The fact that the emotional extremes are few and far between makes the album difficult to wade through -- its impact would've been tripled with about half an hour lopped off, but where to begin?

So once again, they're preaching--at top volume--to the converted. Which is fine, because they remain very, very good at what they do.

Two years later, Head Above the Water reveals a calmer, more self-assured version of Power, one that has come out the other side, if with battle scars.

In many ways, the album feels like a working holiday for the band; even if it's not as explosive as some of their previous work, it shows that they can age gracefully and try new things at the same time.

Equally critical and affectionate and entirely fascinating, it's some of Daniel's most personal music.

This kind of sophisticated indie pop and singer/songwriter territory is all her own, and (A)spera holds almost as much wisdom as it does hope.

Major/Minor will go down as another solid, if unspectacular, Thrice release.

Given how mercurial she's been, this stylistic return may be temporary, but it's so fully realized, it's also a most welcome one.

This is a fitting postscript and testament to Masekela's legend, and the music on this date, while historic, is absolutely defined by its title.

If his band had either a stronger musical viewpoint or more kinetic energy, or if their songs didn't play like a heap of riffs, such provincial shortcomings would be transcended by the sheer force of the music. But the music, while good, is not great.

Polachek further distills her approach with a collection of deeply emotive songs that showcase her delicate vocals and intricate pop sensibilities.

Paisley's determination to keep This Is Country Music lean and lanky does mean it's not as wily as his other records, but his consummate skill as a musician and big heart are always evident, always keeping things compelling.

Even though she's borrowed a lot here--from Animal Collective, from Pakistani music--Bergsman manages to give it all a tender, sad-yet-sprightly touch that's completely her own.

Even when other albums by Panda Bear or Sonic Boom have suggested positivity and low-stakes fun, none have quite delivered that feeling like Reset does.

Some Reigning Sound fans might miss the harder-rocking side of the band, but if you're looking for ten new Greg Cartwright songs sung with real heart and soul, Shattered is just what you've been waiting for.

Just as it seems like it's about to spin out of control, the band regain focus and add strings that shift it closer to a vaguely country-ish lament, then end the suite with the sounds of distant explosions. ... On the second suite, wayward drums and haunting strings tumble like a ship rocking from side to side, then the group locks into a steady, churning rhythm, slowly getting heavier and hotter until it all seems engulfed in smoke.

The Toronto trio is just a ball of heavy genres, lumping together noise rock, post-punk, hardcore, no wave, or any style that might punish a pair of eardrums.

A truly passionate and expressive collection of songs that will live long in the memories of all who listen to it.

Sure, his collaborators have some of the best beats in the business. But they can't always take up the slack when Bubba's raps start to wither in the heat.

As on the first, the Bragg-written and sung music is the most convincing, since he captures the cadences and spirit of Guthrie's music. They sound like classic, weathered folk songs whereas Wilco's numbers are modern inventions, splicing music that is clearly theirs with Guthrie's words.

Listening to this album, one can't get around the knowledge that it is a posthumous collection made in Cash's last days, but even without that context, it would have much the same impact.

Watershed marks a new chapter for Opeth, one that promises infinitely more than its predecessors.

They have done many good, verging on excellent records, over the past decade, but only this has the songs and the atmosphere to be placed next to their best albums.

His voice is clear over the sparse arrangements, and his words are more direct than before.

The 33 cuts on this sprawling collection offer so many fine and unusual moments, Red Hot + Rio 2 is every bit as unique and groundbreaking, puzzling and dazzling, as its predecessor; only more so.

Three albums in, the young singer/songwriter sounds brave and confident yet breakable and guarded, and while A Creature I Don't Know may not be the bolt from the blue fans and critics were hoping for, it's most certainly storm born.

For now, Dark Roots of Earth improves upon 2008's comeback The Formation of Damnation and, in tandem with those rejuvenated live performances, promises a well-deserved second act for a band that so narrowly missed grasping the golden ring their first time around.

Suffice to say that In the Lair of the Sun God delivers from start to finish, and can't even be marred by Dawnbringer main man Chris Black's strained singing, which falls somewhere between Lemmy, Slough Feg's Mike Scalzi, and frequent collaborator Blake Judd of Nachtmystium, but fits right in with his band's lo-fi aesthetic.