It results in his most adventurous and fulfilling work to date.

The dynamics of accessible songwriting mingling with weird breakdowns and abrupt production jumps make sure the songs are always engaging enough to keep the listener riveted, even when the saga of the twins starts to lose the plot.

Fresh and surprisingly accessible despite its quirks, Visions is bewitching.

It's one of the most affecting works to date from a brilliant, one-of-a-kind band.

Roses may not immediately grab hold--and it's lacking one strong single to pull listeners in--but it's well-constructed adult pop that's unashamed of being either adult or pop.

A listen to Melt clearly conveys their wider world-view and is as ambitious as it is engaging (and a real treat to hear on headphones, to boot).

Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose is as restrained in its own way as it is vibrant; just over 30 minutes long, it shows that Houghton knows how to leave listeners wanting more.

A record that stands out as a career highlight in an already very impressive and inspiring career.

The Something Rain's grace, elegance, and beauty are enhanced throughout by its subtle but certain spirit of chance.

Her flow is rock-solid but nimble and complex and apparently effortless despite the weird and shifting beats.

While it doesn't sound at all the same, fans of Robert Fripp's Frippertronics (Let the Power Fall) or Henry Kaiser's guitar-with-delay work (It's a Wonderful Life, Where Endless Meets Disappearing) should really enjoy this.

It's an honest record, stripped of artifice, and it will hit you hard if you give it a chance.

Voice of Ages is a good Chieftains recording; its solid performances easily outweigh its duds, but it feels like something less than a 50th anniversary celebration.

The charm of this edition is that the unreleased material is considerably looser than the finished album.

Improvisations is probably easier to enjoy, with the extended format offering a more broadly sympathetic palette for Osborne's forbiddingly austere aesthetic.

Warts and all, this is one of the strongest albums in Wiley's already impressive catalog.

Perhaps keen to avoid their one-hit wonder status, follow-up Future This eschews their original experimental ambitions by shamelessly attempting to repeat its success.

Habits & Contradictions, the album, lives up to its title, which could throw some, but the complicated rapper always seems to convert more than he scares away, and you can blame his keen, exciting, risk-taking, vintage-styled, and deep set of skills for that.

His songs are delicate but strong, faint yet persistent, and have a deep, almost inexplicable emotional pull.

Samson's words are the star of the show, and their ornate depictions of rural Canada, soft romantic devotion and computer programming make Provincial a quietly beautiful experience.

A subtle but confident change in direction, Have Some Faith in Magic suggests Mogwai better start looking over their shoulders.

For the most part, A Flash Flood of Colour revels in a unique, organized chaos, and while it's a demanding and often exhausting listen, it's a call to arms which the flagging U.K. guitar band scene could do with more of.

This is a beautiful and loving tribute to one of jazz music's great tragic genuises.

Adhering to such a limited arsenal can sometimes feel like the material was cut with a full band, then mixed down to just guitars and vocals, but Underwood and Costelloe manage to fill in the empty spaces with sheer charm.

Those only aware of Pepe Deluxé through their Levi-assisted one-hit wonder won't know what hit them, but fans who have continued to keep up with their abstract brand of electronica should enjoy most of the ride.

Surprising as it may be, coming from masters of the quick-cut DJ collage, The Search Engine is a journey worth taking from beginning to end, uninterrupted.

Those who shudder at the thought of a Dawson's Creek soundtrack should steer well clear, but loved-up fans of good old-fashioned singer/songwriter pop will find plenty to enjoy here.

One of the most impressive aspects of the whole endeavor is the fact that a bunch of South Carolina musicians were able to spiritually transport themselves so definitively to a Southern California state of mind.