Hot Cakes contains vestiges of the brilliance that once helped make The Darkness a massive cultural force (at least in the UK). But too many of its songs feel like toss-offs and half-formed ideas.

Though Key hosts the padding typical of latter day Doom, the highlights bode well for Madvillainy 2.

Khaled goes through his hip-hop Rolodex yet again and compiles a strong collection of MCs and producers to add some shine to his latest musical collage.

It's an excellent record--one that sounds both classic and unmistakably contemporary--but, for the most part, it still sounds like the meeting of two disparate halves.

Beams may not be as tantalising as 2010's excellent Black City, but it is a highly enjoyable album full of solid songwriting and that familiar sexy bass sound that should complete Dear's gradual crossover into the indie mainstream.

Everything works and there's really nothing more a fan of either Organs or Comets could ask for.

The Glorious Dead is an achingly self-aware throwback record, focusing more on the strength of each song than the album's overall structure.

If J. Dilla has been Detroit hip-hop's most influential recent figure, then DJ HouseShoes is the stern, no-frills custodian of that legacy, known to regulate violators and opportunists circling the music James Yancey created.

By separating his musical personalities into two neat piles, Deacon stopped short of creating a truly epic record. We'll have to settle for just a pretty great one instead.

Tracer is a complete LP that's unified yet fluid, providing a full club experience for those who choose not to leave their bedrooms.

With Into The Lair of the Sun God, the Chicago, IL metallers have once again produced a record that's as engaging as it is refreshing.

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.

As compositionally complex as Eremita is, it's the hunger of the album--the elemental and animal simplicity of the tone--that gives it strength.

Fragrant World challenges from the first to the 15th listen, yet lacks the hooks that made Odd Blood such an impossible album to ignore. But, at the same time, Yeasayer are a talented bunch who make forward-thinking, 21st century pop music designed to make you think while you dance.

There is a comprehensive exploration of musical avenues and ideas, as well as a pleasing juxtaposition of an overarching concept and sound design.

It's not quite as bad as you might think. I mean, it's only embarrassing 40 percent of the time, which for Seinfeld, is pretty impressive.

Testament just don't make missteps (the album could be a couple songs shorter, but that's my biggest complaint), continuing to craft thrash that's mature, heavy and aggressive in all the best ways.

There are some great tracks--a standout being gorgeous opener "Don't Wake Me Up"--but, at times, it veers a bit too far into the saccharine, with the playing, unlike the singing, lacking a bit of soul.

Exo would appeal to fans of the aforementioned Amon Tobin and, at times, Exo is also evocative of Plaid, or even Aphex Twin in the midst of his most acidy madness.

Soul Clap lay down some of the richest Boston, vocal-rich house on this record.

It's a solid go at moving away from the sounds of standard house on an album that could have gone either way.

Bring Me the Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn is Dunn's best work to date, consisting of a solid two hours of minimal, emotive, ambient drone that should appeal to fans of Stars of the Lid and Brian Eno.

Deathless Master is all tight, sinewy riff structures--songs that succeed by virtue of their grip and tensile strength.

In large part, this compilation is underwhelming--there are exceptions, but the creativity is lacking and, to some degree, that's surprising, considering some of the talent on the roster.

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.

Burning Love add a dark edge to credible rock bands like Queens of the Stone Age and in doing so, have crafted one of the catchiest hardcore albums, or heaviest rock albums, of the year.

It doesn't take long for the desire to have Auerbach dial down his magic formula just a notch to take hold.

There isn't a dull moment on this album.

Skip the umpteenth "BMF" re-treads and the album's soggy R&B bottom quarter and there's much to savour.

It's rare for an artist to actually match a sound with their name (see Steely Dan for how not to do it), but with Talent, Pena has done just that by creating music that flutters to a perfect, heavenly beat.

These are supremely creative songs ― violently sexy, humorous and malformed extractions from some of experimental music's most delightfully twisted minds.

If hippie songstresses, piercing sopranos and meandering song craftsmanship are your bag, this album is certainly for you.

Most of Occupied with the Unspoken works like a well-executed indie film score: evocative, exigent and with purpose.

The drums are unquestionably positioned as the star and as a result, Harmonic feels much more like a jam session crossed with a vanity project than a genuine album.

Carved into Stone is a bit hard to warm up to, but it finds the band reaching out and, in doing so, writing their catchiest material since they snapped our fingers and necks so many moons ago.

Major doesn't run at the consistently breakneck pace of Fang Island's debut, but the group rely less on near-ludicrous histrionics and more on exhibiting the joy of creation through complex and confident songwriting.

Erikson falls in-line with dreamy progressives like Caribou and Four Tet, generating ten new compositions that sound as beautiful as they do bouncy.

What it is, frankly speaking, is one of the brightest R&B-flavoured projects to touch the mainstream in a long time.

Sadier's glorious voice could easily cover-up a multitude of sins, but it doesn't have to on Silencio because this is a great collection of songs.

Handwritten may not break any new ground for the band, but it's easily their strongest release yet.

There's something inexplicable about Purity Ring's marriage of Montrealer Corin Roddick's haunted, bass-heavy hip-hop-tronic production to Haligonian Megan James's prim alto croon, something that transcends what is traditionally accepted as "good" music.

There's nothing quite crazy enough, however, to be truly exciting and the slower numbers offer little in the way of texture or atmosphere.

With verses courtesy of everyone from Schoolboy Q and Action Bronson to Roc Marciano and Danny Brown, Alc continues to wear his hazy influences on his sleeve.

There certainly is a great deal more to Guthrie's immense body of work than what is represented on Woody At 100, but apart from some newly discovered recordings that completists will want, this is an ideal package for the uninitiated, and one to be treasured for years to come.

The narratives are better developed and there are invariably a couple of lines in each song that hit home emotionally.

Life is Good is a well-crafted entry from a seasoned veteran that displays his vitality and vintage flow 20-plus years into his career in a genre where many MCs don't age gracefully.

Combining Latin rhythms, call-and-response vocals and funk stings, the brass'n'bass music of the Marković Orkestar relies on pure fury and sexuality in a genre built upon romantic passion and tradition.

A frustrating album that manages to both thrill and disappoint in equal measure, which suggests that with some trimming, this could have been an incredible EP.

G is for Deep remains an album driven by lustrous compositions and like any good artist, Doseone's voice dutifully abides.

It is a skilfully wrought glimpse into that dream.

The result is flat and congealed, lacking danger.

This record is crawling with too many hooks and good-time jams to quibble over guitar tone.

Their self-titled debut LP packs a mighty wallop, matching a brutish, derisive attitude with whip-smart songwriting and compelling hooks.

That's Why God Made the Radio is the dad-rock album of the year.

Mission of Burma continue to create inspired, groove-laden post-rock that threatens to overshadow the acts they've influenced at every turn.

[The guitars are] the most interesting thing about Broken Water and when they aren't around things plod along uneventfully.

While Bell boasted that The Industrialist is "Demanufacture-plus," it's not quite. However, at certain times, it does come pretty close.

When Royal Thunder pull things in and keep them snappy, they're heading more towards Rival Sons turf, and that's a good place to be.

As an album, >> is twice as great as its predecessor.

Skelethon is funky, freaky and heavy on the drums.

The Moritz Von Oswald Trio deliver their most impressive and spatially alluring album to date with Fetch.

The EP is good but not great. Diplo missed an opportunity to explore a variety of emerging EDM genres, instead releasing a slew of tracks that bang hard but fail to resonate.

Musically, this might not be post-anything, but it is a postscript to an already impressive musical résumé.

Musostics isn't an unpleasant listen by any means, but it doesn't have the same kind of warmth and charm as his pals' music.

In tone and approach it suggests the populism of a lost Cat Stevens classic ("High Hopes," in particular) but with enough interesting detours.

The results surge with the crackling, raw power of their notorious live performances.

Oshin is remarkably consistent, both in terms of style and quality, and there isn't a dud amongst these 13 tracks.

Wild Peace is a transcendental album that shows a band reaching for new heights, and achieving blissful music that many of their peers can only dream of making.

Think Burial operating on a slower, divergence-filled soundscape.

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

Daybreaker sounds stripped down, not a step up.

Despite its heavy subject matter, Rispah remains an eminently listenable release; it's proof of that somewhat clichéd adage that pain fuels great art.

The album's blend of country, pop and soul is both classic and classy.

Apple's most ingenious collection of songs to date.

With crisp, concise songwriting, slick production and subverted historical rock references, Oceania is more the addition of a new tower to the alternative palace Corgan helped build than the foundations for something strange and new.

This thing may not have a commercial sound, but it is unequivocally memorable.

This is the closest thing you'll get to an aural Scandinavian spa.

There is more introspection on display than usual, especially in the lyrics, but Hallelujah The Hills have simply grown into the band they always threatened to become.

Whitechapel have reinvigorated themselves without reinventing the sound they became known for and, in the process, produced an appropriate follow-up to their sophomore success.

Whereas 936 introduced us to a wonderland of dub-infused psychedelia, Lucifer features a much wider scope from the duo.

Clockwork Angels sounds as mighty as its concept, with the well-balanced interaction amongst Lee, Lifeson and Peart.

Like that excellent mid-period of Entombed where they embraced raw production and an honest approach in every aspect of their music, Struck by Lightning have it all, minus any songs that worm their way into the listener's head.

While the tracks are still heavily Black Sabbath-influenced, unfiltered doom, they don't live up to the expectations of what Wino-era Saint Vitus should be capable of.

The lack of development and subtlety is a frequent problem for the album.

Manically happy, infectiously danceable and too clever by half, if 1991 does one thing, it proves that Banks's breakout hit, "212," was no fluke.

Triple F Life is good because it's big and stupid.

Ursprung delivers a uniquely modern and experimental album that gently reveals more with each listen.

Dub Egg is an album for guitar heads.

There's No Leaving Now is another sweetly concise collection of ten songs by the eloquent Swede, whose nationality remains brilliantly masked by a Midwestern twang.

Red Night (helmed by UK pop producer Richard X) is a foot-moving triumph of ennui, minor chords and warped FX.

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

Machines That Make Civilization Fun is Bigg Jus's best, most well-rounded solo album so far, but it's still a difficult listen that will likely limit the album's appeal to advanced listeners only.

Oh No's beats run gritty, grainy and hard from start to finish, with tough rhythms and an expansive array of aggressive sonics darting in and out of each cut, adding much expressive flair to the beatsmith's heartbeat-raising, all-business attacks.

The Stoned Immaculate is just Curren$y at a higher grade, if you will.

Each Liars album has kept us guessing and WIXIW is no exception, offering us another glimpse of Liars' infinite supply of uncompromising, yet succesful ideas.

While the sound of this is pretty uniform the quality is all over the place and very dependent on the song being covered.

It's this theme of genuine imperfection that allows Quarantine to come off as an exposed, wounded masterwork.

2:54 have made a debut album that pulls you in, immerses you and haunts you ever so slightly.