Once just another also ran in a genre destined for obscurity, Jack's Mannequin have moved out of the emo ghetto and settled in nicely into a nice indie rock neighborhood.

She shows herself self-conscious in a good way on songs like "Little But Loud" where she happily shows off her stuff off while name checking Led Zep's most famous tune.

Something this eerie has rarely sounded so enticing.

Jordanian remains pleasantly understated as a frontman, letting his voice and knack for raw melodies take the focus.

Those two indelible songs ["Small Bright Doses" and "Rogue Highway"] alone more than warrant the price of admission, but while the rest of the album is far more ambiguous, its dream-like melodies and beguiling intrigue provide plenty of reason to succumb to its spell.

Most of the record finds organic urban grooves, frosts them with sweet pop-soul hooks and serves them up hot and fluffy.

Beaus$Eros is an interesting experiment. Busdriver is capable, obviously, in multiple genres, and has the restless, omnivorous kind of creativity that sees links between disparate styles.

Ultimately, Coming Out of the Fog is about song, rather than sound, but that sharply-crafted sound definitely its say as well.

Needless to say, The Wall's Immersion Edition is a visual thing of beauty, ...The undeniable black eye on this Immersion Edition, however, is the way by which they handled the inclusion of Roger Waters' solo demos... the majority of this coveted cache of rarities is whittled down to a series of poorly edited snippets that barely last a minute or even a few seconds in some instances.

Snider proves yet again that he is still one of the best musical commentators going today.

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

Wainwright has a true gift for turning heartbreak into brilliant folk rock.

With Sagara, Disjokke splits the difference between late-period Cluster and Alan Lomax, offering a most unique world view on 21st Century Nordic festival music from one of that nation's most open-minded visionaries.

Hospitality's debut is a sugar-rush of an album, albeit one given acerbic snap by Papini's delivery.

The level of familiarity turns out to be one of the records strong suits, and something that distinguishes it from the Bragg/Wilco records.

Ultimately, The House at Sea provides an ideal aural retreat, a tranquil locale where calm waters create minimal waves.

Overall, the tinny, sterile production (there is nothing lush about the sounds on In Limbo, nor is there supposed to be) and the fresh take on psychedelic and indie rock sounds pretty fine.

Solid songwriting chops show a clear ambition on the band's part to be more than just another garage rock act, though the tunes are stronger in the second half of the record than the first.

There's not an obvious departure from their last few releases, but there doesn't need to be as the band has settled comfortably into their sound.

If Hit Parade doesn't get Nourallah on more folk's radar well, their radar is done busted.

Throughout the tunes, you can hear that McCartney loves the language of the old songs. He enjoys the phraseology, tickles and teases each lyrical phrase. You can hear that he's waited forever to do as much such as this.

A two-disc set documenting archival demos and an early live recording, The Singing Postman Delivers demonstrates that for the most part, John Prine's musical persona emerged fully formed.

The sound is not quite as clean as on Beyond the 4th Door, but there's an organic whole-ness and immediacy that makes up for murkier sonics.

The steady driving "Mulholland Drive" and the Roy Orbison-worthy "Here Comes My Man" are among the band's best and could have easily come off their breakthrough 2008 release The '59 Sound.

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.

Jackson's love for Ellington but unwillingness to play it safe puts The Duke much closer in spirit to its inspiration than rote copies of originals would ever have done.

Buddy & Jim in tandem is twice as nice and two of a kind.

All things considered, Stars and Satellites is easily this band's best effort yet.