A record that prefers to build up intensity before letting it ebb away, doling out flashes of propulsive rhythm in snatches and grasps rather than in the four-on-the-floor anthemic grooves favoured by so many bands these days, Sleeping Operator feels out of time, apart, distinct.

Bestial Burden is immensely captivating and exquisitely structured, another unique offering from an unparalleled artist.

No one ever accused the Melvins of being boring--despite calling the record Hold It In, it's overflowing with ideas and creativity.

As it stands, it's a very good record that builds on and expands the musical ideas presented on his debut.

This new record still finds them wavering. By not taking a side, they fall flat in the middle.

Unflesh is a bold and assertive statement for what pop music can do in 2014.

Unraveling is cut from a richer, darker cloth than their earlier works, making it a bold departure and a tense new direction well worth exploring.

We Come From The Same Place is a lyrical wonderland that keeps listeners exploring more with each listen. Indie-pop or not, it's infectious on many levels.

The reason why Ex Hex Rips is so triumphant is that it easily attains its simple goal of presenting a total blast for the listener to savour. Or to take the title's bait, Ex Hex Rips rips.

The understated maturity of the 24-year-old Hozier on his debut album is a beacon for young writers learning to craft significant compositions.

Although Aquarius may not rock the boat with innovation, its more than confident in its stride, delivering an entertaining effort from the sultry singer.

Monolithic, heavy, raw and aggressive, A World Lit Only by Fire is 100 percent Godflesh, shattering any doubts that the duo, led by mastermind Justin K. Broadrick, could maintain their classic sound.

If you ask me, this is the most punk thing Iceage could've done at this point--and arguably the best thing they've done, period.

Wonder Where We Land is a tremendous step forward both for SBTRKT and for the possibilities of cross-genre exploration.

Cosmic Logic contains probably some of the most accessible material they've released to date, material that'll hopefully attract a whole new slew of fans.

The tracks begin to bleed together way before the halfway point of the album and there's not a single surprise to be had throughout.

It feels like a coherent album as opposed to a loose collection of songs. There are stumbles, but given the band's history, they feel minor.

For an ambitious release that obviously reaches for such lofty heights, Taiga is peculiarly light on hooks and personality, forcing Danilova to fill many of those gaps in with glittering aural cosmetics.

Excitingly new yet classically evocative, You're Dead! is contemplative but never boring, an example of genre cross-pollination that transcends novelty and, occasionally, time and space as well.

In 2014 this just seems like the kind of better-than-average album that befalls way too many British musicians past their prime.

The result is one of the most eminently playable and rewarding electronic albums of 2014, and one that respectfully casts a glance backwards while sounding both indelibly contemporary and unmistakably Caribou.

At 13 tracks and close to 70 minutes in length, Abaporu just contains too many (albeit many terrific) ideas and stylistic flourishes to properly cohere as a singular work.

There's endless potential in this collaboration, if only they'd take a more confident leap into the unknown.

As an original whole, Art Official Age is Prince's most complete, most consistent and most contemporary album in a minute.

At only nine tracks, the album delivers big time in such a short trip and definitely leaves the listener wondering what gems this super duo left on the cutting-room floor.

In the end, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes is undeniably enjoyable, acting like a 2014 version of The Eraser and adding some new Thom Yorke material to your music collection never hurts.

She's tough and confrontational, and on her 11th studio album, Down Where The Spirit Meets the Bone, that toughness initially comes across as even more deeply entrenched. It takes a little while to discover the tenderness that goes along with it.

Innerworld should be their breakthrough album at the very least, and may very well be the album of the winter, a season that fits it well.