Tejada has done a fine job of giving each track its distinctive personality without sacrificing the flow of the album as a cohesive piece.

It's still a bit distant and aloof — and ultimately too tame for its own good — but Chronicles of a Diamond finds the band heading in more interesting directions. It is, in every sense of the word, a vibe.

As with so much of Jurado's work, In the Shape of a Storm is simple in its construction, but panoramic in its impact.

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.

It's apparent that these newcomers certainly have their ears wide open, reimagining everything they rebroadcast.

The potency of Toots Hibbert's material is evidenced by the presence of his classic tune "Pressure Drop" in a current TV beer commercial. No single track on Got to Be Tough matches up to that song, but this is a solid offering from the 77-year-old.

Subtly sad, sweetly distorted and at times outright trippy, the result is perfect for long drives under summer skies.

A brooding, groovy, muscular album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is a more mature and thoughtful application of Alice In Chains' undeniably powerful aesthetic.

This feeling of something ancient is instilled in The Sun Dogs, which possesses a strangely hard-to-pin-down sense of mysterious nostalgia, demonstrating that the creation of original music has not yet become a foolish ambition.

They've given listeners a sense of what they could be if they really stepped outside of it here, and quite frankly, a little more could go a long way.

While retreading folklore's ground, evermore deepens and enriches its older sister's world.

This eight-song set provides a bit of insight into the evolution of Grizzly Bear's ever-ripening sound.

Although the core songwriting is never quite as captivating and merciful as it was on previous albums, Heartworms nonetheless has an adventurous outer shell, and the Shins seem to revel in the newfound space inside of it.

Although many songs on Chuck sound familiar, it's amazing that no two tracks sound alike. Berry covers a lot of musical ground on Chuck, and most importantly, reveals just how much fun he was still having at the end of his storied life.

Vermont make their retro intentions more than clear on their self-titled debut.

Mileage on the more pastoral, slow tunes may vary, but bar italia are now a band in flux: they've mastered the chaos, and here is their first, true attempt to merge the hypnagogic impulses of their early efforts with the choleric punk of their present.

Though some fans will no doubt be put off by the band's new direction, anything more than a cursory listen reveals that HEALTH haven't made some great leap into the pop void. Rather, they've more fully embraced something that was always inherent to their music in the first place.

The band's punk'n'roll won't make converts out of unbelievers, but for those already initiated, V proves the Bronx an undoubtedly vital institution.

For the Shady diehard fans, Shady XV is enough. But for those searching for that nostalgic surge of adrenaline-inducing passion and innovative content reminiscent of the Shady reign, it's better to skip the new material and head straight to the classics.

Stewart's reliance on familiar 'intro/build-up/drop' production structures can at times run repetitive, but his own subtle guitar playing, hyperactive synth pads, mallets and bells make the songs anything but predictable.

Here the songs unfold with greater purpose, the verses and choruses more defined. It is both physically rousing and emotionally moving.

What was once something to blast on your bedroom speakers is now crying out for a live performance with a nine-piece band, which, if nothing else, shows a maturity in sound.

While it's surprisingly early in Alt-J's careers to release what is essentially their version of an acoustic album, Relaxer provides a necessary change-up that keeps the band's iconic sound from becoming a caricature of itself.

The focus is the production rather than the songs, and Ultramarine is sadly missing the killer choruses required for a great pop album.

They manage to balance quieter, more serene moments with bombast and wildness, ending the album with the two longest tracks on the album.

As a whole, though it's compositionally beautiful, Lights Falls leaves the listener deeply emotional--both distressed and saddened. However, this strong reaction is artistic success for Robinson.

Putting the tiger back in a 15-year old cage works well for the band, for the most part. You can feel Stump chafing against the creative box he's put himself back in, and the tension it creates in the music gives many of these songs a sense of immediacy.

Honora feels a bit like a few different projects in one, its moments of revelatory beauty refracted through a slightly convoluted structure.