Engravings sees the artist employing fractured choral voices, militant drums, swirling guitars and the occasional harpsichord (notably on album standout "The Weight of Gold") to create a tapestry of sounds both experimental and organic.

While there are some standout cuts--most notably the Avalanches' Afro remake of "I'm a Cuckoo"--much of The Third Eye Centre should have remained on the cutting room floor.

Her drive and influences are there, but, moving forward, the search for hooks may remain her greatest challenge.

Necrocracy is as perfect as we're all hoping Carcass will be when they bring their good ship back for another gruesome go at it.

King Krule is an artist moving a mile a minute, and 6 Feet Beneath the Moon is just the beginning of what will be an amazing career to follow.

This is a return to form for Franz Ferdinand; they've indeed retrieved the right thoughts and words to create a dynamic new set of pop hits in-the-making.

Tend No Wounds sounds very much like a transitional record, one foot firmly planted in the tar pit of their sludge roots while the other steps forward into a more punk-influenced, high-energy hard rock mode, and this liminality leads to moments of awkwardness.

The crashing production and imperfections contrast nicely with the concise rock, creating a dangerous sound not often heard within the realm of such structured music.

This project is as close to inside Yow's twisted mind as fans have gotten, And it's a compelling, nightmarish realm for certain.

MeYouWeYou is an ambitious and confident record from a band with enough smarts to keep one foot in the electronic realm while letting the other roam free.

No Better Time Than Now is a mature, immersive work that carries with it an intense emotional weight--the passionate, human energy of the live drumming dovetails beautifully with the optimism and spiritual healing expressed in the melodies.

Expertly recorded by Martin Bisi (famous for his work with Swans, Sonic Youth and White Zombie), the production is perfect and the songs are mostly more than compelling enough to make it work.

Despite the massed personnel, nothing sounds cluttered or excessive.

Segall may not be bouncing off the walls on Sleeper, but its decided shift shows his range and ability to continue churning out great releases at an alarming speed.

In contrast to comrade Rocky's music, Trap Lord succeeds largely despite its production, fuelled by Ferg's oddball enthusiasm and sincerity.

Doris isn't the classic many anticipated, but it is a strong, uncompromised debut from a very talented young rapper. For now, that's enough.

There's no question Hero Brother is a tremendously accomplished series of recordings that hold together as a whole, but one also gets the sense of being at the beginning of a journey that could get better as the years go by.

It's not time to write Porcelain Raft off, but Remiddi needs to bring more ideas to LP number three.

The sparse chug of "Defector/ed" and the dirge-y mantra of "A Ceiling Dreams of a Floor" reflect the rough-hewn elegance of the duo's raw musical material.

Though they won't repeat the trick, Diana plunder '80s-aping blog-pop and find surprising riches in a long washed-out gold mine.

There are enough unexpected moments--a nice peppering of saxophone, the gospel choir on "I Like It In the Dark" and the velvety hum of closing ballad "Un Chant D'Amour--to distinguish this as the best album yet by these sunglasses-at-night-wearing rockers.

The album's arrangements are the least complex they've been since Superchunk's early days, making these 11 tracks less immediately sticky than previous efforts. A bit more teeth would have made this one for the ages.

Most vividly, Loud City Song evokes the easy, tingling drift of early Robert Wyatt.

Raph's lyrics, meanwhile, dig beneath melancholia and insecurity to unearth beauty in the small victories of self-discovery.

What Whitfield lacks in originality he makes up for with a tireless push to the end zone.

The Wild Feathers makes a solid first impression, but if they can dial down the earnestness a bit in the future, they'll have a better shot at becoming the great American rock 'n' roll band they clearly have the potential to be.

The band's natural tendency toward tightly knit pop music, combined with an increasingly evident and more fully realized awareness of their strengths, makes Shaky Dream a great release.

This is no B.S. heavy metal and it makes you feel good, which is way more than many were expecting. And, no, the bass isn't embarrassingly loud in the mix.