Unlike any of the pop princesses that have gone before her, however, Lavigne offers a sound far more guitar-heavy, and lyrics packed with unshakable attitude.

Co-produced by Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous, much of Forever captures that group's penchant for dense atmospherics.

A lush cruise through the Caribbean's romantic songwriting traditions with some additional stops in South America.

With Trickle, the group continues to carve out a private niche in the rather segregated world of electronica with another set of excellent tracks full of pop sensibility and a heaping dose of sensuality.

The eclectic, pan-genre disc opens -- as did 2000's Transcendental Blues -- as an unabashed rocker, but this time around Earle uses the heavy artillery to underscore weightier worldly themes.

One listen to Asleep in the Back's "Newborn" invokes a feeling of unmistakable contemplation and a sense of beauty entirely absent from the repertoires of the Oasis and Verves of Brit rock's last generation.

Artistically, Beaucoup Fish lives up to its advance billing, crisscrossing the genres of rock, techno, ambient, disco and jazz to create a rich, multi-leveled listening experience.

One of the crispest and coziest (and, at 21 tracks, one of the most generous) live recordings in recent memory.

Purists may find Jones' stuffy-nosed tone and tics of phrasing objectionable, yet she reaches directly into the heart of each classic in intimate readings.

It's great for kids and parents, because TMBG, like former Del Fuego Dan Zanes, are among the only children's musicians who recognize that real rock and roll has always been goofy and childlike.

Built to Spill's combo of wry phrasing and explosive sound is more honed on this album than ever before.

The prickly edged new wave of the band's debut has morphed into keyboard-addled post-punk on The Menace.

Staying true to an Underworld-influenced formula of riff-punctuated house music will inspire new converts to the menagerie, as this record's grooves are simultaneously original and accessible.

May be the Coup's tightest album yet.

Like so many great fuzzy rock albums, from the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street to R.E.M.'s Murmur, it takes a few listens to seep into your bloodstream.

It's the between-song banter that makes The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show worth its weight in gold.

Dense with upbeat, guitar-based songs, Wasp Star brings to mind the best of mid-'60s pop (think the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Kinks).

Their simplest, softest sound yet. While 1997's The Fawn thrived in tender disarray, this 10-track outing sparkles with a warm and graceful confidence.

As cohesive and potent as Everyday or anything else in the DMB's catalog

This is blender pop of the finest order, held together by some of the most high-minded funk in this galaxy.

10 is a return to form for LL, and the album finds him doing what he does best: Making relaxed, radio-friendly jams while giving the ladies a little something extra.

Pink continues to work her groove thang on much of Missundaztood, but equal time is given over to some genuine stylistic risk-taking.

Parachutes is full of devotional songs that whisper their honorable intentions in our ears like a repentant sinner's promises, while moody sonics mostly call to mind Radiohead, though at times you can hear the grandiose bellow of U2 and the vocal poignancy of Jeff Buckley.

RZA and company get back to basics with the kind of stripped-down ghetto menace that made the Wu Tang great in the first place.

Piled high with elegant strings, horns, and vibraphone, these 10 tracks mark a new sophistication for this talented group.

Fixed Context is a prime example of mutable sound, which is to say, songs that are less about structure than direction.

The overall package is a slick, Rockwilder-produced old-school styled joint that's still got a foot in the year 2000 -- classic and timely all at once.

Framed in delicate, candlelit arrangements that beckon like distant ghosts, Phillips addresses matters of faith, love, and spiritual connection in such a way that questions are as important as answers.