A well-balanced marriage of all of Phonte's musical inclinations.

The sound is standard-issue pop-punk in the Green Day/Blink-182 manner, with an echo of Jimmy Eat World in the contrasting vocals.

Machine Head is still a force in modern heavy metal.

Despite a heavy focus on repetition and a stripped-down sound, Neverendless is seldom predictable, showing the talents of a group who know that sometimes less is more.

It's certainly not pretty but it's a distinctive first record that, in a bizarre way, appears to live up to his rather unusual claims.

An uncharacteristically stripped-back, lo-fi production which perfectly suits the unsettling plot line of the Eastern Europe-based thriller.

Four Tet's entry in the Fabriclive series plays things surprisingly straight, largely limiting his selections to a narrow stripe of electronic dance music, and for the most part linking them together in a reasonably smooth, utilitarian fashion.

The only problem with Freaking Out is that it's so short!

Clash Battle Guilt Pride digs deeper with each listen, especially thanks to a maturity that gives Stadt's sandpapered lyrics more emotional pull, makes the songs more memorable, and ultimately, begs just one more listen.

The lead track and "In the Middle (I Met You There)" are two of Dear's sharper avant-pop songs....The back half, "Street Song" and "Around a Fountain," are elusive sketch-like tracks with slightly unsettling ambience.

Concrete is modern and polished, yet makes no attempt to disguise the influence of the Texas country tradition in its heartfelt performances.

Even if it is not as original or wildly thrashin' as the first album, Post-Mortem is still a decent follow-up, especially considering that Black Tide are still only in their teens.

Muppets.... freshens up the franchise for the newish millennium, and Generation Z listeners will enjoy hearing current artists in this different context, but other listeners may be left reaching for their classic Muppets fare.

A highly addictive, lightly experimental mix of blue-eyed soul and psych-inflected indie-electronic pop.

Eight cuts from the bookish indie rockers, including early favorites.

Functions more as a sign of what's to come, setting Greyson up for a better album somewhere further down the road.

There's a great and more conventional singer/songwriter album waiting to get out here, but The Lateness of the Hour appears to be more concerned with creating a bold statement of intent than in showcasing Clare's undeniable talents.

Be prepared for an experience somewhere between a star-studded soundtrack and a DJ-helmed mixtape.

While the album certainly delivers on the darkness, it manages to keep from being too suffocating thanks to the band's bombastic power metal.

He has a true knack for rhyming about the dangers of the West Coast.

Rival Sons are a power trio plus singer in the traditional style, who might have made this album after listening to the first Led Zeppelin LP over and over for a day or two... Anyone who likes [60's hard rock] should ... check them out.

Fans looking for a middle ground between Jamey Jasta's output with melodic hardcore outfit Hatebreed and sludgy metalcore group Kingdom of Sorrow will find a great deal to love about the workhorse frontman's solo debut.

Famous First Words was always going to struggle to live up to the band's bold promises, but it's still a shock at how a Brit-pop scene renowned for its color can be responsible for something so utterly drab.

Seven Rainbows only really does justice to [Gold's] undeniable talents when it abandons its Woodstock-aping ambitions.

The album is scattershot to its last breath, but the thrill of watching this hood star threaten to supernova is a real high.

For the Good Times [is] colorful and quietly engaging.

It's a debut with potential, especially if Howler find their own identity as completely as they borrowed others'.

Bombay Bicycle Club's 2011 album A Different Kind of Fix is a melodically compelling work that builds upon the band's eclectic guitar-based indie rock sound.