While King Tuff has skilfully honed his '70s shtick here, Black Moon's appeal reaches deeper, transcending the novelty with well-written tunes that are fun even for those impartial to the decade.

Encyclopedia finds the Drums throwing everything at the wall, seeing what sticks, and then releasing the results as an album.

Perfume Genius has begun to spread his wings, delivering a breakout release that relies on much more than his manic/mopey persona.

It's surprising, deeply moving and occasionally stunning.

The trio are playing together better than ever, even capturing some of the power of economy that their earliest music commanded with grit and grace and thunder and lightning.

For an indie record, the sound of We Loved Her Dearly works nicely, but Lowell's ambitions--and her songwriting chops--are at another level, and better production would make them more emphatic.

This is another worthy addition to a wonderful discography from a genuine roots music hero.

The compositions here are solid, but it's sonically where Vessel holds his own. In that regard, Punish, Honey is close to perfection.

Granted, many of these songs were written while members of the band were between the ages of 16 and 18, but it might have been a better idea to hold off on the release of Be Slowly to hone their songwriting skills and define their sound a little more.

With this EP, Krug demonstrates that less is more, but that it also doesn't hurt to go big, even if "big" in this case is an expertly timed digital synth here and there.

Another Language is another good record that takes some risks, some more successful than others.

If U2 was ever cool or exciting, that spark has been absent for a good 20 years, and with Songs of Innocence, they've never sounded so ordinary or cloying.

In A Dream is brand new, but has the feel of a timeless dance record, the kind of record that is pulled from the crate on the most special (and danceable) of occasions.

Even if, at 72 minutes, it overstays its welcome a bit, there's no denying the vital talent on display at every turn.

The only real disappointment here is that it arrives just as summer ends, because few albums have been better suited for beach life as this one.

Commonwealth offers a little something for everyone, no matter what you're looking for.

Souled Out is an intriguing record from an intriguing artist who has tapped into the zeitgeist and delivered something that is both reflective and forward-looking.

Ritual in Repeat is an elegantly constructed and crafted piece of pop music art borne from rigorous, exacting songwriting.

A few duds abound, like the wearisome "Eat The Rich," but the album ends strongly with the sci-fi-flavoured "Colonize the Moon."

As with all of his records, it's better to view Ryan Adams in the context of his career, rather than on its own, which makes this a very strong contender in a surprisingly dense field.

On their fifth release, Simian Mobile Disco's dedication to challenging their tried-and-true formula has found them coming off looser and more resourceful than ever.

The first half of the record clashes significantly with the latter half, which is... eclectic.

Ultimately, Zeus keeps nodding to the past even as they look toward the future on a record that's both introspective and jubilant.

Much of the record plays like a series of short acoustic interludes: pretty, at times insightful, but evanescent more often than not.

While El Pintor is no Turn on the Bright Lights or Antics, the record finds Interpol climbing out of their mediocre rut, slowly but surely.

At Best Cuckold is a strong cohesive whole, a sum of all its theoretically disparate parts, and one that wears its idiosyncrasies proudly on its sleeve.

Fresh, crisp drums, creamy keys, luxuriant strings and timely flute and horn flourishes, each held together by a series of mood-defining bass lines, work to soundtrack this production, an inspiring foil that the record's MCs make certain not to waste on this grand testament to Souls' skill and staying power.

The amount of technical and emotional ground that YOB are able to carry across these four tracks is phenomenal, and makes Clearing the Path to Ascend the album that marks the band's return to the height of their power.