Not all bands have to reinvent the wheel; they just need to roll it with some passion and dedication. Fist City do that and more on Everything Is a Mess.

Fingers, Bank Pads & Shoe Prints is another thrilling, occasionally confounding collection that demonstrates why RP Boo is one of Chicago's most unique, innovative producers.

An engaging debut from a band that hits a graceful midpoint between The Basement Tapes and the Gourds, not to mention delivering one of 2015's more pleasant surprises.

Simply viewed as a contemporary ska album, Subculture is fine stuff with some inspired moments and consistently engaging performances, and if your tastes run to the old school in both ska and reggae, this should be just what your sound system has been missing lately.

All told, on top of Yukon Blonde's engaging songwriting, production by Tiger Talk's Colin Stewart and mixing by Tony Hoffer (OK Go, Depeche Mode, the Kooks) combine for a winning dose of sensual, high-octane, synth-psych indie grub.

Dark Matter/Dark Energy is a potent reminder that Robb and his collaborators are still finding their way into the heart of darkness (which isn't too far from their hometown), and sending back compelling reports of what they've seen and heard.

Ultimately, Between the Buried & Me, despite employing many tropes and influences, come off sounding like no one but themselves.

Engaging songwriting, with lyrics mostly of the love variety here, also anchor her solidly in worthwhile territory--Work It Out is far from a sellout-type effort.

Portraits establishes Maribou State as an intriguing pair of sonic architects, capable of crafting intricate but not cluttered, blue but not depressing, emotive electronic pop music.

While Walker doesn't push his sound forward that much, little of what's here is forgettable, and it's all constructed with a good time in mind.

Among scads of other bands that specialized in hectoring vocals, droning basslines, battering drums, and scraping guitars, In Camera weren't all that distinctive, but they created quite a racket.

Unpredictable and ruthlessly abstract, Pattern of Excel is possibly the most avant-garde release in Ninja Tune's long history, and may seem like a stark departure from Lee Bannon's earlier works, but it's really just a continuation of his tendency to follow his fearlessly creative spirit into uncharted territory.

Hammer of the Witches doesn't reach the heights of Dusk of Her Embrace, but it does offer proof that there is plenty of fire and creativity left in Cradle of Filth.

Even with its relatively brief running time (44 minutes), Atheist's Cornea is an exhausting, exhilarating listen.

If How Far Will You Go is hit-and-miss as music, it's a remarkable document of a forgotten musical detour on the way to the sexual revolution, utterly fearless and not much like anything else of its era.

The EP leads with a pair of sludgy pysch jams, decelerates for the slightly abrasive "drumless space" of "Coma," and closes with the side-long "Radial," which begins and ends with shifting drones that flank seven minutes of searing menace that recall early, "the Can"-era Can.

Call Me Insane shows the honky tonk man can still write 'em and sing 'em as well as you could hope, and he's not slowing down a quarter-century into his career.

While a few tracks sound too similar to each other, How Does It Feel's best moments deliver pop accessibility without sacrificing any of MS MR's identity.

Ultimately, Music for Drifters ebbs and flows with the documentary, moving from idyllic seaside splendor to foreboding mid-ocean swells and back again.

Those attracted to the collaboration's premise will very likely appreciate its results.

Gold and Stone is another intriguing entry in the discography of Eternal Summers, a band who is quickly building up an impressive body of work.

It's not unfair to say Strange Wilds are a bit derivative, but they also do right by their influences, and they unleash a cranked-up onslaught that's tight and ferocious, with a judicious use of dynamics and an effective application of the traditional cheap Fender guitar run through the right effects boxes.

Bahdeni Nami's greatest appeal will be to newer fans who may prefer more contemporary production to the gritty lo-fi dabke aesthetic. That said, despite various flourishes, these producers try hard to remain true to Souleyman's spirit and, with only one exception, succeed in spades.

Sirens is a step up from their debut.

A streamlined ten-song effort that, at the outset, feels like a very meat-and-potatoes, suburban pop-punk affair. But simple suburban pop-punk is Spraynard's bailiwick and their unpretentiousness is part of their charm.

Overall, Marks to Prove It feels a bit anxious, but that's not necessarily to its detriment, and four LPs in, the Maccabees are still making smart and sophisticated Brit guitar rock.

The relaxed, hypnotic nature of the piece [Post Encounter Effect] is a little surprising coming after the ecstatic first side, but it's calming and welcome nonetheless.

It's an invigorating, infectious set that reaffirms Turner's faith in music's power to motivate and heal.

More than any other Jill Scott album--each one is either nearly or well over an hour in length--its impact would likely deepen with some trimming and resequencing. Nonetheless, there's enough high-quality content to sustain Scott's status as one of the most unique and powerful voices in R&B.

Death Magic presents a 2010s version of HEALTH that fits in with the likes of the Soft Moon and Blanck Mass while delivering their most accessible music to date.

Weirdo Shrine shows La Luz are more than living up to the promise of their early work, and that they're still one of the most interesting and entertaining acts on the Pacific Northwest scene in 2015.

On Thank You for Stickin' with Twig, Slim Twig takes full advantage of his limited recording resources (the liner notes state that the album is mostly home-recorded) in order to create his most original-sounding work to date.

Nine albums in and the band is finally flirting with accessibility, but in true Fear Factory fashion, they're doing it on their own terms and at a very deliberate pace.

Ashes & Dust is a worthy and welcome addition to Haynes' catalog.

One of the most joyously deafening albums of 2015.

While the EP is a little more straightforward than Do It Again, it's a fun, spontaneous portrait of a moment made all the more poignant due to Falk's death from pancreatic cancer in 2014.

Jessie Jones is clearly not for everybody, but if you love classic pop and rock created by a gifted eccentric with a vision (and the talent to make it real), this debut is well worth your time and attention.

The band's detractors will probably complain that the template remains firmly in place, and the band is aimlessly trekking through well-trodden terrain, but by returning to their roots, Bullet for My Valentine seem to have reignited the spark that made their early work so vital.

Everybody's Coming Down is ultimately engaging if meandering, and at its heart--whatever the style--is memorable, energized songwriting.

The Spirit Moves sounds like a sure-footed step in the right direction.

Imaginary Man presents Baxter and his material in a manner that's vividly passionate and a little swampy while avoiding cliches as he offers these sketches on life and love in the American South; it's a big step forward for Baxter, and will hopefully help him gain the audience he deserves.

It's the songs rather than the production that will keep repeat listeners coming back, even if they don't notice at first, or 20th, or 50th, and the marriage of the two works so well that folks are likely not to care why.

Dave Cloud was a unique talent whose work was not for all tastes, but there's a mad joy and untethered emotional freedom in Today Is the Day That They Take Me Away that would be the envy of nearly any artist, and on that score, this album puts much of Nashville's better-known product to shame.

There are a couple moments where the album gets overly somber, and the saxophone solo on "Kelly" should have been left on the cutting-room floor, but for the most part Sky City is a promising, quietly satisfying debut.

Even if it lives up to the bewilderment in its title now and then, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied is the kind of playful, unpredictable set a band can make once it reaches its fourth album.

Drawing on the classic amped-up sound of '90s acts like Sum 41 and New Found Glory, Neck Deep are at the vanguard of the pop-punk revival.

Neither Presley nor Le Bon should give up their main gigs for DRINKS, but if they got together now and then to record an album with as much good-natured charm and tricky bits as this, that'd be just fine.

If Lemmy croaks or wheezes more often on Bad Magic than he has before, it suits his tales of foul-minded bastards and their despicable deeds, and it's a fine fit with the bloody-minded attitude that has always been Motörhead's stock in trade.

She hasn't yet released one that's consistently exciting and satisfying from beginning to end, though there's more than enough here to make this worth a listen and to suggest that Deradoorian could have more interesting things up her sleeve for her next solo effort.

His music seems a slight bit more danceable and accessible than before, but not to the point of pandering to a hedonistic club audience.

Rateliff's world-weary, deeply expressive tenor and lyrics place him on a different level than any of the current crew of revivalists.

Consider this a Meth-led posse LP aimed at returning fans, and a very good one at that.

Sparks still sounds like she's finding a voice of her own.

The result is not only satisfying, but adds to the already unclassifiable depth of his artistry.

Crosswords is essentially outtakes from PBVSGR (with one cut left over from Tomboy), and while it's clearly more of the same, it's an enjoyable, compact dose of chilled, effervescent electro-psych-pop, and it functions as a handy reminder of how far Lennox has come as a songwriter.

Pickpocket's Locket is less furious than most of Frog Eyes' body of work, but if the music doesn't kick as hard the emotions are still there in abundance, and Carey Mercer's songs of love and hate remain compelling and rewarding stuff.

For the most part, Silicon works, delivering strange sonic pop candy that feels a bit too distant to warm the heart, yet is strangely comforting in its isolation.

Through its short running time Krol doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before, but that's really OK. He's got energy to spare, some really good songs, and a snide, slightly wounded voice of his own. Add in how well the quick-and-dirty production style suits the songs and Turkey ends up being a fine introduction to Krol and his sound.

If Lydon's decision to revive Public Image Ltd. seemed curious at first, with What the World Needs Now, the group has a firmly established new personality that suits its leader well, and finds him making strong and engaging music again after many fans wrote him off as a spent force.

It's that tension between the good and the bad, the yin and yang of Duran Duran, that makes Paper Gods absorbing.

Highest Point is the kind of album that's easy to love as background music, as a soundtrack for a lazy summer day, or anytime good, catchy tunes with no rough edges are required.

No No No is a feel-good mean of the band's prior releases that should appeal to the Beirut loyal as well as serve as a fine representative for any potential admirers who've simply managed to miss them along the way.

Even if this isn't their easiest or most satisfying listening, they're still a remarkably unique band.

Total 15 demonstrates Kompakt's reliability as well as its unpredictability.

If you're a fan, you need to grab this one.

Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz needs an editor, but there's more than enough worthwhile music here to transcend shock value.

While Carry the Ghost is a sullen work, with lyrics that deal head-on with reality, and processing rather than wallowing, Gundersen hits a beautifully wistful sweet spot in tone both lyrically and musically.

It's as authentic a return as a fan could ask for, and works equally well as a final chapter in the band's story or a new one.

While it could be argued that listeners don't turn to Buckcherry for variety, it is nevertheless a welcome sign of inevitable maturity for these legendarily sleazy L.A. scuzz rockers.

At its best, Faith in the Future is a compelling and suitably individual study of the Darkness on the Edge of Some Other Town, where Finn has plenty of stories to share.

The dancefloor-friendly tracks seem to have a classy tech-house shuffle rather than an overblown EDM pomposity, giving weight to her lyrics rather than distracting from them.

A well-rounded effort with plenty of promise, the posthumous Welcome to JFK is one bittersweet victory.

She's always been a sweet, pleasant crooner and Male plays to those very strengths.

It is a snapshot of where Gilmour is as a musician in 2015, and not by any means a grand portrait or statement to sum up his career.

It's an impressive and formidable debut, one that begs for analogies to the glaciers, jagged landscapes, and northern lights of her native country.

Pagans in Vegas can be viewed as their first post-success album and while the struggle for their musical soul that plays out over its course makes for a sometimes less than coherent listen, it's always an interesting one.

Where Lana Del Rey seemed weighted down by existential sorrow on her first two albums, Honeymoon seems comfortingly melancholic and that's the truest sign that it is the fullest execution of Lana Del Rey's grand plan yet.

Introducing Darlene Love doesn't show off many new wrinkles of her talent, but if you want to know if Love still has what it takes to make a great record, this album shows the answer is an unambiguous "Absolutely!"

Grief's Infernal Flower is almost doom-by-the-numbers (which should reassure fans), but Endino's production, Cottrell's vocal confidence and lyricism, and the band's willingness to push its grooves into the red provide an admirable next step.

It's a digital landscape where a very human pulsebeat lurks below the surface, and HeCTA's debut is an experiment that works remarkably well on its own terms.

[An] immersive hour-long dream sequence.

What a Time to Be Alive is also a worthy hang session from MCs Drake and Future, one that feels instant, spontaneous, and just messy enough to keep off the top shelf.

Negative Feedback Resistor is music made to smash the state--or at the very least deafen the enemies of the people.

Polaris is the record that Tesseract have been working toward. The evolved maturity of their writing, playing, and arranging is matched by the experience and confidence Tomkins gained while away.

Overall, Half Free straddles a neat balance between bittersweet pop hooks and murky, adventurous production.

[A] rare, pleasingly unfiltered debut that captures an exciting upcoming artist with little refinement.

Better Nature suggests Silversun Pickups have an interesting future ahead of them as their sound evolves, and as for Billy Corgan--hey, buck up, buddy, you and the Pickups had a good run for a while.

As "The Reverend" closes things with another shot of the band at its finest, it underscores that even an inconsistent Eagles of Death Metal album is still a lot of fun.

While the album is unrelentingly positive and clean-cut--a relief for listeners who winced at the lurid content laced through Discipline and certain earlier points in the discography--it's a little erratic in style and quality.

Foam Island is a curious, enjoyable album that abundantly showcases Darkstar's tendencies for experimentation as well as pop songwriting.

On Women's Rights they also show they can crank out some lean, tuneful punk rock, and this album is a smart, unpretentious good time on any number of levels.

Whereas the original Run the Jewels 2 was a perfect soundtrack for a night of mayhem, Meow the Jewels is the comedown after all that rabble-rousing.

Fans need not worry; colorful, variously world music-infused, psychedelic, and ultra-rhythmic, I Need New Eyes retains Larry Gus' somewhat warped artfulness, and the relatively more coherent presentation may attract at least a few more willing ears.

Every other record in their catalog hinted at their further development as a metal unit; this one doesn't. Trivium are using the building blocks of metal to pursue a wider, more nuanced, musical direction.

Mild High Club doesn't try too hard and avoids indulging in cloying weirdness, resulting in an enjoyable, naturally flowing album.

The Color Before the Sun is not the band's best record, but it is utterly inspired and almost nakedly sincere. It will likely play well to fans, but even more importantly, perhaps attract new ones.

Approach it as a much more relaxed, refined, and ethnobeat version of St. Germain.

Even though Tape Loops feels cold and wintry and with a hint of melancholy or regret, it's still a soothing, reflective, refreshing listen.