Considering how prolific they are, it's a surprise that this vital album is only Buddy and Julie Miller's second duet project and their first since 2001

Parts of this remarkable debut make for decidedly uneasy listening: The drugged-out, claustrophobic glam slam that's 'Flash of Light' may be the year's most terrifying moment.

The pair's knack for excelling amid a range of styles and approaches is even more apparent on "The Understanding," which resists the temptation to overtly court the masses.

While the album doesn't break new ground, there's plenty to like about its mix of pumping rock and old-school soul.

While the upbeat Lambchop records of the past are missed, OH (ohio) is a well-paced and engaging trip through Wagner's lush, scenic tunes.

17 tracks of "edutainment" that are as enjoyable for adults as they are for kids.

A warm sonic cocoon with synthesizer veins, it possesses the rare quality of making the listener feel like an active ingredient of the music.

Oldham's songwriting is top-notch as usual, his melancholy lyrics in perfect balance with the accompanying music.

Even more so than her arresting 2005 indie debut, "Arular," M.I.A. comes off as a globetrotting activist on sophomore effort Kala.

Thoughtfully added complexities and musicality, like the horns and honky-tonk pianos that accent 'Army of Ancients,' bring Dr. Dog's now-familiar style to a new level of maturity and prove it's not just destiny bringing the band its success

Endearing sour trumpet and recorder notes on uptempo tracks like 'Judy and Her Dream of Horses' and a stunning 1998 version of 'Slow Graffiti' capture the essence of early Belle & Sebastian, while the four unreleased songs from 2001 find the group experimenting with funky, spoke-sung vocals ('Shoot the Sexual Athlete') and haunting atmospherics ('Nothing in Silence').

This is a confident, competent new direction from one of rock's most intriguing figures.

Throughout, she romps with creative abandon, thankfully unafraid of stretching the boundaries lyrically and musically.

It all adds up to a collection that successfully sets Hanson apart from the current teen-pop phenomenon that it helped start -- at least from a creative perspective.

Most of the time, however, the band makes a righteous racket that straddles the worlds of prog rock, funk, fusion jazz and world music, with Eastern motifs spicing 'Aberinkula' and a bit of cosmic blues making its way into 'Conjugal Burns.'

The band's cadre of dedicated followers will no doubt forgive the dark direction as they file the disc in with their numerous other classics.

[The Bad Plus] aren't exactly reinventing jazz, but they are up to the task of aggressively disdaining genre conventions, in terms of upending arrangements, going with eclectic programming, and revamping their instruments' respective roles.

This is the throat-clutching Ministry that longtime fans have been waiting for: a grand mix of industrial rock and murder metal.

Unlike recent collections Music and Ray of Light, the lyrical content of American Life relies less on spiritual introspection and more on woman-in-the-mirror confrontation.

A substantial addition to the band's catalog.

They churn out seriously fun, ballsy rock tunes with a wink and a nod.

Whether you prefer him shouting vitriol on the picket line or whispering sweet nothings in the bedroom, you'll find plenty to enjoy here.

On the Jodeci-sampled 'You're Everything,' Bun B rhymes about his love for his hometown of Houston, while poverty, politics and spirituality dominate the reflective 'If It Was Up to Me.' But the most heartfelt track on the album is the one dedicated to Pimp C, 'Angel in the Sky.'

"Okonokos" delivers as powerful a wake-up call to the ears as seeing MMJ in the flesh.

Stone remains impressive as a vocalist, an old-school soul with an understated delivery that's more hushed than histrionic.

Musically, the band works up a handsome country rock sound with shades of the Rolling Stones and Wilco throughout, making room for swagger ('Fix It,' 'Magick') and sentimentality ('Natural Ghost,' 'Evergreen') in equal measure.

Improvisatory and poetic, Bardo Pond has more in common with avant-jazz and contemporary classical than with most heavy rock.

The band's collective songwriting skills impress frequently.