Her ethereal, purposefully-sloppily-overdubbed vocals haven't changed, but now they have a much stronger rhythmic backing.

It can be taken as a given that any longstanding fans will immediately enjoy Algiers, but for newcomers, this is also a perfect access point to what is one of the most consistent bands of the 2000s.

Putrifiers II stands as the moment in the bands discography where they break free of any and all restrictions and leave the door wide open for any subsequent releases.

Shields is both well-mannered and demanding, subdued but always bubbling under the surface.

Keys to the Kuffs is nothing groundbreaking, but it certainly warrants a few thorough listens.

The end result is a quieted, more suppressed record that steps delicately from one note to the next and shines even more of a spotlight on the twin vocal sentiments of longing and crumbled romance.

The end result is a quieted, more suppressed record that steps delicately from one note to the next and shines even more of a spotlight on the twin vocal sentiments of longing and crumbled romance.

Though it may take some time to grow accustomed to, this is a record you'll want to wrap yourself up in.

It may have taken him a few tries but through Mary's Voice, Koster has finally found his own.

Clark and Byrne are never fully on the same page. Instead they ricochet of each other, flying off on miniaturized tangents that never stray far from home.

I Know What Love Isn't is more than a great pop album – it's the most singularly rewarding statement from one of the more uniquely gifted songwriting voices of the past decade.

This kind of high-emotion, omni-genre electronic music is becoming the measure of artists working without geographical or scene ties and Held is one of the best examples

While this record may not quite reach the highs of Set Yourself On Fire or even Heart for that matter, it's still a hell of an album that clearly and succinctly makes the case for the band's continued relevancy in an over-stuffed pop marketplace.

Centipede Hz is dense and unforgivingly full-throttle--you'll find no "Loch Raven" or even "Chores" here – and home to some of the band's best and most involved lyrics to date.

It's not that Beams is a lighter listen than Black City, but it's certainly more honest.

This record definitely ranks up there with Offend Maggie and The Runners Four in regards to its emotional immediacy.

This record does indeed feel like a natural continuation of Sadier's previous body of work.

Coming up with interesting sounds isn't an issue for these guys, it's putting them together that is.

He [Chasney] may have made a misstep by not allowing the album to have that singularly defining moment but after his last few records, Ascent is a step up in terms of direction and execution.

Just be thankful that the new Swans are as clever, as terrifying, and as proficient in their craft as presented on The Seer.

Four sounds like an album created by a talented band that finally got back in a room together after a long time apart, and just seemed to put together all the various ideas they've all had without stopping to think too much about them.

Rather than a cohesive structured debut effort that was the product of a cooperative band, you have a Frankenstein-ian melding of cast off parts.

It's the producer's most immediate album and tightest display to date.

America is an album in two halves, once again separate but together, a side of individual tracks and a four-song suite that inform each other even as they generate tension by nature of their disparity.

Descriptors are hardly necessary for any of these songs because they're all a stone's toss from one another in pretty much every respect.

Researching The Blues isn't the album to convert non-fans of Redd Kross, but it does manage to tie in with the rest of Redd Kross' discography without sounding dated or out of touch.

The thematic and musical revamping is impressive, even for a band that seems to enjoy turning itself inside out on a regular basis, but it isn't quite matched by the execution.

Ram's 2012 reincarnation sounds impeccable. Though the bonus tracks don't pack much punch, the LP's dozen original cuts, crowned by the breakthrough sensation "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey," arguably make this LP McCartney's seminal solo effort.