Banks has managed to pull off a minor miracle, as Broke With Expensive Taste is an artistic success as well as a strategic one.

Overall, No Cross No Crown is for diehard fans; those who want to hear something new will be disappointed.

Despite this galling blunder ["California," an infuriating interruption to an otherwise cohesive project], Gambino knocks Awaken out of the park.

Vocals, samples and soundscapes are all treated as equals, resulting in a slurry of sound that remarkably works both as a mixtape comedown and as a salient whole.

If you dig deep enough, it's an album filled with surprises from a band that continue to impress.

There's nothing mild about Emotional Mugger; it has an overwhelming sense of madness, but it's addictive nonetheless.

For listeners that like their electronic music with a pulse (both literally and figuratively), this release will be a rewarding experience.

The Private World of Paradise is certain to earn Wake Owl a legion of devotees among the late-night headphones crowd.

Two years of touring has allowed DZ Deathrays to realize their capabilities as songwriters and with Black Rat, it's clear they've got their sights set on bigger and stranger things.

Hopefully "No One" is an indication of the long-hidden spunkiness that Sexsmith will finally reveal in full on his next effort. If that doesn't happen, and his follow up is as joyful as Carousel, fans will still be pleased by one fact: Ron Sexsmith's days of being pigeonholed as a sad sack are long gone.

On the spooky, very unorthodox The Southern Surreal, Legendary Shack Shakers have successfully brewed styles to create an album that is undeniably fascinating.

On their self-titled debut, E focus on each member's strength, leaving listeners with an album that's at times more combative than it is collaborative.

It's hard to shake off singer Davey Havok's sterile lyrics, especially when many of the choruses lean heavily on his bold, operatic delivery yet are somewhat squandered on half-cocked one-liners.

The music has remained familiar, as Dani has one of the most idiosyncratic and immediately recognizable voices in metal, but the perpetual whirlwind of members has made every Cradle of Filth album feel unique, and Cryptoriana is no different.

While the album could be described as moody, and there certainly are dramatic shifts in mood throughout, there is also always the feeling of sunny skies above. The music conjures up the grit of the beach, the flow of the ocean, and the hot concrete below the unrelenting sun of the Pacific coast.

At 16 tracks, Dream Nails seems lengthy at first glance, but each track is punchy and goes by quickly.

All things considered, this may not be the best album ever made by Kid Koala, but it might be one of his most rewarding experiences.

On first glance one might mistake it for a kind of "playing the hits" trick that many artists rely on as they revisit their origins. But digging in, Time Is Glass feels more like a progression of ease — 20 years on, Chasny is able to reach the astral plane the way most reach for a light switch.

Voyeuristic as it is, Dirty Projectors truly does feel like a record he had to make, not to mention one that's well worth our attention.

At times curiously familiar, Sylvan Esso exists in a sphere not a million miles away from other pop/electronic hybrids such as Blue Hawaii, Purity Ring and Austra, but what impresses most here is the quality of the vocal melodies as well as the attention paid to carving out solid low end frequencies, a trait sadly ignored or fumbled by most other indie-electronic hybrids.

Single Mothers sound consistent throughout this set of ten beer-soaked songs, but after just 20 minutes, that consistency is far too homogenous and one-note to be interesting.

Even in its weighty moments, the simple melodies, infectious hooks and liberal dashes of humour will keep your spirits up from start to finish. Good For You is a satisfying, well-rounded effort.

Weighing of the Heart plays out as the soundtrack to a forgotten '90s B movie; novel, but not great.

Ortega's musical composition revels in an outlaw spirit, echoed vocal acoustics and a Spanish waltz. She masters the equilibrium and stability amid light and dark, which is regularly touched on in her earlier works.

Braindrops is a tumultuous and compelling listen.

Her move away from pop music on The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone signals a deeper understanding of the country, blues and soul genres, but there aren't enough ideas here to make it succeed.

Altogether, Ö feels like candy: addictive, sweet, glossy; the ultimate sugar rush. While it remains to be seen if there's a crash coming, Fcukers are undeniably the life of the party.

With Ghosts of Then and Now, Illum Sphere strives to balance the ethereal with the earworm and, for the most part, succeeds.