Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers specialize in good cheer, and while that means they can sometimes overplay their hand here--"Strangest Christmas Yet" sticks out like a sore thumb, each punch line landing with a thud--their act is ingratiating and so is The Long-Awaited Album.

Throughout it all, A Flame My Love, A Frequency resonates with a healing warmth that is a testament to the remarkable purity of Colleen's music, as well as to the importance of beauty and hope when life is hard.

Working with the Australian wildmen gives Brettin's work an unpredictable nature not found on Mild High Club albums. This mutual benefaction means Sketches of Brunswick East is a collaboration that works wonders for both sides and will also make fans of both groups very happy.

With engaging basslines that act as the hooks and the glue to Maus' carefully contrived sound, Screen Memories succeeds by basking in its murky splendor.

It is highly electrifying, however, and ranks among the enigmatic, boundlessly exuberant vocalist's most joyous work.

The performances are vibrant and full of personality, heartbreak, and spirit.

It's indie pop with a purpose, full of drama and intention, great songs, and breathtaking performances that put other bands mining similar territory on notice.

With Reaching for Indigo, Fohr has done a remarkable job at translating a hard-to-define, life-changing event into powerful music.

One Directioners will no doubt relish every moment of Flicker, but for casual fans potentially wary of the boy band stigma, they can rest assured knowing that Horan has taken a big first step into musical maturity, with his own voice and deep well of emotion.

If you liked what transpired on Land of Plenty, you'll love the swirling complexity and good-time vibes of SpiderBeetleBee.

Ultimately, this is a soundtrack for an era of discovery that reflects the powerful desire of a generation striving to claim an identity of its own.

The record may be a step below his best work with the Strands and Shack, but it's not far off and the album is a wonderful slice of modern guitar pop songcraft.

Nothing is as volcanic as "Bank Head" or as rush-inducing as "Rewind"--two past gems--but these hyperballads and zero-gravity jams always stimulate, covering a broader spectrum of emotional states with deeper resonance.

HEAVN was expanded and reissued a year later by Jagjaguwar, made available on physical formats with a track list that added six interludes and a thick reprise of "Holy." The interludes, especially the one in which children recite an Assata Shakur quote--inserted as a brilliant setup for "Blk Grl Soldier"--are not extraneous.

Hurts have never shied away from grandiose musical gestures, something fans of their deeply emotive live shows and theatrical videos can attest to. With Desire, they've found a way to capture that amorous pop intensity and send it flooding back toward their audience.

The Selecter may still be best remembered for their part in the U.K. ska explosion of the early '80s, but Daylight shows they don't have to rest on past glories; they're creating a new body of work that's smart, energetic, and powerful.

This warm, soulful undercurrent, along with the wry sense of humor, elevates The Knowledge, turning it into a masterly latter-day work.

No matter that feeling, illustrated with one distressed scene after another, filtered through a multitude of inspirations and a few bodily fluids, The Ooz is a completely engrossing work from a one-off.

The album delivers the type of lush, cheerful disco Lindstrøm has always been known for, but there's a much darker undercurrent present here, and it feels like one of his most emotionally complex works yet.

Mnestic Pressure is a challenging but thoroughly stunning album that finds Gamble significantly pulling his vision more into focus than before.

This is a set of great songs from a master tunesmith, and Williams performs her material with greater intelligence and soul than anyone else could muster.

Discounting Losing's debt to the past, this is a high-grade garage rock record chock-full of emotionally honest, melodically engaging tunes. It may feel a little too familiar for those who experienced the '90s alt-rock boom firsthand, but those who didn't will no doubt be able to extract and enjoy its vibrancy.

Anthology won't offer any surprises to Carpenter devotees, but the music is undeniably authentic and faithful to his vision, and it sounds fantastic in any case. For anyone who isn't already familiar with Carpenter's films or music, this is a handy way to become acquainted.

The songs pop, the production is memorable, and the guests weave effortlessly into their respective tracks without detracting from Gucci's signature delivery.

Despite some deservedly hard edges, it's this vision of an open-hearted, open-bordered U.S.A. that gives All American Made its lasting power.

It dispenses cautionary maxims through passages of heavy guitar distortion and sleeker moments of acoustic guitar and synths. Taken together, his typical existential outlook combined with a heavier presence of New Order-like industrial timbres make this a somewhat darker album, but still delightfully Destroyer.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever are still working out their game on this EP, but if you want to know if this band has promise, the answer is an insistent yes. Talk Tight has plenty of fine tunes, dry wit, and chiming guitars, and how much else do you really need?

Ultimately, on Dreams and Daggers, with its balanced framework of live and studio recordings, happy and sad romantic songs, small group and classical chamber pieces, Salvant remains as bold and as sharp as ever.