Created in a time of distress and despair, Fuck Art is pure escapism. Looking back 20 years from now, you'd have no idea it was made during one of the most world-changing events of the past century; the only thing apocalyptic about it is the ground-shaking sound of a cranked-up Marshall stack.

It's certainly BTBAM's heaviest in a while, paying tribute to the BTBAM's watershed record without copy-pasting. It might fall short of wall-to-wall iconic status, but they already achieved that.

Wallows play it safe on Model, with a lack of distinctive storytelling shackling the album to its mid-tempo pop melodies, its highs too few and far between.

Much like Ross' affinity for mink coats, Mastermind is grandiose in its presentation, but it still only shows the surface of the man behind it.

Without something steady to anchor it all, Hello Happiness sound less like an album and more like a compilation of stand-alones.

Here's hoping they ditch the alt clichés and find their own sound on the next record.

It's hard to hear a group fall so flat on the follow-up to an album like Subiza, but even though there are some bright moments, Apar is undoubtedly a letdown.

E s t a r a is a step above genre-bending; this is genre-carving.

For their sixth album since their 2010 reformation, the tempo has been slowed down. This accounts for a more refined sound, well-rounded lyrical structure and master musicianship.

It's certainly not going to produce the next "Viceroy" or "Chamber of Reflection," but it's an exceedingly pleasant listen — the kind of thing that's the perfect soundtrack for working and studying, or to make chores a little more tolerable.

Though it feels relatively safe stylistically, Archives is a very much a welcome closer to Stewart's Vapor City vision.

Comedown Machine is a more even effort [than Angles], but it lacks any show-stopping moments, allowing the forgettable songs to blend together.

This is a fine finale to an impressive artistic achievement.

While it may not be the Ghost Inside's best work--that title still belongs to Returners--Get What You Give is an impressive addition to their discography and will certainly boost their profile.

The Swizz Beatz-assisted "Let Me See Em Up," "Light it Up" and "Let the Beat Drop (Celebrate)" rarely do much to stand apart from filler. These occasional misses aren't enough to water down the entirety of Coolaid, though, with Snoop's return to G-funk proving refreshing enough to keep listeners' thirst quenched.

Sadly, Relapse sounds like an uninspired band ripping off, and attempting to sound like, classic Ministry.

As a solo debut, Lysandre is a self-indulgent effort that succeeds in spite of itself; it also signals an artist shaking off the shackles of the past and embracing a wider range of sounds and ideas.

With his altered, multi-tracked vocals and ear for dynamic builds, Philpots leads Bear in Heaven on a similar sonic path [as My Morning Jacket's Z], surrounding biting verse-chorus-verse lyricism with ambient laser beams and rubbery textures.

The most notable thing about the record is how excited everyone sounds. It crackles with energy, buoyed by the feeling that the trio are finally unshackled by their past. It's punchy, and the hooks generally last long past the record's short runtime.

One hopes that once this space opera is complete Haley will allow himself to broaden his horizons a bit more. In the meantime, Silicon Tare is worth a listen.

As it stands, it's a very good record that builds on and expands the musical ideas presented on his debut.

The tracks begin to bleed together way before the halfway point of the album and there's not a single surprise to be had throughout.

Overall, Gloria seesaws between being compelling and generic, with just enough highs to keep you interested throughout.

Free Your Mind won't surpass Screamadelica on any lists--it's far too much indebted to both that record and era--but you'll have a difficult time finding an album in 2013 that's as utterly energizing and sublime as this.

Throughout the album's 12 tracks, of Montreal manage to come off inspired, inventive, re-energized and wide-eyed on Innocence Reaches, utilizing new sounds rather than rehashing old ideas.

It's business as usual for the Wedding Present, but in the best possible way.

A few minor missteps don't derail the album. What's most impressive is that, 20 years deep, New Found Glory are still putting out compelling music and growing tastefully with each release.

Several moments on Peacock Pools rank among the most emotionally resonant in McBean's monumental catalogue.

Throughout the 15-track album, he weaves from hip-hop and psych-rock to R&B and soul, proving that artistically, he will never be confined to a single box.

Those wishing for a return to the Trilogy days will have to bit a tad longer; across 18 tracks, the Weeknd proves he's ready for primetime here, but there's still a sense of feeling out the new parameters.

It's a flawed yet noteworthy project that whets the appetite for Sandé's sophomore effort.

By the end of Me Time, the down-to-Earth, around-the-block-and-back 2 Chainz bores.

Alex Winston is capable of writing some excellent indie-pop gems, she just hasn't figured out to do it with consistency.

The production is clean and the tunes, as mentioned, sweet, but this is a sugary confection that's bound to get lost in the candy store.

Ceremony is one of Phantogram's weakest records, one that struggles to set itself apart in the sea of electro-pop still stuck in the aesthetics of the late 2010s.

Whether it becomes the hip-hop classic he envisioned will be decided over time, but this is peak J. Cole — for better or worse.

Longtime fans of Gwar will surely find a track here and there that's worthwhile, but in general, they would be better off returning to their back catalogue.

History admittedly feels a bit forced in spots, working too hard to set the mood, instead of letting things happen organically.

There's lots to enjoy here for old and new fans alike.

Overall, fans of John Carpenter's work will find lots to love in Lost Themes II, and aspiring filmmakers could definitely take inspiration from it.

Heavily favouring material from his first three albums, but picking carefully from his less well-known post-'70s work, this double album provides a broad and engaging overview of Browne at his best.

Their best album to date, Advaitic Songs shows OM moving into modernity and relying less on tribalistic rhythms, but the sense of calmness will always be their signature.

The classic heavy metal and surf rock elements that made their debut so appealing are intact, with some additional psychedelia and more driving, intense guitar riffs.

Big Sean exhibits growth and wisdom on I Decided., and that's definitely worth a listen. This is a solid effort.

The first half of the record clashes significantly with the latter half, which is... eclectic.

This is an album that's holiday-ready: safe, inoffensive, pretty grandma music.

[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.

Everybody's Coming Down feels both focused and purposeful, something not all albums can lay claim to after a band's nearly decade-long absence.

For those under the impression Hooded Fang subscribe to a right-note-right-time, throwaway pop formula, Gravez offers something meatier to chew on.

Experimental, textured, destructive, booming, progressive and at times disturbing, Hold/Still finds the tense, perfect middle between darkness and light, cold but burning hot with desire.

Green's latest effort is a pleasant and sometimes surprising record. Yet, the album's constant adherence an identikit version of the '60s crooners struggles to land any outstanding tracks.

Steam Days should finally break Fake free of Boards of Canada's imposing shadow. Fake is for real.

Serenity is certain to scratch an itch. Still, there's a sense of "good enough" with all of their recent releases, and it's a problem this record just can't shake.

With exciting production that features his usual cast of ATL tastemakers who are (in some cases) paired with surprising co-producers like Jake One and !llmind, Future has crafted an opus full of bangers.

The most striking aspect of Asiatisch is the confidence of Al Qadiri's sound, demonstrating that the quality of her music has finally caught up with her artistic ambitions.

Scruff's in his forties but the assured, mature Friendly Bacteria is the antithesis of a mid-life crisis.

Spirit is a satisfying addition to Rhye's growing discography. While the mystery is long gone when it comes to what and who Rhye are and stand for, the passion and striving for genreless perfection remains.

The album's peaks offer compelling paths forward for Gaga--the country balladry of "Million Reasons," the slinky pop of Florence Welch duet "Hey Girl"--but a dearth of memorable melodies makes Joanne's restlessness often feel aimless.

Production-wise, the record includes what are easily some of the least memorable instrumentals that the trio has ever worked with in comparison to their catalogue of freeleases, though the continued emphasis on minimalism gives the rhymes room to breathe.

In its quiet drawl, Out of Touch is a perfect record for joining Kalevi on that beach: full of the foggy calm of letting the imagination run its own course.

Iradelphic is great stream-of-consciousness art.

The record is, ahem, a solid debut that should provide a jumping off point for something great next time ou

For the most part, this is just the same old Weezer with added two-hand tapping. That's a good thing, since the half-hearted metal schtick is mostly just an excuse for frontman Rivers Cuomo and his bandmates to crank their amps and play the power pop they do best. It's a less radical experiment than this year's all-acoustic, orchestra-assisted OK Human.

The fact that AraabMuzik isn't afraid to collaborate with up-and-comers (working on songs with Riot Ten, WattzBeatz, Dvnk Sinatrv) and bring in guest vocalists (Mikey Ceaser, Baauer, Raiche) gives Dream World a diverse mixtape feel that stems from and reflects the mind of a truly singular force.

Sadly, despite flashes of brilliance, fourth record Radlands more often finds Mystery Jets operating on autopilot.

This serves as the project's logical finale, and his most daring statement on homelessness.

For a short album--only ten tracks in 24 minutes--it doesn't take long to recognize the beauty of Bell House.

Lauv has definitely established his own niche. Maybe it's only a matter of time before he becomes one of pop's biggest acts, but for now, ~how i'm feeling~ confirms that he's doing fine looking in from the out

Antemasque isn't quite the return to form that fans of ATDI and Mars Volta might be expecting. As far as fresh starts go, however, it's a promising one.

The band will probably never make a singularly categorizable record, but their unique balance of accessibility and creativity is a definite strength--and it shines here.

This still sounds like the Âme of the past 15 years. Truthfully, without a real departure from their signature tropes, the album doesn't have too many big surprises. Above all, the album serves as a strong reminder as to why Âme and Innervisions have reached the lofty heights that they have.

Monsters Exist stands as one of Orbital's most frustrating albums--the ideas are present, but the execution simply isn't.

We are treated to a smorgasbord of pop's finest elements, blended together in a dizzying melting pot of ideas that could've easily failed, but surprisingly and pleasantly succeeds.

Although those moments may be too fleeting to call Snowdonia a complete departure for the band, fans can will appreciate the added ambition here, on top of the elements they've come to know and love.

I Sell the Circus is an uneven collection from an artist clearly torn between the future and his past.

Deceiver of the Gods gives us everything we expect from the band, along with a little old-fashioned metal revitalization.

Fade Away is by no means a backslide--these are some of Cosentino's best songs to date--but rather than pointing the way forward, this EP feels more like the end of an era.

No World is a heady mix of opaque beats and Romy Madley Croft guitar lines that reverberate throughout the band's 41-minutes of modest club bangers.

At only nine tracks, the album delivers big time in such a short trip and definitely leaves the listener wondering what gems this super duo left on the cutting-room floor.

This album strikes an intriguing, if slightly schizophrenic, balance between gently meandering almost-psychedelia and the restless rhythmic activity of recent dance styles.

The short, sweet The Way packs enough pop-tinged punk energy and emotion to satisfy Buzzcocks faithful, at least.

Given that these recordings span different eras and sessions, High Hopes does have a cohesiveness, flow, and degrees of greatness, but unlike the career-spanning rarities comp Tracks, there's nothing about these lost or revisited songs that screams out "Jackpot!"

On We Got Love, his sophomore LP, the Irish knobturner has managed to produce a coherent album brimming with ideas, styles and guest musicians.

He shines without any features, standing strong in his delivery and carrying his story to the forefront of the 13-track project.

Pure & Simple is at best a middle shelf release in Parton's discography.

Triage is worthwhile in its own right, but it falls just short.

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.

A marriage of vocal house, disco and pop, it's an immediately accessible album with several decent dance floor stompers.

Fans of previous Boys Noize release Oi Oi Oi will be pleased to find the elements that made that record so vital are still present.

Welcome To Mikrosector-50 is an album designed for front-to-back listening and, as such, is entertaining in a similar fashion to a movie or TV show, given its detailed plot and narrative style.

It's a dynamic album, one so vibrant that listeners can easily envision themselves at the Barbican witnessing all the musicians mesh in the creation of something grand.

The record is much more interested in problems than problem-solving, and that's what marks its maturity.

Where Darlings shows growth and change is in Drew's fine-tuning of his illustrious sound.

With smartly layered melodies and excellent vocalists, the band really isn't that far off from a parallel universe Lamb of God (if they were raised on Aborted), at least in theory. This is a huge compliment.

Whether that is especially important to Calder is another thing entirely, but regardless, Strange Dreams is an enviable platform for any musician to vault from.

Tape Loops is open and expansive, and finds Chris Walla leaving interpretation up to the listener. Is it sad? Zen? Contemplative? In any case, it's both a veiled and a starkly honest communication.

Grant's versatility makes Paradise an alluring locale that listeners will eagerly, and frequently, revisit.

If all of this sounds like it's a nostalgia kick for aging ravers, then that's because it is, but it's also just as relevant for this current generation of rug cutters. We now live in an era of constant throwbacks anyway, so Garave Vol.1 fits as snugly into 2017 as any other.