Past Death Cab albums have found frontman Ben Gibbard penning youthful lyrics about the wariness and mystery of love, but now, the singer -- who recently married actress/musician Zooey Deschanel -- seems to finally be at peace with his strange, wonderful self.

While that post-9/11 set had a fantastic first single ("Ch-Check It Out") and nothing else close to its level, the group's latest lacks a standout track but is a consistent hodgepodge of slimy beats and no-nonsense rhyming.

Recorded in the garage of frontman Dave Grohl's home in Encino, Calif., the 11-song set is an explosive, high-octane burst of rock energy from a 16-year-old band that is tightly honed and righteously raw.

Jollett and company do it one more time, most definitely with feeling.

Only in closer Grown Ocean, with crashing cymbals and trilling woodwinds, do you get a sense that Fleet Foxes are actively trying to impress you. Even then, though, you're impressed all the same.

It's not surprising that his first new album in five years, "Tha Funk Capital of the World," is epic in scale, from its 16 mostly woofer-shaking tracks to the generation-spanning guest list.

So Beautiful or So What is vintage Simon, but it's also all over the map stylistically, touching on blues, African, folk, Indian and more. The music is unmistakably his, but finds the artist challenging himself melodically and with his phrasing.

The 13-track set, produced by Jay Joyce, assures us that she's more than OK, with a still-luminous voice that can make the phone book sound like Puccini.

Mary Mary never forgets to weave in an empowering, uplifting message that lingers long after the last note has sounded.

Bluesier and less electronic than its predecessor, "Blood Pressures" is by far the Kills' most accomplished and diverse set yet.

As the album's title suggests, Slug primarily concerns himself here with matters of home and family, but it's hardly a Hallmark affair.

What marks "No Devolucion" as an improvement over 2006's "A City by the Light Divided" and 2009's "Common Existence" is that frontman Geoff Rickly and his bandmates have finally written a batch of songs worthy of those complicated arrangements.

Akinmusire has chosen to challenge listeners, exploring free territory where Smith squeaks and squawks his way into the wilderness.

The set is an enveloping mix of melody, mood and texture that speaks to Robertson's triple-threat virtues as a performer, composer and producer.

American Tragedy is a tight mash-up between contemporary sonics and old-school aesthetic.

Austere and melancholy, dealing mostly with heartbreaks and farewells with a modicum of hope, new album "Paper Airplane" still conveys the rich and understated beauty that's always been the group's trademark.

Once again, TVOTR channels something unique and forward-thinking.

The 10-track set barely has a weak moment and actually ends too soon. It's like '90s alt-rock had a child who suddenly grew up beautiful.

The music is at its best when it emulates an animated conversation, one voice leap-frogging the other with no one losing sight of the central theme.

Stronger, Sara Evans' first studio album in six years, is proof that some things are worth waiting for.

It's a bold change of course that gave overseas ears pause when it was first released in July under the group name RPA & the United Nations of Sound.

Sonically it's a super-charged take on the girl-group sound, with thundering drums, multilayered vocals, heart-wrenching lyrics and loads of echo-all of which contrasts with her honeyed voice.

Jennifer Hudson has never sounded better.

The easier-but not exactly wiser-route for Brown would've been to take jabs at those who turned their backs on him, but his tactic here seems to give listeners a solid album.

For sure, Sabbath, Zeppelin and more obscure bands of the era like Wishbone Ash loom large over the proceedings, but Arbouretum breathes new life into a long-dormant genre with its melodic flair, the freshness of its approach and the tastefulness of its playing-and to call a band whose average song length is six to seven minutes "tasteful" is no faint praise.

It took awhile, but the Strokes have ultimately rewarded their fans' enduring patience.

Patti Smith, Eddie Vedder, Peaches and Lenny Kaye are along for the ride, helping Collapse Into Now stand tall in R.E.M.'s richly diverse canon.

Underneath the Pine is at its best on songs like Got Blinded, Still Sound and Divina, with solid grooves and discernable melodies that leap out from the kaleidoscopic bramble.