Total Loss is a brave effort by an artist who's clearly not afraid to show vulnerability through risk-taking and soul baring.

That's not to say Young Blood is bad, but mediocrity shouldn't attract attention so fast.

Despite sounding more like Radiohead's wistful indie-pop nephews than the genuine article, alt-J are a group offering moderate experimentalism that'll serve as an effective gateway for younger fans.

Rather than make giant artistic leaps every few years or so, Woods are content to push forward incrementally, showering fans with material that nonetheless gets better every record.

I Bet on Sky isn't the immediate winner that Farm was, but it's emphasis on tunefulness versus smack-you-in-the-face noise makes for a surprising winner and a pleasant late career left turn that gets better with each listen.

It's a shame to find Grizzly Bear spinning their wheels.

Their no-frills approach to doom is dark and incredibly heavy, but deliciously uncompromising. While it takes a few tracks for the band to shine through, it is worth the wait.

Coexist is far from a bad effort. Gentle sophisticates that the XX are, however, it's hardly surprising that the cutting edge got a little too sharp.

A hip-hop blues record is an interesting concept and in Koala's nimble hands, a unique listening experience.

The results are sporadic and schizophrenic, in the sense that it's hard to pinpoint a solid foundation within the album, and easy to get lost in its infectious melodies.

Overall this is a meditative collection that eloquently expresses a great deal of uncomfortable feelings few other songwriters are capable of addressing.

Instead of taking the easy route of creating a love letter to New Orleans, the band went in the opposite direction, continuing to lead American music into the future.

There's definitely a familiarity to their sound, but once you get past the derivativeness of it all, there's much to like about Toy.

Steam Days should finally break Fake free of Boards of Canada's imposing shadow. Fake is for real.

It is the best electronic extrapolation of the beauty and subtlety of one of the world's great rhythm nations since Bill Laswell's Imaginary Cuba almost 15 years ago.

Eight is a solid album of bass-heavy, tribal dub techno that employs plenty of analog synth and is among Deadbeat's strongest releases to date.

It's this constant dynamic of push-pull throughout that makes Ancient Future a compelling listen.

Mungodelics remains an uneven effort in design alone, promptly adding another layer of mystery to this hard-to-pin-down duo.

Emerald Forest and the Blackbird is far and away Swallow the Sun's most theatrical release.

The songwriting is more refined and consistent yet subtly surprising, and the production is smooth yet punchy.

2 Chainz's debut album is a triumph on so many levels.

Joe, Joell, Crooked I and Royce trade quality rhymes over a varied catalogue of original productions that allow the four-piece ample room to spit their different brands of venom.

Nine albums into their career, Animal Collective continue to deliver records far ahead of their time.

The North isn't Stars burning their brightest, but they're a long ways away from flickering out.