Taken as a whole, Communicating presents a multi-layered universe of off-center pop well worth exploring.

It's hard to imagine where METZ can go after pushing their sound and skills into the red zone as they have on Strange Peace, but with their third album, they've left no doubt that they're one of the most singularly powerful rock bands in North America, and you ignore them at your peril.

Not everything on V works--"Weighed Down" and "Gathering" lack the focus of the album's highlights--but the songs that do are some of the Horrors' most exciting yet.

Fans wishing for a full-on return to the glory of early days may not find their reward, but 15 years into their career, the Bronx have matured into their craftsmanship and can both rock and write harder than most of their younger peers.

Scuttling percussion, noodling electric pianos, and rubbery basslines remain suited for Bronson's nasal, humor-laced self-praise and subtle jabs at himself, whether he's boasting about his swimmer's body and celebrity chef friends, lamenting his inability to dunk, or proclaiming "Your shit lack quality/I'm sittin' right behind my chick makin' pottery."

The supplemental voices are used to positive effect, whether they contrast with or echo Ejimiwe's plaintive surveillance of personal and societal ruination.

The performances on Acoustic Classics II don't supplant the original recordings, but they do offer compelling alternate versions of some of the gems from his songbook, and this is a simple but satisfying addition to Thompson's recorded catalog.

The album never comes off as a slavish museum piece. It feels instead as if they somehow rediscovered this sound, like an old coat picked out of the attic that looks as perfect with a modern ensemble as it did in its own heyday.

Richly layered and emotive even by Hercules & Love Affair's standards, Omnion is equally committed to moving hearts and bodies.

On Exile in the Outer Ring, Anderson calls on listeners to maintain their humanity in powerful, unnerving ways that make it one of her finest achievements.

Andrew spends TFCF discovering sounds that previous incarnations of Liars somehow never explored, whether it's the oddly majestic psychedelic flamenco of "Cliché Suite" or the brittle piano pop of "No Tree No Branch," one of a streak of surprisingly catchy songs on the album's second half. Amidst all the change, Andrew holds onto some quintessential Liars qualities.

As is the case with much of A Sentimental Education, both of those songs [Bob Dylan's "Most of the Time" and Mercury Rev's "Car Wash Hair"] find Luna deftly straddling the line between deep reverence and inspired reclamation, a perfect balance that renders each track a new addition to the band's own storied oeuvre.

For an act that has been operating creatively since the mid-'70s, Amadou & Mariam once again prove their art can thrive in just about any setting.

Thrice Woven marks the welcome return of the power and dark majesty of one America's most original metal bands.

Perhaps out of necessity, the group seem more inspired here than they have in a while, and the result is arguably their best work since their 2000 opus Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven.

Hallelujah Anyhow is another outstanding exercise in record making from Hiss Golden Messenger, and it's recommended to loyal fans and curious neophytes alike.

The times are always right for music as healing and calm as the Clientele's; the times surrounding the release of this wonderfully peaceful and uplifting album need it even more--and, thankfully, the band has responded with some of its best work ever.

The record charms because its ridiculousness is sincere and his sincerity is ridiculous--two qualities that make him and his art messy and quite genuine.

As a whole, Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness of Decay is a welcome step further ahead from Hammer of the Witches in its force and economy, and even with its missteps it's a stronger album for it.

The result is nourishing, a lulling yet ringing affirmation of Wright's deeply rooted connection to the South and its music.

It's a clunky end to a disappointing album; one that sounds less like a reinvention and more like a giant step down a path best left unexplored further. Maybe they can strip back down to a trio, get their pedals back, and return to being a first class psych band instead of second rate indie rock troubadours.

Haiku from Zero may be Cut Copy's most Cut Copy album yet, full of hooky songs and breathlessly danceable songs. The only thing it is missing is inspiration or invention, which also means it is their least successful record yet as well.

Maybe it's missing a little bit of the thrill that came along with hearing TERRY for the first time, but there isn't much anyone can do about that. All the band can do is keep cranking out these kinds of smart and snappy pop songs an album at a time, hopefully for as long as possible.

Whichever word one may choose, the record is a delight for lovers of psychedelic guitar interplay, and Beaches continue to be one of the best exponents of that sound around.

It's anyone's guess what the Yawpers might have in mind for the future, but they sure stepped up their game with their sophomore album, and Boy in a Well is an experiment that absolutely succeeds.

Here and throughout Before the Applause, Re-TROS sound fully in command of their sound, and fans of Liars, Battles, Factory Floor, and Public Image Ltd will almost certainly get--and love--where they're coming from.

Highly stylized but memorable for both its unusual palette and what are ultimately consistently good songs (for outright earworms, don't miss "Blue Cigar" and "Daddy Long Legs"), Saturn Over Sunset is recommended for anyone intrigued by the idea of retrofuturist anti-pop.

New Magic is a different animal than Son Little [the self-titled], but both albums are products of a strikingly gifted artist, and listeners who want to hear a smart and passionate musician take R&B into new, thoughtful places owe it to themselves to give New Magic a careful listen.