On its fourth LP, Arctic Monkeys combines its clever, tongue-in-cheek wordplay with a wider variety of sounds than it ever used on its other releases.

While Marissa Nadler is more musically complex than earlier records, she maintains her overall aesthetic, both bucolic and tragic.

Most tracks on Larceny aren't exactly catchy, but the band's incessant enthusiasm and punchy delivery show that there's more to good music than earworms.

It's a seriously cute band that writes seriously catchy love songs that you will probably seriously enjoy--if you're all right with that ebullience thing.

Sucre Du Sauvage portrays the contrast between the two sides of Quintron's musical identity but ultimately unites joyful songwriting with his darker mad scientist persona.

Deeply rewarding and slyly addictive, Channel Pressure is an uncommon gem, a difficult record that really isn't difficult at all.

To hear the band members tell it, David Comes To Life is the record they've been working up to for the past 10 years, a grandiose statement that closes off the first chapter of Fucked Up's history. It's anybody's guess as to how they'll follow something like this, but we're already excited for chapter two.

The Postelles is remarkably polished and consistent for a debut. If you're looking for something fresh, you'd do well to look elsewhere.

On It's A Corporate World, the band's debut LP, Zott and Epstein are ready to let you step a little further into their joyous sonic world.

Black Lips puts on a hell of a show on Arabia Mountain, and it doesn't even need riots and stage diving to keep you interested.

While D is undoubtedly a grower, it's unfortunate that White Denim's experimental tendencies don't always lend themselves equally well to good songs.

Boris channels the heart of heavy metal music with a massive sound and unparalleled aggressiveness.

Attention Please could not be further away from Heavy Rocks. The album is characterized by elegant violin, delicate vocals and dreamy guitar distortion.

That's the type of music that the band knocks out of the park: music for lovers to do romantic things to. On Codes And Keys, those lovers are encouraged to be happy-an emotion that sometimes has evaded Death Cab.

The lyrics are undoubtedly tragic, but they are what give Brilliant! Tragic! its brilliance.

Smith is a ham, to be sure, but listen past the surface and you'll hear him grappling with themes of isolation, frustration and heartbreak.

Shit, Laced is not. The debut album is a testament to Psychedelic Horseshit's incredible versatility.

As a debut and a fleshing out of Stelmanis' previous eponymous work, Feel It Break is a solid place to build from and a reason to expect good things from Austra in the future.

The most resonant part of Doi Todd's music is the quiet darkness that she twists into an undercurrent of tenderness. Cosmic Ocean Ship is more openly joyous than other songs on previous albums, like 2008's Gea, and perhaps not as "mysterious" or grabbing.

The album lags a bit on a few songs where it sounds like one half of the group had the majority of the say during the writing process. These instances are few and far between though, leaving the rest of the album as an intriguing concoction of two bands coming from polar opposite sides of the musical spectrum and meeting in the middle to make something new.

Aesthethica is jugular-grabbing black metal-startling, complex... and also quite long.

That all changes with Nursing Home, as production legend Steve Albini sharpens the group's teeth into the fangs Let's Wrestle was always meant to bare.

For the eccentric young artist, James Pants once again makes the statement that Pants' music has made many times before-he creates to celebrate his bizarre style, carefree of the expectations of mainstream audiences and trends.

In all, this is a muscular yet not flashy outing from Gang Gang Dance, and its smooth confidence is a welcome respite from its self-indulgent neighbors.

This album isn't going to isolate fans of Okkervil's older material, but it is going to require an acceptance that change has arrived.

Man Man has an image to uphold, and it does that while refining its focus. The group has moved forward conceptually but at times still sounds like the trained animals and clowns from the circus that ambushed the orchestral pit, and that's just fine.

Burst Apart is smart and calculated without feeling as though you're being duped by artificial feelings.

In between the soul-searching, Fleet Foxes cranks out some pretty great singalong songs. And that's what it's all about, isn't it?