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.

These are recordings that have never seen release on vinyl and, collected together, they do amount to a vibrant, exciting snapshot of Pavement at their wildest. For that specific audience, this is certainly worthwhile.

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

The highlights, unsurprisingly, occur when Allen is allowed to exert more of his power, heard in the darting/jabbing third and twisting sixth tracks. Those two tracks are worth the wait.

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.

Although nothing achieves the same height as "Try Me," the EP is promising at the least.

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.

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

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

Winning results on From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like the Ocean.

Slick guest artists Tyga and Kid Ink help the listener bridge the gap between the album's maverick moments and the sweet songs aimed at teens, and with smooth-voiced Royce showing equal grace with love and lust, Double Vision becomes the great and infectious model for a 2015 pan-global pop album.

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.

Like Alexander's debut, this is one of one of Ghostly's highest-quality releases of the 2010s. There's no excess.

Compton crackles with life and spirit.

While it's admirable that he's trying new things and broadening his scope, Morning World still feels like an experiment or a transitional stage.

Armed with several strong songs, Georgia is an impressive, inventive debut.

One of the most joyously deafening albums of 2015.

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

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.

It's both quiet and grand, sad and sweet, and undeniably human.

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.

Acknowledging that Night Beds' strict chamber-folk fans are bound to be disappointed if not horrified, taken on its own Ivywild is sonically rich, adventurous, envelopingly wistful, and undeniably stunning.

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.

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.

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.

More than ever, Abyss proves that she knows when to unleash her full fury and when to rein it in, and the results are stunning.

Kill the Lights winds up feeling happy and generous, an inclusive record that plays to teenage desires as effectively as memories of an adolescence left behind.

Lush synths, subtle electronics, and pulsing polyrhythms fuel these songs of discovery, transforming them from mere introspection into outright inspiration.