To put it simply, Eminem is back. There are some truly essential songs on Recovery, and even the weak tracks are an improvement from the debacle that was Relapse.

Brothers is a rock and roll takeover, as The Black Keys flex their muscles and make their presence known towards all imitators. The variety between tempos, melodies, and genres will keep you coming back to this record.

As a whole, Life Fantastic is the band's most accessible album yet, full of memorable hooks while retaining the eccentricity and theatricality that have become synonymous with the band.

Known as much for their rambunctiousness as their literate ways, Steel Train have managed to take all the hallmarks of their sound but pushed them even farther. And yet never once is their sound compromised.

Chaplin, Rice-Oxley and drummer Richard Hughes, chased down something different while still remaining true to their former records. Not only does it work, it provides a valuable lesson for bands that are far too afraid of taking risks.

Waking Season is the most dynamic and affecting record of this year and probably last year (too lazy to look).

Wreckorder is the sound of a songwriter firmly embodying the spirit of Britpop and testing himself. "Sing Me To Sleep," and "As It Comes," also point towards signs of maturation that were never seen in the Travis back catalog.

The way I see Torches, it's not so much music as a vehicle to convey their message, but more so just fun music for the sake of fun music, and well, you have to have lyrics, don't you?

This is Winterpills at their finest, this is Winterpills with a direction and a clear focus.

It's good to listen to a record like The People's Key, if for no other reason, just to appreciate a songwriter who knew exactly what he wanted to do and executed it perfectly.

Gallows will arguably divide the fanbase between a hint of less grit at times and a vocalist not quite harnessing the same volatile nature as before--therefore yielding what is arguably the band's most diverse record in terms of execution.

They have taken what they knew they were at good first time round, shed some of the cliche post rock elements and pressed on in a direction which at this stage in their career was perhaps a safer bet as opposed to trying something completely new, but it was the right bet.

Angles is the best Strokes album since their 2001 debut, and they still sound just as fresh and youthful as they did when they released that record.

Gutter Rainbows may be the most accessible and varied album in his discography.

After we leave the forebodingly beautiful place of Little Hell one thing is certain--this is City and Colour's finest, most creative work to date.

The honesty behind Hello Sadness is remarkable and incredibly appealing.

The instrumentation is luscious and variable, the harmonies are wonderful, the lyrics are solid and compelling for the most part, and with such a lovely blend of slower and up-tempo tracks to choose from, Overlook is something you definitely don't want to do in regards to what might just be considered Maria Taylor's finest solo effort to date.

The quintet has a real pulse on how to be memorable, melodic and magnificent without sacrificing their defined visions.

Certainly, this is the band's greatest overall work since Recipe For Hate. It's tightly condensed, compellingly charming and whipsmart storytelling.

The end result is this expertly-crafted, inoffensive, hook-laden pop. Though it gets a bit silly in places, the core of this disc is far too good to pass up.

So it is in just nine short songs, Kinsella has crafted something deeply resonant, deeply impacting and most importantly, timeless.

Mirror Traffic, Malkmus's fifth post-Pavement album, is proof that the singer, now 45, hasn't lost an ounce of what made him an iconic figure in the '90s.

Their ventures paid off supremely, as One Life Stand is an enjoyable and captivating listen on every level.

Tripper sounds like Hill and Seim naturally hashed some tunes out--just with some better years of experience behind them to reflect back on.

All told, Positive Songs for Negative People is Frank Turner's most complete album since Love, Ire & Song, and perhaps his best as well.

The point is, there's nothing not to like about Shame, Shame unless you're looking for some inscrutable puzzle to solve. However, if you want something you can just sit back and soak up, well, missing this album would be the real shame.

Taylor's original 1989 is made even more interesting and worthy of discussion by Ryan's overtly classic rock-ified version, while Ryan's version is intriguing as both a personal expression and a reaction to one of the biggest albums we're likely to see come along in our lifetimes.

The album never gets stagnant and avoids the pitfalls of sticking to the same sound or mellowing out with age and ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have quite a few albums in them yet.