An 11-song set of dusty, horn-laden, highway driving, drink-spilling heartache that stands as the group's most solid piece of work to date.

Lennox has crafted an album that brings to mind the sophisticated, contemporary sound of her original studio releases while allowing her to revel in the grand popular song tradition.

If calling Nosebleed Weekend the Coathangers' most professional work to date sounds like damning with faint praise, it admirably confirms this band isn't messing around.

Pop music styles change faster than they wear out, and Mohager convincingly makes the case that there is more to say in the music of the '80s, even if fashion has banished it to its own radio formats and nostalgia tours.

Beauty Already Beautiful is bold, soul-baring proof that Spookyland knows the best rock & roll is all about unexpected contrasts; even when they nod to decades' worth of rock history, they sound vital, never lazy.

The overall production aesthetic is slick and appealingly moody, with the hint of a smile to reveal just how much fun Rouse is having dabbling in this sonic milieu. It's a welcome break after the heaviness of his previous outing and, with his smart pop songwriting and clear vocal delivery, the veteran singer takes quite easily to the role of new romantic bard.

Musically, Kasher is all over the place, laying down enough staccato horn sections, sweeping strings, and quirky time signatures to give Sufjan Stevens a run for his money. What the Game of Monogamy occasionally lacks in hooks, it more than makes up for in style.

Loyal listeners looking for a more "personal" album from the band will have fewer complaints, but the casual fan will miss the more dynamic and vibrant elements of their earlier work.

Even though the album has a transitional feeling, Foxy Shazam still manage to make their sonic renovation a fun ride, and The Church of Rock and Roll is an entertaining stop on the musical journey.

There may be a bunch of bands traveling the same psychedelic back roads as Salvia Plath, but Collins and company ride with style.

Recalling names like Tomberlin and especially Julien Baker, Ellis' melodies are much less memorable than her plaintive sentiments, likely limiting Born Again's appeal to the heavyhearted.

If it didn't capture the fun of '80s pop, it just wouldn't be Chromeo. And for their third album, Pee Thug and Dave One are as campy and faithful to their roots as humanly (and robotically) possible.

They are all solid examples of the band's unique blend of indie sweetness, psychedelic experimentation, and solid songcraft.

Ultimately, Origin, Vol. 1 is a look back through the past -- musically, personally, poetically, and culturally -- as a way of moving toward the future, celebrating its influence and shaking free of its baggage.

Not so much a letdown as a comedown, One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back just shows that the giddy highs of Permission to Land aren't so easy to get the second time around.

At its best, on songs like "Monologue for an Old True Love" or the Nancy & Lee-styled orchestral country duet with Eugene Kelly, listening to Amorino provides nearly as many musical thrills as listening to a good B&S record.

Unlike The Juliet Letters, North never feels like an exercise, nor does it feel like Costello has something to prove.

It might come off as too much of a mish-mash if not for the tongue-in-cheek glee with which Leroy pulls it off.

DeGraw's unique production mastery finds some of its most vivid articulation on Sum/One, and sinks its hooks in effortlessly despite the fearless weirdness that comes through on every track.

Edited down from performances in London, Melbourne, and New York City, the 15 tracks that populate the lovely and inspiring Way To Blue: The Songs of Nick Drake feel far more intimate than the live tag would suggest.

All Hope Is Gone as a whole winds up being as bleak and unforgiving as its title.

Like the trio's eerie, 2010, eponymous debut, 2011's Nightingale feels like a relic that's been spruced up, remixed, and then planted back in the earth for some future generation to stumble upon, crack open, and germinate a scene with.

Despite all the outside input, this is Diplo's show.

Brettin tries a lot harder to sound weird on Skiptracing than he did on Timeline, and the result is a more vivid album.

The "unplugged version" has become a common trope in rock music; more often than not, it appears as a listless bid to extend a parent album's commercial lifespan for another year or two. Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón, while quite possibly achieving that aim, feels like something more fully realized and artful, and carries more weight than a mere catalog curiosity.

Bleachers occasionally borders on indulgent, but its tangents and loose ends are part and parcel of Antonoff's process -- and part of what makes it such a complete self-portrait.

Crafted with artist Chris Shen, the album is a spatial wonder, reflecting the outdoor nature of its title with a soundfield that sounds like the great outdoors.

Angel of Retribution does indeed rock just hard enough to please longtime fans and convert a few new ones along the way.