With We Fall, Haynie puts all of his eclectic skills and stylistic tastes together, showcasing his studio prowess and compositional talent, as well as his knack for bringing disparate talents together to create new and serendipitously effective songs.

Summer Bones, the band's fourth studio long-player and first outing for Pure Noise Records, effectively seals the deal, offering up an 11-track set of slickly produced, earworm-heavy, festival-ready singalongs shot through with enough good old-fashioned punk/hardcore spirit to make the transition easy for old-schoolers looking for a respite from breakdown town.

The duo's desire to strip the music of all energy leaves the songs limp, unable to make an impression in an age when songs are screaming for attention everywhere you turn.

Their new sound might scare off some of the psych lovers who dug their debut, but for anyone looking for some weird heavy rock noise, Golem fits the bill.

Though it may not be quite as consistent as Forget or Confess, Eclipse still reflects Twin Shadow's dedication to atmosphere and hooks in engaging ways.

There's not much one can do to deny the emotional weight or the eerily '70s character of Goon; it's probably best to settle into the La-Z-Boy, flick feathered hair off of your polyester lapel, grab a box of tissues, and let it be.

There really are spaces everywhere, and most would be better served if they were filled with Monochrome Set albums.

Madness is their most consistent and well-crafted set list to date, and while it may move them further toward the pop end of the hardcore spectrum, it does little to dampen their combustible core.

Strangers to Ourselves is an album where the trees matter more than the forest: song for song, it demonstrates the exacting nature of Brock but put it all together, it sprawls.

This skillful interweaving of Knopfler's personal past helps give Tracker a nicely gentle resonance.

The experience of this album is to have listened to an Elliott Smith record and not an Avett project or to anyone else--a testament to Smith, certainly, but also to Avett and Mayfield's tasteful if fail-safe renditions.

Houndmouth have the right touch and impressive chops, but this album makes it clear they needs a songwriter who can make their music seem fresh even as it's modeled on the past.

Ultimately, with Froot, Diamandis has crafted an arch, swaggeringly impressive album that balances its pop sweetness with a deep-rooted maturity.

"Karaoke, TN" and "Coat Check Girl" are good neo-power pop, but what gives Wasted on the Dream its kick are those earlier moments, when the band wants to be a different band than it is.

There are no frills here but there is a distinct, compelling voice evident in Barnett's songs and music alike.

Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky vividly illustrates what a wild ride those 50 years were.

All the new songs find Bryan looking back over his shoulder at all the fun he's had over the years. Even when the songs get a little funky, as they do on the descending blues riff of the title track, there's a slight melancholic tinge

Brava has a unique voice, one that's choppy, quirky, welcoming, and likely smells of blunts when it burps.

If I Was is an album that expands The Staves' musical range without smothering the qualities that make them so memorable, and it's a step forward that brings out the best in the trio.

If there's a scattershot quality to Always and Forever, that seems partially due to the band just dumping a decade's worth of ideas. Either way, it's their liveliest record and possibly their most interesting to boot.

With In Times, Enslaved prove once again that they are among the few survivors of their generation that have never repeated themselves, nor have they morphed into something so unrecognizable that they're merely another metal band. This is vital, bracing music.

It's a promising debut that doesn't skimp much on melodies or emotion, and while it might have been interesting to hear a few songs that took a step outside the comfortable bubble of sound the duo creates, what's here makes for a very rewarding listen that's always warm and very, very comforting.

Clearly, Asleep at the Wheel draw sustenance from the music of the Texas Playboys, finding life within these old songs, and their love remains infectious and palpable after all these years.

It makes for an album that's hard to love right away, but if you stick with it, is a rewarding listen.

Ultimately, this short EP is an extension of Cheatahs' ambition as they seek to establish themselves as a musical force in their own right.

Ultimately, this is likely to satisfy only the most devout sects of Brown's and Tyga's fan bases.

Artistically, three is the charm for Big Sean as Dark Sky Paradise is much more expansive than previous efforts, sometimes grinding with executive producer Kanye West's love of the dark, and other times bouncing with the snark, swagger, and style that propelled this Detroit rapper to the top.

It's Decided is more than just another comeback album; it's proof that Andy Kim is here to stay.