Overall there’s a principled (but never overbearing) humanism guiding her worldview. And her songs definitely rock, if never in a way that overpowers her words.

Given this combination of tangled travails and expressive voices, it's hard to imagine any way these songs might be better served.

Everything is pushed harder, faster and into more extreme corners on Unsound, and, remarkably, the band seems to get tighter and more impactful as things become more difficult.

Long Slow Dance is a schizophrenic album, at times frustratingly so.

Sometimes controlled, occasionally chaotic, this new album packs a powerful impact.

Gonzalez paints broad strokes on this vast musical landscape, and although a wee long, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming may be his conceptual masterpiece.

While the pomp and sense of urgency may be gone from the band's '90s heyday, this is a solid effort and a worthy choice for rock fans who want something loud to drive fast to.

An album that bears repeated listens, Summer Skin is nothing less than extraordinarily affecting.

The operative term, then, is explosion, and the JSBX effectively conjure the jittery, edgy, colorful vibe of the city they live in.

The Devil's Walks minimal electronic landscape is mesmerizing and perfect for a quiet, rainy day of contemplation.

Side Pony is a solid starting point for anyone who has yet to discover the band.

Wolfroy Goes to Town haunts you quietly, in a private way that is, somehow, all the more devastating.

Unfinished Business doesn't breach new terrain, but then again, there's really no need.

This band seems poised for some kind of breakthrough and Tiger Talk seems as a good a place as any for this to happen.

Music that alternates magnetic engagement with "F...k you" sarcasm.

It makes for a varied bunch if ever there was one, a set of songs that proves both deft and divine.

If Provider was Webb reveling moment-to-moment in a new life, Free Will comes to terms with the fact that the more you live, the less you know.

This is My Hand is one big ball of skill, imagination and love of musical creation.

Simply put, My Foolish Heart is the epitome of an acoustic jazz guitar record.

Wright relies mostly on covers — she’s only credited with co-writing the final track “All the Way Here”--but her choice of classic material--Dylan’s “Every Grain of Sand,” Allen Toussaint’s Southern Nights,” the timeless standard “Stars Fell on Alabama, as well as newer, but equally impressive choices by k.d. lang, Rose Cousins and Ray Charles--testify to her ability to make the material her own.

While it's hard to shake Heartless Bastards' unforgettable prior release The Mountain (2009), Arrow is indeed pointed in the right direction with a fresh sound.

Worden does "brave the war" and becomes quite the victor on All Things Will Unwind, the third studio release and a wowing conclusion to the trifecta of work she has produced since 2006.

Melodic, dark and captivating.

There are some songs that sound like they were last minute add-ons (“Alchemy” is so plodding you can almost watch time stand still), but taken as a whole, Fool still finds Jackson playing some of the best pop music out there, immune to fads and current trends.

On Wonder/Wander Koone transcends such dippy, blog-generated catch-phrasing, displaying a sense of genuine dominion within the art of experimental laptop pop.

Anthemic stuff abounds here but they really hit a powerful stride in the middle with the fast-paced “Lizard Kids,” the funky bottom of “Lunar Phobia” and the girl-group sweetness of “Wrack Attack.”

The Men almost casually demonstrate a mastery of song-based rock & roll that usually comes from decades of work.

This album is just a few hairs (a couple of tracks and/or segues) short of being a transcendent gem, or masterpiece.