What drew people to Tuttle's music to begin with was that delightfully dissonant combination of sweet singing and monster-shredder guitar playing, and that's just not what this album delivers.

It's an important record because it does dig so deeply into the tradition of folk music, as many records in black metal are tending to do. It digs into the sounds celebrated in days of old, and is the perfect addition to your collection.

The ambitions, expansions, and collaborations on Vertigo Days mostly pay off, sacrificing a little thematic cohesion for the reward of greater variety in sound. It does the good work of forging musical links out of broken global barriers.

On The Desired Effect, Flowers aims to be loose and have some fun, but he also sounds more focused than ever. Flowers has spoken of a desire to write an album full of singles, and these songs almost reach that goal.

On Hive Mind, Ital delivers a refreshing approach to instrumental electronics, with equal disinterest for both the club and headphone scenes, pissing off Internet purists in the process.

Though not their best record, IV is nevertheless an excellent addition to the group's staggeringly consistent discography.

Nine albums into their career, Animal Collective continue to deliver records far ahead of their time.

Singles "Hello" and "When We Were Young" remain highlights on the record, but aforementioned tracks like "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)," "I Miss You" and "Water Under the Bridge," not to mention "River Lea," hear Adele taking a welcome detour from the orchestral piano-pop formula and moving towards more interesting, groove-driven patterns.

While not as immediately trance-inducing as their debut, The Twits finds the band in a newly roiling, bellicose state of transformation.

Desolation's Flower is a good record that flirts with greatness. It's unlikely to convert any non-believers, awash in great swells of feeling and excellent songs that, admittedly, are sometimes constricted by a lack of space and breathing room. But the good that is there, roiling and thrashing in the depths, is well worth seeking.

While we wait to see what lays in store for Röyksopp's future, we can be thankful that they've offered us such fully realized package, one that reminds us of the power of the full-length and of what has made them such singular figures in electronic music.

Night and Day [is] another true testament by one of America's last genuine musical anti-heroes.

There's vitality peppered throughout here, offering enough hope to momentarily forget the despair, as melodies lift the listener briefly before crashing you back down. This mercurial nature makes Arms Around A Vision a beguiling listen, one that's strangely difficult to stop listening to.

Lux might not be breaking new ground, but given the beauty and resonance inherent in Eno's music when he sticks with what he does well--namely, gorgeous, slow moving ambience with plenty of breathing space and emotional impact--revisiting familiar turf is just fine.

It's a successful return for Ms. Jackson, a grown-ass album that refuses either to pander or wallow in nostalgia.

With Memory, it's apparent that Lazer Sword have toiled over the big picture, leaving little room for twelve-inch singles, all the while crafting an absorbing full-listen.

Moon Tides doesn't quite have the same lingering effect as Beach House's Teen Dream, but there's enough here to slide into a wonderful daydream for a half-hour or so.

With Promise Everything, Basement have returned stronger than ever, and have taken great care to capitalize on the most effective aspects of their previous sounds to make a dynamic and cohesive whole here.

Embers could (and should) start over then, urging all software to "repeat all" and every DJ to throw side one back on the bed of coals.

The result is an absolutely vicious, fearless record.

WAX is filled to the brim with equal parts sing-along sensibility and raspy vibrato--with a style and sound akin to late '90s Chantal Kreviazuk.

Nobody can seriously claim that Welcome Home tops any of Pantera. But it's a step up from Hellyeah's past material, showcasing all of the members' unending passion for heavy metal and all that comes with it.

The result is that Pyramid is an imperfect and uneven album that satisfies two different audiences, as the front half is packed with wandering jam band noodling while the second half tightens into a slightly more focused and rhythmic set. It's just a shame that Jaga Jazzist wasn't able to give the listener a more cohesive and unified version of what they were trying to achieve with Pyramid.

Digital Garbage is as blunt as it is thoughtful and the songs here truly rip at a time when some seem keen to let civility and common sense rest in peace.

I Bet on Sky isn't the immediate winner that Farm was, but it's emphasis on tunefulness versus smack-you-in-the-face noise makes for a surprising winner and a pleasant late career left turn that gets better with each listen.

Overall, this is an album that blends choral and electronic to create something that amounts to little more than unobtrusive background music. It lacks both the cultural depth of world music and the dynamic disco beats of their earlier offerings.

Although many tribute albums have a tendency to come across as disposable, Red Hot + Fela stands with the best Red Hot has to offer.

Beginners seems like an introduction to Hutson and his past: fears, anxieties and faults and memories. It's all packaged in a brilliant album that satisfies any cravings for well-written, subtle and resonant folk rock.