Times Infinity Volume One is a magnificent testament to the human heart in all of its complexity.

It's the sound of an artist operating at the peak of her powers, employing all her greatest strengths at once to create an assured, moving work that corroborates what Have One On Me already suggested: that Joanna Newsom is one of the finest songwriters of this generation.

Howl is a well-crafted structure, built on the foundation laid by its predecessors. It's certainly the pinnacle of West's career so far, and up there for electronic album highlight of year.

Thank Your Lucky Stars is definitely a treat--we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, as another new Beach House album is always welcome--but arriving so soon after Depression Cherry, it is bound to get lost in the shadow of its predecessor because frankly, it isn't nearly as compelling.

It will always be a pleasure to hear Ritter's songs, to spend some time in his warm, rich universe. But he needs a new band, badly.

Around the World and Back is far from the final destination for these champions of New York pop punk/rock, but it's a definite step forward on their journey to take the world, and their genre, by storm.

Tape Loops is open and expansive, and finds Chris Walla leaving interpretation up to the listener. Is it sad? Zen? Contemplative? In any case, it's both a veiled and a starkly honest communication.

While Raury makes no secret of his influences, that doesn't mean he lacks his own distinctive style.

On As If, !!! show that they've still got ideas, leaving listeners with one of the most enjoyable, if schizophrenic, dance albums of the year.

Breaking up the band's predictable metal onslaught is the mid-tempo stomp of "Morrigan," the slow-burning "Prayer for the Afflicted" and the ballad-esque "All for Nothing." While they're each a welcome reprieve from the sameness, these moments inadvertently temper any more chaos that could have perhaps been unleashed.

On Are You Alone?, Majical Cloudz are at the height of their powers, opening themselves up fully and inviting the listener in. They sound obsessed, and "okay" be damned--it feels just right

Though not nearly as essential as their first two albums, Long Live finds Atreyu reaching higher than they have in almost a decade.

On Life, Dan Friel's beats and rhythms come off less stingy and cloaked, allowing the noise to finally meet the listener (almost) halfway.

On Fading Frontier, Deerhunter focus on their ability as a band to hypnotize and confound, which make the explosive moments here stand out that much more.

His is an askew version of experimental electronic music that is as engaging a vision as it is singular.

With a few of its tracks trimmed off, No No could have made a great EP, but as it stands, it's equal parts fun and frustration.

It's thrilling and moving to hear Lund indulge his serious side on this gorgeously forlorn new LP.

Clearly he is awash with new inspiration, and has absorbed it successfully, because it's hard to recall an artist in recent memory who has revamped their sound so boldly and successfully as City and Colour has on If I Should Go Before You.

Sore feels like the culmination of something that's been bubbling under in the city, the perfect marriage of pop craftsmanship and violent anger.

The Loud Silence finds the producer showcasing his boundless creativity while working within a self-imposed, limited framework. Once again, he's come out successful.

µ20 gives this now-classic label the classy tribute it deserves.

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

Four Pink Walls is positioned as a warm up to her debut full length, and there's enough substance here to match and maintain expectations.

Overall, Uncovered stands up as much as you could want a cover album to; Colvin puts her own folk spin on things and keeps that sound strong throughout.

Exhausting Fire synthesizes and fuses those sounds with their more doomy roots.

That Age of Transparency feels less like the collection of singles Anxiety was and more like the cohesive, momentous artistic statement his best work always suggested he's capable of.

Their fourth and decidedly most accessible release to date.

Foam Island is a patchwork album that never ends up feeling quite settled.