its colors showing subtly vivid in the twilight.

For near-perfectly executed indie-pop, we the lucky listeners don't have to wait for a "next time." Cults have struck gold the first time out.

Overall, Wondrous Bughouse is a beautiful, experimental album that never forgets that above all, music is an art form and is meant to be experience as is film, art, or literature.

Strange Trails is brilliantly paced, and each song itself is brilliantly paced.

Lights Out is a more-than-satisfactory entry in the singer's solid discography, and easily one of the best pop albums of the year so far.

From the onset, it's apparent Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is meant to be a nostalgic look back on the Wu's glory days.

All in all, it's a solid debut effort and one that never spares on electronic dramatics and an extensive array of far-ranging ideas.

Lyrically and musically (guitarists Luke Kilpatrick and Jeff Ling showcase impressive tapping and riffing throughout), this is Parkway Drive at its best--combining the best elements from its previous albums and expanding on them to create an album that encompasses all your senses.

In the end, Volume Two is a showcase of Deschanel’s and Ward’s best traits--Ward’s production and composition and Deschanel’s intelligence and magnetism.

The first few tracks of the release are pleasant, everything is undermined by the last half.

While their third record The Wack Album may be the group’s weakest effort to date, it still shows off their abilities as hook writers and as the preeminent hip-hop satirists in today’s industry.

In a year that's produced an overwhelming amount of great music, Simple Math is another outstanding painting worth the public's attention.

Having complete freedom and reign with this record, Eisley was able to take its musical element to richer and grander heights.

Produced by Shaun Lopez (Far, Deftones), the sound and shape of each Renacer is clean and spacious.

Ultimately, Mayer Hawthorne has created his most complete and compelling piece of art yet, taking risks, experimenting, and looking to expand his already defined palate.

As far as comebacks go, you can't ask for much more than the sturdy set of vibrant pop songs The Feelies have bestowed upon us.

Overall, The Bears For Lunch is an great record, however those extra unnecessary tracks weigh it down at points and prevent it from being excellent.

It's under-produced on essentially all aspects of the musicianship, while Jordan Pundik's hyper-nasally vocals are mixed poorly and too sugar-coated.

While sticking to his A-game has served him well so far, it's worth noting that the songs themselves just aren't quite as resonant this time out, resulting in an album that's merely very good instead of incredible.

Forging a path not quite dismissing their last batch of cuts, Architects' drive to re-assert their heavier influences makes for a back-and-forth slug match that draws on a little too long at points – yet is still memorable enough to keep you coming back for the highlights.

On Parocosm, Ernest Greene tips his hand too early, too obviously: there’s not a lot to make you believe that he genuinely finds these sounds beautiful without some sort of winking hipness.

Coming in at 11 tracks, Gemini, Her Majesty doesn't contain a single song that you'll want to skip.

For a group of guys who are now 22 years on from their debut album and 15 years past their prime as one of the biggest and most important groups in rock ‘n’ roll, Lightning Bolt is a strikingly stellar set of songs that belies the band’s democratic nature.

There’s still a great album somewhere in this Philly quintet and we hear flashes of it throughout.

Though not nearly as strong as 2008’s Ganging Up On the Sun, Evermotion is stronger than 2010’s Easy Wonderful and will continue to keep the band relevant in 2015 and beyond.