Living Fields is rich in its intimacy, enrobed in an ambiance that feels like a continuous pull towards a soundscape designed for dreams.

With Black's mystifying decision to release all of the material alphabetically (rather than chronologically) alongside the lack of extensive liner notes and the inclusion of a mostly disappointing bonus disc (comprised of outtakes from 2002's Black Letter Days), The Complete Recordings feels less celebratory than perfun

It's difficult to avoid self-parody when you're mining a genre that largely defines itself by tacky sonic flourishes, but somehow White Hills have continued to do just that.

While their approach is a little aggressive at times, making it a little too much to take in at once, Glitterbug is full of tracks that prove there's no reason not to indulge in it.

With this album, Gallows have fine-tuned their previously established sound, creating a cohesive and powerful set of songs.

A kaleidoscope of wonder, moments tucked inside other moments like Russian nesting dolls.

The first two-thirds of this album are nearly flawless.... There are a couple of stumbles down the backstretch, though.

O'Brien manages to inhale stuffy themes of love and heartache and exhale fresh retellings.

Though Edge of the Sun is a very good record by any measure, there is something about it all that feels frustratingly routine.

For a musician who has been leaning on the same style of ambient electronic for years, Colleen bravely reaches for something outside her ethereal comfort zone on Captain of None.

On Crooked Doors, the music is given ample space to breath, giving it a progressive edge. All told, it's a huge leap forward for Royal Thunder.

White Men Are Black Men Too is a perfect storm of influences and talent that make for an unforgettable album.

Beyond a few flaws, Matt & Kim have put together a fun record, and in the pop game, that comes first.

No Pier Pressure throws out that decade and a half worth of good will by doing the exact opposite, stacking the record with guest stars like Nate Ruess and Kacey Musgraves and "updating" Wilson's compositions with heaps of undercooked stylistic diversions.

This record accomplishes what it sets out to do, engaging the listener with indisputably catchy moments, if a little inconsistently, throughout.

The album is a full hour long, and though most of the songs are captivating, a few tend to drag.

What For? is a little less varied than his past records, as the repetitive nature of the genre (particularly the lengthy jam outro of "Yeah Right") has a tendency to creep in, but it's an aspect that would have only hindered the record more had it been longer.

The Air Conditioned Nightmare feels like another uncompromising work from the intriguing Woodhead, and in its wide-spanning sound, offers something to both long-time fans and new ones.

Yet another highlight in a career overflowing with them.

More polished than 2012's Zeros, Deeper is fuller, fatter and puts more emphasis on its futuristic electronic elements than its nostalgic ones.

Joyner's poem-songs are worth lingering over. As it turns out, his idiosyncratic sandpaper tenor and low spacious guitar style are the perfect instruments through which to deliver them.

Ivy Tripp is not a record about being in love or and it's not a record about getting your heart broken; it's about the foggy, messy tangle of the feelings in between. And they've never sounded so good.

[The] few missteps evince the fact that Wale is finding himself again, treading through the high waters to realize his ambitions. And to that end, The Album About Nothing does more than enough.

Cosmic Troubles is not only stunning, but unexpectedly so--it's not often we get musical reinventions as sudden or dramatic as this that work so well.

Though radically different in execution, The Powers That B is a compelling look at the band's ability to work with sounds both minimal and monumental, while containing some of their most riveting lyrical and musical work in recent memory.

Tales From Wyoming stays safely in the established genre without trying to be groundbreaking, but simplicity and quirky immaturity are the bread and butter of pop punk, and there's enough to satisfy here.

Whitmore pulls off a wonderful feat with Radium Death, creating a record that reads like classic Whitmore, but sounds like something gloriously new.

This is a beautiful, concise blast that conveys this band's musical essence.

There's a thin line between owning up to the voracious hunger needed to reach a new level of fulfillment and being trapped by the desperation to regain a title that is no longer his. Ludaversal finds itself somewhere in between.

Hopefully "No One" is an indication of the long-hidden spunkiness that Sexsmith will finally reveal in full on his next effort. If that doesn't happen, and his follow up is as joyful as Carousel, fans will still be pleased by one fact: Ron Sexsmith's days of being pigeonholed as a sad sack are long gone.

By employing the occasional tapping lead or reverb-drenched tremolo section, the band add layers to each song, resulting in an overall sound that has enough variation to keep it from sounding tedious but maintains enough pop simplicity to keep it catchy and memorable.

This might not be their best work--that's still the cohesive, mind-altering Nootropics--but Escape From Evil finds Lower Dens continuing to push themselves into new sonic territory, the hallmark of any great band.

The Day is My Enemy is an embarrassing display that inevitably ends badly.

That Carrie & Lowell is so rivetingly lovely is no surprise; the difference is that instead of Christianity, the Chinese zodiac or American history, it's Stevens' own life and relationships that he mines here with his trademark deftness and nuance.

On Claustrophobia, Scuba has created an engrossing long-player that's surprisingly more mode-y than moody.

In honest and raw fashion, Earl Sweatshirt unmasks both sides of success.

The record's quieter moments give a welcome reprieve from the extended jamming, with "Right On Time," "Heart Full of Scars" and the slow-burning "Swamp Dog" giving the record some welcome balance.

A Go! Team album that works by evoking their past yet looking optimistic towards the future.

Their musicianship and unflinching humour in the face of potentially bleak topics makes this album a distinct piece and a joy to listen to.

The rest of Soft Connections floats along very pleasantly with some pretty songs, all featuring shimmering guitar and nice melodies, but ultimately not a ton of hooks.

Like any colourful kaleidoscope however, there's a lack of cohesion on this debut, as varying production clashes throughout the disorganized project. That's a minor quibble, though; if you look closely, and let the visuals clash and morph into something new, you'll still find plenty to wonder at.

Another 50 years down the line, it is a truly transformative experience to listen to these old, mysterious songs with fresh ears. You can hear antecedents of everyone from Dylan to Mumford, sure, but what is all the more exciting, as these 100+ songs pile up, is the sensation of access to a voice at once ancient and full of life.

The urge to greet the commercial and artistic triumph of a major league debut hip-hop album with a subversive stiff-arm on sophomore efforts has notable precedents in De La Soul's De La Soul Is Dead and Digable Planets' Blowout Comb, but few have been as audaciously challenging and heavily layered as Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, which will likely be one of 2015's most discussed, dissected and debated album releases, regardless of genre.

Auditory annihilation never sounded so good.

It's executed incredibly well for what it is, but what we're left with is ugly, soulless and emotionally bankrupt.

The best stuff on Short Movie sounds like it may have originated in the most painfully personal places.

Unfortunately, a lack of cohesion drains this album's momentum entirely.

Enslaved have hit a sweet spot with In Times, experimenting just enough to keep everything interesting while also offering up pure aggressive pleasure so decadent it seems almost indulgent.

While the album is a fine showcase for Kim's beautiful, ageless tenor, those expecting more of the singer's soulful, sunny hits or Broken Social Scene's sonic adventurousness are likely to walk away a bit disappointed from It's Decided's classy, if a bit monochromatic, adult pop.

Down to Believing can unquestionably be described as Moorer's breakup album, but this would sell short its intensely personal complexity.

The end result is a pretty extraordinary album, but what makes Goon really special is the future it hints at.

There's very little on offer to ground the listener here, which makes Maze of Woods a challenging collection; it's the aural equivalent of a 90-minute movie that feels like a 3-hour watch.

A bold, far-reaching and determined work that continues Brock's journey creating music both accessible and eccentric.

There are moments here where he manages both [his popstar ambitions and his affinity for paving his own sonic path] in one fell swoop, but on his third time out, he can't sustain the momentum for an entire album.

While it's unlikely they'll ever again have the kind of recording budget a major label can afford, they certainly made the best use of what they had. That they made an excellent record in the process is a feather in their cap and a giant middle finger to the label that paid for it.

A Year With 13 Moons is certainly a must-hear for those who favour their consonance shaded with a dollop of playful dissonance.

Overall, while it does appear as though Angelides has been bitten by the sophomore album slump, there are some significant moments here that show an artist growing into something bigger and better than ever before.

Tthe net effect is ultimately an uninspired collection of tracks that do little to offer a close listener anything new.

Pearson Sound is a primal collection of single-idea songs that, although fascinating, work best when your musical pretences are turned off.

Tinged with vintage Afrobeat instrumentation, Fashawn hangs admirably with his label boss, assertively vowing he's in it for the long haul, issuing a forthright missive that confirms The Ecology was definitely worth the wait

Focusing on tracks from their 2012 album Slaughterhouse, Segall's band keep things relatively tight in structure and loose in delivery, giving listeners a keepsake version of a gritty, sweaty, earsplitting rock show.

There are more questions here than resolutions, making Eat, Pray, Thug a thinking person's record, but that's a good thing, especially now that he's speaking to his largest audience yet.

It may take Butler a few more albums (he has promised in interviews to continue writing and recording as a solo artist for years to come) to carve out his own identity from the monolithic entity he's a part of, but there are plenty of plausible ideas on Policy for Butler to continue exploring.

Cancer Bats' most experimental album might also be their catchiest.

It's a feel-good record with intricate, heartfelt tunes, and effectively spreads the gospel of the church of Spacebomb.

At its best moments ("Long Road," "Funeral in my Heart," "Fennario") Landry comes into his own, and the record feels deep, substantial. Too bad he lets himself slip from time to time into a mimicry that feels beneath him.

While he seems outshone by his flashier co-stars on much of Ronin at first, repeat listens find his well stoked lines smouldering for far longer than you'd think.

The recording savvy of producer Kyle Gilbride of Swearin' helps sharpen the band's jagged edges and gets them to sound truly potent, playing through each one-minute tune like they were running out of studio time.

Approaching this project as a commissioned artist would, Jon Hopkins' Late Night Tales feels more like a narrative than it does a simple mixtape.

These are original compositions with a modern polish, yet they stay very true to the styling of yesteryear.

Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair shows Grooms delivering an ambitious album where simple familiarity would have sufficed.

Rose Mountain could be the album that finally brings these hardworking punkers to a wider audience after nearly a decade of existence, and it would be well deserved.

I Wasn't Born to Lose You is a solid return from a band eager to sound like themselves again.

Strangely familiar, yet still a major leap forward, there's a nice pop sheen that sells the record without losing the idiosyncratic production that drew listeners to the duo in the first place.

Aureate Gloom is the point where grief becomes a search for light in creation, adventure and musical experimentation, making even Barnes' more experimental sonic forays sound urgent.

It sounds like the kind of album Ryan Adams would enjoy. Whether or not you find that notion attractive will define how you feel about this record.

Shadow of the Sun is an intriguing journey; hopefully, given more time, Moon Duo will embark on some new adventures with even wilder results.

All told, Bad News Boys is as solid a record as the King Khan and BBQ Show have ever put out, and a must-have for fans of both the band and the genre.

With enough panache to warrant a full-length release, Seasonal Hire is an all-too brief look into four musicians' quest to push their music further.

With 16 tracks and a runtime of over an hour, Archive Series Volume No. 1 doesn't have quite enough stylistic or emotional variety to hold up as a proper album. As a vaults-emptying exercise, however, it's stunning to see just how much quality material Iron & Wine has had sitting around collecting dust for all these years.

Big Sean has reached a personal high by finding his Dark Sky Paradise, and it's his honesty that takes listeners there with him.

The diversity of Future Brown never once feels overwhelming, making the trip through these sounds from a futuristic dance floor satisfying throughout.

The production is top-notch, but Ghost rarely shifts into uncharted lyrical territory, holding back Sour Soul's otherwise consistent production.

While it's easy to go overboard making an album like this and lose a track by burying it in too many samples and obscure references, Projections keeps its focus, and balance, by never using more than necessary.

There are few artists who are as artistically uncompromising, and while EarthEE may not garner the duo many new fans, its quality will ensure it outlives the kind of transient hype they might have shot for.

Despite their sonic similarities, Deacon's fourth full-length has struck an amicable balance between the hyperactive energies and extravagant compositional ideas prevalent in his earlier work.

Although it suffers from its divided track list, The Republic reveals Prekop finding comfort in his newly discovered instrument.

Restarter is remarkably composed and perfectly balanced, demonstrating Torche's ability to continually refine their doom-pop/melodic hard rock approach.

Thematic and cohesive, Supermoon eschews the scattered folk of his LPs for an attentive, intimate perspective on some old tracks that should tide fans of Carey over until his next proper record.

With the skilful assistance of his longtime comrades the Dukes and able production from R.S. Field (Webb Wilder, Buddy Guy, John Mayall), he concentrates on the genre here, with impressive results.

The album accomplishes what Psutka set out to do, which was to convey the dichotomy of club music through a minimalist and deconstructionist lens, and it does so unapologetically and with considerable confidence.

Hearing these two famously unrestricted musicians distil their maximalist instrument vernaculars to primal fits of abstract brutality makes Full Bleed is a fascinatingly insightful record.

Skullsplitter is a triumph of post-modern songwriting, where decisions can be recast and repurposed to suit the needs of the present.

Between only a couple hiccups, If You're Reading This It's Too Late weaves personal raps, 6-side boosts and absorbing production in cohesive fashion. It's an engaging preview of the upcoming Views from the 6.

Hexadic is louder and more gnarly than anything else he's done under this moniker.

There's no denying the highly enjoyable nature of their raw, emotive debut; that they're so young only means there's potential for even better things to come.

It's the slower, more "mature" tracks that disappoint here.... Still there's plenty to like on Let It Reign for Libertines fans missing that garage rock sound.

The best moments are when all of these elements are working together to make songs both catchy and corrosive, like the propulsive "We've Come So Far" (one of the two tunes recorded in Norway with Serena-Maneesh bandleader Emil Nikolaisen) and the unhinged bass feature, "Straight."