If Obey contains a fatal flaw, it's that it can't quite balance these old hallmarks with its new flourishes in a way that feels totally coherent. But like any work of capable termite art, it still manages to set a particular mood that digs its way deep under the skin.

The trio showcase their curiosity and inventiveness to create dark, deranged atmospheres that are simultaneously appalling and beautiful. Even with its lack of live drums or guitar riffs, Grave of a Dog is bound to keep listeners up at night.

Waxing Moon presents a kind of transition in Foon's career, possessing full helpings of the despair and hope that is baked into the DNA of her earlier work, but with a further articulation of those emotions, becoming a visible and dimly spotlighted person standing in front of the monolith.

Someday Is Today pairs fragmented, stream-of-consciousness lyrics with soundscapes that flow and grow at their own pace, balancing the post-rock proclivities of Do Make Say Think with the lazy drum machines and synthesizers of Beach House (especially on the opening track, "Hold Me In Your Mind").

A sense of glee infuses every weird noise and sludgy riff.

Although the switch in tempo and style from song to song is abrupt, there's consistency that follows the album through to the end.

A.I.M. may not be concise, but it's focused and purposeful, a loose collection characterized by sticky-hot swagger, political awareness and, most importantly, urgency.

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.

Where the drums of Joli Mai were, more often than not, ready to roll one over at any given point, Cherry blossoms as a listen worth savouring as Daphni's melodious detail leads the dance.

Hard Believer has a simmering urgency, but though the album seems like it's always building to something, when it ends, you can feel how far it has come.

Although The Unraveling is a strong album thematically, songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley do little to push these songs forward sonically, as tracks like the Replacements-lite "Heroin Again" and the nightclub crooner "Grievance Merchants" can attest. Nevertheless, on The Unraveling, Drive-By Truckers deliver another socially charged to-the-bone manifesto that sticks closely to their newfound credo: If the country's still broke, keep trying to fix it.

At a protracted 70 minutes, Morgan's latest may be a bit too arduous for its foundation, but Loscil has always been an artist unafraid to exhaust an idea to its fullest, and Clara proves this in spades.

The North Borders introduces a host of vocalists to accompany solid arrangements.

When compared to last year's Music Is, it's nice to hear Frisell in a live setting and with a solid partner: as result, it's more spontaneous, less polished and more engaging.

The duo's 13th studio album, Super, will appeal to the cult following that's stuck with them over the years while reaffirming their continued relevance and influence.

It's a slightly scattered record, but one fuelled by an invigorating conviction and helmed by an artist with the gravitational pull to make it all align.

By demonstrating the passion with which he performs these songs, as well as the inventive instrumentation, Callinan has reaffirmed the sincerity in his music that is so often elided by his provocative image.

It's Foxing in a new shape, a first-hand witness of the evolution of a band that were really good just the way they were. While these changes may not be welcome with open arms, the thoughtfulness and artistry deserves a round of applause.

It will perhaps be a surprising listen to fans expecting more upbeat material, but if you can surrender to the slower, weightier swells of this album, you might just find yourself floating.

The songs don't hit quite as hard or as immediately as that high watermark [Celebration Rock]. But there's also nothing to suggest that Japandroids couldn't have carried on, dropping albums when they had material, touring when it suited their schedules.

With The Parallax II: Future Sequence, Between the Buried and Me have managed to craft metal that's not just for metal heads, but will excite them just the same.

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.

Wenu Wenu does a decent job presenting the veteran singer, but your desire to return to this disc hinges upon your enthusiasm for that instrument's unique sound.

The first half or so of pom pom proves Ariel Pink is still a pretty formidable songwriter.... From there, the structure seemingly breaks away, as Pink indulges in further left-field whims that are often more novel than gratifying.

There is a lot to chew on here, and that's what makes GLOW ON an album that will stay fresh after many replays.

Shows that CFCF aspires to be known as a serious artist, not just an electronic one.

No mere addendum, it lives up to the high bar set by Hynes, while giving us a small, but significant, glimpse into his process.

While not every track bangs, the three managed to create a fairly strong record.