This is a matured and musical hip-hop duo and whether it is the fine contributions by Tom Waits and Tunde Adebimpe on separate songs, Ant’s soulful and majestic music, or Slug’s illustrious and poignant story-telling; it’s all superb.

Whilst at times Cool Planet could have benefitted from more of the cohesiveness that marked out Motivational Jumpsuit, its detours and greater collaborative ethos also give Pollard, Sprout and co. greater room for ongoing creativity.

Fortino has created an album that is easily one of the year’s most moving reflections. It’s that life is all but lost and Fortino’s take on things are spectacularly delivered.

This album is too good to dally over, because it's so good, jaw droppingly good, not a false note in the bunch kind of good.... Record of the year stuff.

While a few songs are leftovers from Angles and some were churned out “like the good old days” as they put it, Comedown Machine is a terrific release to The Strokes first five albums.

What they do best is produce exceptional electronica for people that don't have the patience for extended instrumental passages and require things like vocals on regular intervals. With that precursor, The Understanding is probably one of the better electronica records to come out this year that thankfully doesn't involve MCs from Def Jux or was composed on a laptop.

The members of Blitzen Trapper have a lot left in them and they’ve just hit their stride with their last two albums. Black River Killer EP is only further testament to their amazing talents as a band and of the kind of determined soul that prevails against all odds.

It's hard not to listen to this album and to think that they've mined this territory already in 69 Love Songs.

The brilliant new album Dark Light Daybreak sees Now It's Overhead mixing the smoldering and beautifully layered guitar sounds from 2001's self-titled debut with the haunting synth-pop beats from 2004's Fall Back Open and taking them a step further by including more intricate melodies, polished arrangements and even grander guitar-scapes.

Essentially one long postcard from the very edge of loneliness and sorrow.

This is an excellent release from an already accomplished band.

This album is not a quick or necessarily easy listen, but it is one of the better ones that I have had the pleasure of listening to this year.

This is big rock, powerful, aggressive, and impeccably played and produced.

Worlds Apart is easily the most accessible album for the band.

There is no shortage of experimentation here.

While Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped is a five-song study on what the keyboard instrument is capable of, at least it's rendered through the hands of a skillful musician, with a tenured history for delivering compelling music.

If you're looking for a less structured, more experimental 764-Hero-style band, these two guys do it quite well.

While at first some of Repo will undoubtedly seem oriented towards those with an attention deficit, it is in every sense of the word a “grower.”

A lush, captivating, and dynamically vocalized album on the mellower end of Butler’s usual stylistic spectrum.

Overall, there is sufficient sun-kissed pleasure on Varshons to extend the patience of Evan Dando-devotees a little bit longer but not enough to surpass past makeover masterstrokes.

Woodsman are at the very least an inventive group of musicians, but the balance between their songwriting abilities and their wilder excursions into improvised sound isn't quite equal, although this creates its own dynamic throughout the album.

The record sounds tailored for mass consumption, which means every song packs a melodic doozie and indomitably contrived storylines about soldiering on while our world threatens to spin off its axis.

Overall, there is a very cloud-like vibe, reticent of stammering into a mysterious blend of genres.

All Harm Ends Here is undoubtedly the band's defining release, a true gem of understated songwriting and melancholy rock.

Mondanile isn't rewriting any of the rules here, but he does show that he can stand on his own as a pop songwriter perfectly well, and frequently does so in an addictive fashion.

Spring Tides is a success partly because it is consistent in sound and structure, but it still manages to slip through a variety subtle mood changes and elicit several emotional reactions from its listeners. Jeniferever should gain some fans with this.

The way that Howling Bells constructed Radio Wars relies on strong melodies, hooks, songs, songs that aren’t really there, ideas not quite developed.

These songs sound more like parts of songs that have been extracted from something bigger and more fully realized.

On Excerpts, as Ensemble, Alary presents a newly defined sound and with it, a precarious skill in honing in sharp classical strengths for a successful release.

A strong debut.

Nightcrawler stretches Yorn’s limits as an artist and crosses the line in a few places.

If there is one tiny flaw on this disc, it's the way some of the songs, after teasing us with intensifying waves of sound, tend to drift to an ending prior to attaining their destination.

Overall Snowflake Midnight isn’t quite the disaster that the disillusioned might have expected.

Craftiness, when it’s this imaginative, can go a long way and for Jookabox, these bizarre ideas seem to work even when they shouldn’t.

Whilst certainly disjointed and disorientating in its execution, this first full Moon Diagrams showcase is an oddly gripping sonic ride that suggests that there is plenty of artistic life beyond the drum stool for Moses Archuleta.

Major General finds us with an accomplished and very steady collection of songs.

Educated Guess is an absolutely stunning creation, although it did take a few listens for me to begin to fully appreciate what I was hearing.

Each track is filled with indelible melodies and hooks sure to have you keeping time with your leg or tapping your toes. But with music like this, singing along is the ultimate litmus test, and unfortunately the non-descriptness of the vocals leaves this album lacking a bit of personality and memorability.

It's almost fate that they've chosen to reveal themselves to me with what is their best work to date, and also one of the most remarkable albums of this year.

This is an album for the patient, who are willing, as the title of the album suggests, to sit through a slide show made by someone you don't really know that well.

A hell of an album that reveals further treasures buried in the mix with each listen.

Overall, as bass-players solo missions go, Right On! fares well in both connecting to and standing apart from the mothership. Admittedly, the record’s best moments could perhaps have been cherry-picked to fold into the next Warpaint album or compressed into a just EP-length statement.

Via Audio are audacious in their attempt to create a wide array of organic sounds, and their efforts pay off; it’s not often that a band can instill so many approaches into an album and get away with it but Animalore delivers the goods.

There is a solid amount of quirkiness to realize and I Was A King surely have a knack for turning out strong songs but maybe next time a 'less equals more' approach would be more fitting.

Hot Fuss is a multi-faceted, consistently interesting and enjoyable synth-rock album with strengths across the songwriting, singing, and playing fields.

Whereas the past experiences showcased Holland much more embellished and free-wheeling with his flow, Hello Cruel World places a focus on the lyrical content with a flow that ends up being much easier to follow and in turn, far more accessible.

Daedelus is a master at what he does, and what he does is different than virtually everything else around him, but he’s playing a little too close to the vest here, trading much of his style for a little more beat.

It'd be too easy to dismiss Blitzen Trapper for choosing to release an album that more or less stays inside the lines, opting for convention over innovation. Yet, with American life in the 21st century being so frenzied, it's oddly comforting to listen to a record that doesn't challenge you to keep up with it.

A crisp, clean, and undeniably beautiful work.

Instead of evolving out of the band's unique style, Clinic has decided to enhance it and deepen it.

The indulgences and overreaching take away from the really good songs.

The Bravery treads the same well worn path as bands like The Smiths and The Cure but manages to avoid tripping on its roots by adding a unique personality.

While there's certainly something to be said for BestCoast's paeans to the utopian side of life near the Pacific, the subtle shifts in Cosentino's songwriting are best experienced when the rays of sunshine are muted.

The best Swell album since 1997’s Too Many Days Without Thinking.

I’m not sure what stands out the most about The Cover Up, whether it’s the tremendous production values or the clear confidence the band has with its music.

The sad thing about Waves are Universal is that there are many songs that just don't cut it.

While the tunes on Adventures may be a bit more nebulous and a bit less intricate than those found on From Here on In and With the Tides, they are by no means any less engaging, and in some cases are even more resplendent.

The Bedlam in Goliath is an exhausting listen and it seems like the guys have tried to pack in as many prog-rock clichés as possible.

Four long players into their career, you can't help but wonder if Interpol is just trying too hard to recapture some of that Turn On the Bright Lights magic. Either that, or the creative juices have been stifled by a rough turn of events.

It's a soulful country stroll, which favors heavily on career building and that is something that Dylan Leblanc is sure doing, and quite swimmingly if I might add. Bravo.

Places Like This is a fun album that’s difficult to describe and impossible to forget.

With such tight and unashamedly sparse and intimate product along with an emphasis on nicely layered and blended vocals, it’s hard to find a complaint with Magnolia.

Octahedron is most certainly not a wish for Top 40 stardom, but compared to past efforts by this collective, it’s probably the surest means of attracting a larger batch of casual listeners without completely rejecting the heady desires of Mars Volta obsessives.

I'm sure that O'Hagan realizes that his band has made a name for itself in being able to almost take the listener away for an entire album of music. The experience is definitely a good one and a huge reason why Talahomi Way is a success because of it.

When the band operates under more traditional songwriting styles they can be quite catchy, but the more wandering, abstract moments can sometimes wander a little too far into non-structured noise.

The Cost is hardly a poor album - in fact it's a quite good album - but after the release of so many gems, I find it difficult for it to completely measure up to the stiff competition.

Despite all the bleeps and blurbs of this album’s electronic window dressing, it’s still Oberst’s emo-tive honesty and lyrical daring that makes up for the album’s forgettable moments.

When Le Tigre ventures out on an extended wire in a familiar direction with tunes like "On the Verge," "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo," and "After Dark," the ensemble proves that this long-awaited follow-up to Feminist Sweepstakes was not in vain.

There were some hits and some misses on this band's follow-up to a somewhat commercial success.

While Polysics have certainly come into the peak of their sound with Now is the Time, the mindless intensity of the album can be a tad overwhelming.

Otto Spooky is an excellent album, yet sometimes too long for my attention span.

For an artist who continues to mature and expand, Treble & Tremble may not be his magnum opus, but it is a delightful indie-pop album.

An interesting collage of styles.

With repetitive, though bizarrely catchy refrains of failed puppy love and crushes gone awry, Kiss and Tell markets itself to an audience that still borrows money from mom in order to purchase the release.

This is an updated version of Drive Like Jehu, often faster, angrier, and, conversely, more sparse and peaceful.

The more poppy songs here are remarkably good.... But be aware that it's often a jarring listen.

Takes us on a tour of how things got started and where they could be going.

All in all, You Are the One I Pick is a compelling and enjoyable listen which, at 35 minutes in length, is smart not to overstay its welcome.

The guitars and drums machines and electronic selections are a bit unlistenable. There are some redeeming qualities, however, with a solid groove-ridden guitar fashion show with "I'll Sue You" and an eccentric but extremely tasteful European guitar ballad in "Lisbon".

It’s definitely not album of the year (nor would it have nabbed that distinction in 2007 when it was actually released on the other side of the Atlantic), but the Shortwave Set bring just enough innovation with them to make this 45 minute disc worth your while.

Welcome Joy is the perfect, earthy balance of the grittiest and the sweetest splendors that the Pacific has to offer.

On the whole, it's a winner, and you can take the singles and run with them--the play be damned.

Anyone with a love for substantive indie pop that sounds fresh with each listen would be erring by not picking up this affecting, gorgeous album.

The album is quite fun in places, and shows some actual songwriting acumen form Liam Gallagher.

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is a polychromatic, sweeping collection of gorgeous guitar-pop gems, a clever and harmonious amusement park filled with fun rides listeners will want to board over and over.

Taken as a whole package though, R.E.M. Live is a flawed but respectable enough addition to the canon of three men who can still conjure up a bit of magic, albeit in spite of themselves.

The group's sound is, at times, difficult to simply listen to, so it comes as no surprise that expanding upon it in such a drastic way would produce several miscues.

As a live album, Out West is a fair one.

Whilst Around is hardly groundbreaking stuff – Verlaine’s retro equipment preferences automatically predicate a retro feel – it is a genuinely unforced unfurling of a reclusive talent and a worthy companion piece to Warm and Cool.

Ultimately this is an engaging pop album with lush sonics, like a guitar-heavy Death Cab album with a less than brilliant singer, which is not a bad thing at all, and should feed the need of fans of alluring, guitar-based indie-rock and keep DCFC fans contented until the release of their new album in May ‘08.

What strikes me is that past Clem Snide albums had their stronger moments, but also their weaker ones, while Hungry Bird, for all its time in development, is more solid throughout, delivering its 10 pop songs with a consistency that shows the band continuing to develop its sound.

Despite the overall melange approach being a little uneven, there are some genuine delights to be found within.

Skin of Evil, out on Soft Abuse Jan. 20, is a breathtaking, mesmerizing record, a lyrical song cycle about love and loss, affection and anger and alienation.

An intoxicating brand of synth-pop that's slicker than a Gordon Gekko coif.

Violet Cries, one of the more anticipated debut albums of the year, isn't a let down, but it's a difficult album to get a grasp on.

If you're an old, die-hard Kings Of Leon fan Come Around Sundown will upset you. Keep what you love about this band close to your heart and ignore this album, you'll thank yourself in the end.

Inevitably, this strand of the release contains more obstacles for those unable to cope with the bedroom-birthed murkiness of the album as a whole. However, with some fine-tuning this less guitar-centric side of Keel Her could rise more positively to the fore in future.

Aside from its title track, most of Kings and Queens of the Underground sounds a lot like primetime 80s Idol, untouched by the ravages of time, lifestyle, changes in musical fashions or anything else.