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.

By taking his time and falling in and out of love he ended up with I Know What Love Isn't, an album worth waiting another five years for.

In the wake of the recent bass explosion, there's no shortage of artists making similar music, but few of them are anywhere near as compelling.

Hot Cakes contains vestiges of the brilliance that once helped make The Darkness a massive cultural force (at least in the UK). But too many of its songs feel like toss-offs and half-formed ideas.

Though Key hosts the padding typical of latter day Doom, the highlights bode well for Madvillainy 2.

Khaled goes through his hip-hop Rolodex yet again and compiles a strong collection of MCs and producers to add some shine to his latest musical collage.

It's an excellent record--one that sounds both classic and unmistakably contemporary--but, for the most part, it still sounds like the meeting of two disparate halves.

Beams may not be as tantalising as 2010's excellent Black City, but it is a highly enjoyable album full of solid songwriting and that familiar sexy bass sound that should complete Dear's gradual crossover into the indie mainstream.

Everything works and there's really nothing more a fan of either Organs or Comets could ask for.

The Glorious Dead is an achingly self-aware throwback record, focusing more on the strength of each song than the album's overall structure.

If J. Dilla has been Detroit hip-hop's most influential recent figure, then DJ HouseShoes is the stern, no-frills custodian of that legacy, known to regulate violators and opportunists circling the music James Yancey created.

By separating his musical personalities into two neat piles, Deacon stopped short of creating a truly epic record. We'll have to settle for just a pretty great one instead.

Tracer is a complete LP that's unified yet fluid, providing a full club experience for those who choose not to leave their bedrooms.

With Into The Lair of the Sun God, the Chicago, IL metallers have once again produced a record that's as engaging as it is refreshing.

Their best album to date, Advaitic Songs shows OM moving into modernity and relying less on tribalistic rhythms, but the sense of calmness will always be their signature.

As compositionally complex as Eremita is, it's the hunger of the album--the elemental and animal simplicity of the tone--that gives it strength.

Fragrant World challenges from the first to the 15th listen, yet lacks the hooks that made Odd Blood such an impossible album to ignore. But, at the same time, Yeasayer are a talented bunch who make forward-thinking, 21st century pop music designed to make you think while you dance.

There is a comprehensive exploration of musical avenues and ideas, as well as a pleasing juxtaposition of an overarching concept and sound design.

It's not quite as bad as you might think. I mean, it's only embarrassing 40 percent of the time, which for Seinfeld, is pretty impressive.

Testament just don't make missteps (the album could be a couple songs shorter, but that's my biggest complaint), continuing to craft thrash that's mature, heavy and aggressive in all the best ways.

There are some great tracks--a standout being gorgeous opener "Don't Wake Me Up"--but, at times, it veers a bit too far into the saccharine, with the playing, unlike the singing, lacking a bit of soul.

Exo would appeal to fans of the aforementioned Amon Tobin and, at times, Exo is also evocative of Plaid, or even Aphex Twin in the midst of his most acidy madness.

Soul Clap lay down some of the richest Boston, vocal-rich house on this record.

It's a solid go at moving away from the sounds of standard house on an album that could have gone either way.

Bring Me the Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn is Dunn's best work to date, consisting of a solid two hours of minimal, emotive, ambient drone that should appeal to fans of Stars of the Lid and Brian Eno.

Deathless Master is all tight, sinewy riff structures--songs that succeed by virtue of their grip and tensile strength.

In large part, this compilation is underwhelming--there are exceptions, but the creativity is lacking and, to some degree, that's surprising, considering some of the talent on the roster.

While it may not be the Ghost Inside's best work--that title still belongs to Returners--Get What You Give is an impressive addition to their discography and will certainly boost their profile.

Burning Love add a dark edge to credible rock bands like Queens of the Stone Age and in doing so, have crafted one of the catchiest hardcore albums, or heaviest rock albums, of the year.

It doesn't take long for the desire to have Auerbach dial down his magic formula just a notch to take hold.

There isn't a dull moment on this album.

Skip the umpteenth "BMF" re-treads and the album's soggy R&B bottom quarter and there's much to savour.

It's rare for an artist to actually match a sound with their name (see Steely Dan for how not to do it), but with Talent, Pena has done just that by creating music that flutters to a perfect, heavenly beat.

These are supremely creative songs ― violently sexy, humorous and malformed extractions from some of experimental music's most delightfully twisted minds.

If hippie songstresses, piercing sopranos and meandering song craftsmanship are your bag, this album is certainly for you.

Most of Occupied with the Unspoken works like a well-executed indie film score: evocative, exigent and with purpose.

The drums are unquestionably positioned as the star and as a result, Harmonic feels much more like a jam session crossed with a vanity project than a genuine album.

Carved into Stone is a bit hard to warm up to, but it finds the band reaching out and, in doing so, writing their catchiest material since they snapped our fingers and necks so many moons ago.

Major doesn't run at the consistently breakneck pace of Fang Island's debut, but the group rely less on near-ludicrous histrionics and more on exhibiting the joy of creation through complex and confident songwriting.

Erikson falls in-line with dreamy progressives like Caribou and Four Tet, generating ten new compositions that sound as beautiful as they do bouncy.

What it is, frankly speaking, is one of the brightest R&B-flavoured projects to touch the mainstream in a long time.

Sadier's glorious voice could easily cover-up a multitude of sins, but it doesn't have to on Silencio because this is a great collection of songs.

Handwritten may not break any new ground for the band, but it's easily their strongest release yet.

There's something inexplicable about Purity Ring's marriage of Montrealer Corin Roddick's haunted, bass-heavy hip-hop-tronic production to Haligonian Megan James's prim alto croon, something that transcends what is traditionally accepted as "good" music.

There's nothing quite crazy enough, however, to be truly exciting and the slower numbers offer little in the way of texture or atmosphere.

With verses courtesy of everyone from Schoolboy Q and Action Bronson to Roc Marciano and Danny Brown, Alc continues to wear his hazy influences on his sleeve.

There certainly is a great deal more to Guthrie's immense body of work than what is represented on Woody At 100, but apart from some newly discovered recordings that completists will want, this is an ideal package for the uninitiated, and one to be treasured for years to come.

The narratives are better developed and there are invariably a couple of lines in each song that hit home emotionally.

Life is Good is a well-crafted entry from a seasoned veteran that displays his vitality and vintage flow 20-plus years into his career in a genre where many MCs don't age gracefully.

Combining Latin rhythms, call-and-response vocals and funk stings, the brass'n'bass music of the Marković Orkestar relies on pure fury and sexuality in a genre built upon romantic passion and tradition.

A frustrating album that manages to both thrill and disappoint in equal measure, which suggests that with some trimming, this could have been an incredible EP.

G is for Deep remains an album driven by lustrous compositions and like any good artist, Doseone's voice dutifully abides.

It is a skilfully wrought glimpse into that dream.

The result is flat and congealed, lacking danger.

This record is crawling with too many hooks and good-time jams to quibble over guitar tone.

Their self-titled debut LP packs a mighty wallop, matching a brutish, derisive attitude with whip-smart songwriting and compelling hooks.

That's Why God Made the Radio is the dad-rock album of the year.

Mission of Burma continue to create inspired, groove-laden post-rock that threatens to overshadow the acts they've influenced at every turn.

[The guitars are] the most interesting thing about Broken Water and when they aren't around things plod along uneventfully.

While Bell boasted that The Industrialist is "Demanufacture-plus," it's not quite. However, at certain times, it does come pretty close.

When Royal Thunder pull things in and keep them snappy, they're heading more towards Rival Sons turf, and that's a good place to be.

As an album, >> is twice as great as its predecessor.

Skelethon is funky, freaky and heavy on the drums.

The Moritz Von Oswald Trio deliver their most impressive and spatially alluring album to date with Fetch.

The EP is good but not great. Diplo missed an opportunity to explore a variety of emerging EDM genres, instead releasing a slew of tracks that bang hard but fail to resonate.

Musically, this might not be post-anything, but it is a postscript to an already impressive musical résumé.

Musostics isn't an unpleasant listen by any means, but it doesn't have the same kind of warmth and charm as his pals' music.

In tone and approach it suggests the populism of a lost Cat Stevens classic ("High Hopes," in particular) but with enough interesting detours.

The results surge with the crackling, raw power of their notorious live performances.

Oshin is remarkably consistent, both in terms of style and quality, and there isn't a dud amongst these 13 tracks.

Wild Peace is a transcendental album that shows a band reaching for new heights, and achieving blissful music that many of their peers can only dream of making.

Think Burial operating on a slower, divergence-filled soundscape.

It's a flawed yet noteworthy project that whets the appetite for Sandé's sophomore effort.

Daybreaker sounds stripped down, not a step up.

Despite its heavy subject matter, Rispah remains an eminently listenable release; it's proof of that somewhat clichéd adage that pain fuels great art.

The album's blend of country, pop and soul is both classic and classy.

Apple's most ingenious collection of songs to date.

With crisp, concise songwriting, slick production and subverted historical rock references, Oceania is more the addition of a new tower to the alternative palace Corgan helped build than the foundations for something strange and new.

This thing may not have a commercial sound, but it is unequivocally memorable.

This is the closest thing you'll get to an aural Scandinavian spa.

There is more introspection on display than usual, especially in the lyrics, but Hallelujah The Hills have simply grown into the band they always threatened to become.

Whitechapel have reinvigorated themselves without reinventing the sound they became known for and, in the process, produced an appropriate follow-up to their sophomore success.

Whereas 936 introduced us to a wonderland of dub-infused psychedelia, Lucifer features a much wider scope from the duo.

Clockwork Angels sounds as mighty as its concept, with the well-balanced interaction amongst Lee, Lifeson and Peart.

Like that excellent mid-period of Entombed where they embraced raw production and an honest approach in every aspect of their music, Struck by Lightning have it all, minus any songs that worm their way into the listener's head.

While the tracks are still heavily Black Sabbath-influenced, unfiltered doom, they don't live up to the expectations of what Wino-era Saint Vitus should be capable of.

The lack of development and subtlety is a frequent problem for the album.

Manically happy, infectiously danceable and too clever by half, if 1991 does one thing, it proves that Banks's breakout hit, "212," was no fluke.

Triple F Life is good because it's big and stupid.

Ursprung delivers a uniquely modern and experimental album that gently reveals more with each listen.

Dub Egg is an album for guitar heads.

There's No Leaving Now is another sweetly concise collection of ten songs by the eloquent Swede, whose nationality remains brilliantly masked by a Midwestern twang.

Red Night (helmed by UK pop producer Richard X) is a foot-moving triumph of ennui, minor chords and warped FX.

Sadly, despite flashes of brilliance, fourth record Radlands more often finds Mystery Jets operating on autopilot.

Machines That Make Civilization Fun is Bigg Jus's best, most well-rounded solo album so far, but it's still a difficult listen that will likely limit the album's appeal to advanced listeners only.

Oh No's beats run gritty, grainy and hard from start to finish, with tough rhythms and an expansive array of aggressive sonics darting in and out of each cut, adding much expressive flair to the beatsmith's heartbeat-raising, all-business attacks.

The Stoned Immaculate is just Curren$y at a higher grade, if you will.

Each Liars album has kept us guessing and WIXIW is no exception, offering us another glimpse of Liars' infinite supply of uncompromising, yet succesful ideas.

While the sound of this is pretty uniform the quality is all over the place and very dependent on the song being covered.

It's this theme of genuine imperfection that allows Quarantine to come off as an exposed, wounded masterwork.

2:54 have made a debut album that pulls you in, immerses you and haunts you ever so slightly.

Melvins Lite at once bring the noise to more mature ears and reignite the fan fervour that petered out around 1996's Stag.

Live from the Underground is the best Southern rap record since Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot dropped two summers ago.

It's not an entirely off-putting mix, but it's only after a few songs that one starts to get a handle on what Branan's up to.

Although the switch in tempo and style from song to song is abrupt, there's consistency that follows the album through to the end.

Diver completes Lemonade's transformation from jerky, banger makers into wistful, all-encompassing pop sophisticates. That it was done so flawlessly makes it such a triumph on their part.

Harder, better, faster and stronger than their excellent debut, 2009's Post Nothing.

Words and Music further demonstrates this while helping us realize just how lucky we are to still have them around.

Too many bearded men in isolation have sapped such joy from the genre, but Here brings it back in full.

Valtari might not be Sigur Rós's greatest work, but it is an album of subtle beauty and remarkable restraint that deserves to be heard.

I can assure you that you will not stand still while listening to this album.

For listeners that like their electronic music with a pulse (both literally and figuratively), this release will be a rewarding experience.

I Predict a Graceful Expulsion is not the great record some would have you believe it is, but it is a very good one.

Invasive and unknowably vast, Oro:Opus Primum is an excellent listen if you're looking to be blown apart.

If Habits & Contradictions was a reinstatement of gangsta rap, then Control System is a giant leap forward in conscious rap.

This is the band's best yet.

Stephens fronts the group with aplomb, with her Joni Mitchell-esque vocals floating through the album's 11 tracks like smoke from a campfire.

Although Jimmy Edgar isn't the first (or best) to do neo-electro (Chromeo and DāM-FunK come to mind), Majenta shows that he might just be the most believable.

Night and Day [is] another true testament by one of America's last genuine musical anti-heroes.

Cancer For Cure is El-P's most accessible album yet, and with the right push it could be his breakthrough release.

This one is cohesive and feels like a band affair, feels like an album, feels like it has the chemistry Velvet Revolver frustratingly didn't quite have but a certain other band had once upon a time when Slash was in that crew.

This is highly listenable, but equally disturbing.

This is not exciting music; it's a hypnotically paced political screed.

Cosentino's songwriting has definitely strengthened, it's just that instead of sounding like her peers at the Smell, she'd rather sound like her heroes on the AM dial, and that's not a bad thing.

Gallery falls short of living up to what Idle Labor promised, feeling more like a case of the leftovers.

Dig deeper into Heroes and you might find a newfound respect for the aging outlaw.

Bloom leans heavily on that push-and-pull dynamic and the results are hugely effective, affecting and ultimately beautiful.

Ufabulum shows Squarepusher pushing forward some of his leanest, most unfurled compositions to date.

With a more dynamic and drastically enhanced sound, this is how Dopesmoker was meant to be heard.

Not every moment is seamless, but the results are fascinating and, more importantly, enthralling from beginning to end.

Even though their singer will soon be pushing 60, it's clear these guys haven't run out of things to say. Or shout.

Unpatterns straight-up works.

Like your favourite beer, Municipal Waste are reliable and will whet your whistle for thrash, a comparison the band would welcome with arms, or mouths, wide open.

While this record is steeped in mature rhythms, the hype tendencies that make the music ghetto are never sacrificed.

Death Dreams is the perfect example of a "same but better" second outing giving fans more of what they love while presenting something new to consider for those who weren't sucked in the first time around

Arguably Cattle Decapitation's best offering to date, Monolith of Inhumanity is a dynamic record, with many different elements working together to create one cohesive, disgusting and brilliant release.

There's so much going on throughout each of these nine songs that it's hard to take it in all at once, yet whether it's because of time shared or friendship and family connections, the performances are in perfect sync.

The craftsmanship of the album is impeccable, synonymous with the Cologne sound Kompakt has become so well known for.

With Memory, it's apparent that Lazer Sword have toiled over the big picture, leaving little room for twelve-inch singles, all the while crafting an absorbing full-listen.

An original record blending beauty and brutality.

Shows that CFCF aspires to be known as a serious artist, not just an electronic one.

Numbers like "Springs" and "NoWayBack," featuring the "good witch/wicked witch" vocals of Berlin Germany's Butterclock, may show that oOoOO is willing to move forward with his music, just not at the destroy-and-rebuild pace that the average ADD-afflicted hipster has grown to crave.

This Norah Jones is damaged, dangerous and vulnerable, and Burton's mastery of sound helps deepen the relationship between listener and song.

The Pilgrimage is a triumph.

This is outsider music that manages to remain accessible yet endlessly provoking.

The result, while a bit surprising, is entirely satisfying.

The Place I Left Behind is another wholly satisfying album that builds upon past successes and carries the band forward as one of the country's finest roots acts.

Despite a three-year hiatus, Claro Intelecto continues to generate quality, masterful releases.

Orcas provides much to engage fans of both Irisarri and Pioulard, as well as lovers of languid, abstracted pop song craft.

The seemingly strange power that Actress has is to disorient the listener (i.e., the visceral shock accompanying the tonally maximal "Shadow From Tartarus"), though this contrast mostly allows for R.I.P.'s intricate and detailed beauty to thrive just beneath the cracks.

While the layers of oddball narrative that Black brings to the table help distinguish it, aesthetically it's at least five years too late and feels like something aimed squarely at hip, divorced dads.

Put succinctly, awE NaturalE leaves listeners wanting more.

Harmonicraft is filled with catchy hooks and pop melodies, as well as progressive, atmospheric rhythms.

The melodies can blur into one another and some tracks don't stand out, but Rock and Roll Night Club is so ephemeral and addictive that you'll want to be making love in this club regularly.

It's the driving, rock-based tracks like "Recoil" and "Just Dust" that give Life Somewhere Else its energy, as Kilbey matches Cain's chugging-but-ringing guitars with a lust-for-life delivery.

With its hypnotic loops and acoustic percussion, this great downtempo record, at times, calls to mind a looser, dreamier Teebs, with the melodic sense of early Four Tet.

This is a lovely record with enough autumnal tones to ensure that you'll still be listening to it in six months' time.

Shallow Bed is refreshingly free of archaic, "old timey" references; it feels both relevant and familiar.

In many ways, Sweet Heart is the most complete Spiritualized album yet.

Above all, Cynic's New Year sounds incredible; its production quality alone is worth several listens.

In nearly every case, the remix version does justice to the original while taking the track to a completely different place sonically.

The songs are engaging and incredibly catchy, but lack emotion ― that intangible quality that will take this feel-good record and give it staying power.

This is a minimalist masterpiece.

When it starts, the overt prettiness and ornate, layered arrangements are very reminiscent of Owen Pallett, but very soon it veers of in some lovely tangents, although it inevitably comes back to string-laden, experimental pop.

There's little about Dead Set on Living that isn't an improvement on the band's past efforts, from the thunderous guitar tones to the frenetic energy pouring out of every song, courtesy of live-off-the-floor recording.

There's a comfortable vibe that the project ease into, content to deliver serviceable lyrics over straightforward beats and nothing more.

Each song on Ataraxia/Taraxis is diverse, with moments of melodious prog-rock, powerful riffs and hazy ambience; however, there's also cohesion to the EP that makes it feel expansive and utterly epic.

Like many bands with a "core" attached to their sub-genre, Emmure are adept at making every song into an almost continuous, ferocious breakdown and it's a formula that keeps the album's momentum at its peak at all times.

An even stronger effort, one that avoids the sometimes-frantic pace that marred that earlier album a little.

Rhine Gold does feel a bit frontloaded, with the most compelling tracks happening in the first half, losing a little momentum towards the end, but this is still a superb release.

Alex Winston is capable of writing some excellent indie-pop gems, she just hasn't figured out to do it with consistency.

This album strikes an intriguing, if slightly schizophrenic, balance between gently meandering almost-psychedelia and the restless rhythmic activity of recent dance styles.

The lower your expectations, the better it will seem.

Staring At the X is definitely cut from the same cloth as its predecessor, but even more so. Everything has been ramped up, making for an even more satisfying record.

The rawness of the band puts them in a different category than other soul revivalists like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, but the visceral quality of Boys & Girls gives Alabama Shakes an edge.

While listening to Phèdre, one can do nothing but feel helpless in the face of nearly perfect pop experimentalism.

Iradelphic is great stream-of-consciousness art.

De Vermis Mysteriis is a bloody, hard-fought triumph.

Don't call it a full-fledged De La Soul record--call it an enjoyable diversion until the full crew come back proper.

Torture is classic Corpse. No complaints.

Spooky Action At A Distance is a sprawling pop album beaming with the kind of confidence none of us, likely even Pundt, expected. Some surprises are worth waiting six years for.

Seeds strikes the perfect balance, as Madlib's thickly layered funk and soul samples and cabinet rocking beats pair with Muldrow's gloriously off-kilter vocals and free-form song structures to make this her most satisfying release to date.

Both Lights fails to hold together because of its numerous failed lines of attack, which undermine the goodness.

Despite suffering from flatness, the album is an enjoyable enough romp and in its almost naïve purity, it is endearing.

While her debut featured plenty of catchy tunes, Sees the Light captures Goodman in a far more confident mode, showcasing her wit and personality.

This isn't poppier than anything they've done over the past decade or so, but few individual songs stick out like good pop songs should.

The balance between abstract, synthetic noise and soothing, organic timbres is remarkable; it literally feels good to hear, like a conscious meditation.

This album demonstrates that Yukon Blonde can transition and adapt to a change in sound efficiently and damn well.

Sadly, Relapse sounds like an uninspired band ripping off, and attempting to sound like, classic Ministry.

Here, Unsane deliver the goods with efficiency and reliability.

The album brings the dead back to life with the best kind of dark thrash, which is dripping with West coast hardcore aggression.

It has the type of energy that invades, penetrates and carries the listener forward; it's the perfect balance of seduction and strength.

Zeus avoid indulgent jamming, filler material or ill-advised experiments. Just 14 blissful tunes, rich with influences.

Ghosts is the thinking electronic music fan's subtler and more paranoid alternative to Amon Tobin's brick-smashing A/V opus, ISAM.

As a finale, The Wilderness serves as a perfect summation of the project, confirming the Junkies' core musical principles, as well as a sign that they are sure to carry them into the future.

Although their sound has been copied Ad infinitum, with Koloss, Meshuggah prove that they still do it best.

While the rest of Nothing's Gonna Change sometimes falls prey to sheer navel-gazing, overall it displays some clear signs of maturity in someone who remains more determined than ever to carry on his father's legacy.

Like its predecessor, the new disc delivers a nice mixture of lighter fare with heavier songs acting as an anchor, though Happy To You has a distinctly animated glow.

If The OF Tape Vol. 2 proves one thing it's that Odd Future aren't just a product of the Internet hype machine.

The results sound predictably off-the-cuff, and several tracks like "Jaw Dropper" and "I've Got Money On My Mind" sound like little more than microphone level checks. But when Williams decides to say something meaningful, as on "Dirt," "A Good Day To Feel Bad" and the title track, his sage-like delivery is as devastating as ever.

It's apparent that these newcomers certainly have their ears wide open, reimagining everything they rebroadcast.

Their albums just get better and increasingly fun to listen, and Blood for the Master confirms that.

The 14 songs clock in at only 34 minutes, so Killing Time never overstays its welcome, giving you that caffeine-type pick-me-up so few indie pop albums offer these days.

In roughly 26 hypnotic minutes, Eternal Turn of the Wheel creates a swirling vortex of eerie imagery, like dark earth spirits rising and taking possession of musical tech, infiltrating the modern world.

With a sound as good as this, it's clear Xerxes aren't simply riding the wave, but making some of their own.

On Hive Mind, Ital delivers a refreshing approach to instrumental electronics, with equal disinterest for both the club and headphone scenes, pissing off Internet purists in the process.

Like past releases, [4Eva N A Day] breathes a warm, nostalgic haze steeped in Southern soul and the country rap of UGK and Outkast.

The Hyperdub resident dabbles in funk, grime, experimental, R&B and soul, a mélange of styles that effortlessly coexist.

Mixed Emotions is just the painstakingly crafted, mood-driven long-player we've been waiting for from this immensely talented duo.

It's business as usual for the Wedding Present, but in the best possible way.

A modest five-song EP, from its pared-down arrangements to its monochromatic album cover, Silent Hour/Golden Mile is a surprisingly cohesive release that begs for repeat spins.

Airy, vaguely psychedelic and meaningful, Beyond the Times is a gorgeous exhibition from a thoughtful, voracious artist relishing a whole new outlet.

Beaus$Eros yields some positive results while laying the foundation for some interesting future projects.

In a Dim Light turns out to be a frustrating listen; it's an adventurous outing by a band that plainly need to sharpen their craft.

What this trio from Philadelphia, PA are offering, in spite of their rough-hewn hipster image, is nothing new and can be traced back to Barenaked Ladies through Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash and even the Kingston Trio.

New Multitudes shows, just as Mermaid Avenue did in 1998, that Woody Guthrie's work remains a living entity with a limitless capacity to inspire.

It's tempting to label Beard, Wives, Denim as a tossed off side-project that doesn't stray too far from its more famous parent band. But Pond have something more to offer and both fans and detractors of Tame Impala should give this a listen.

Willner is clearly letting his time in Germany shape his sound, which isn't a bad thing and it's nice to see another, mellower side to his work.

The band are more interesting when they expand their sound.

The truth is Trust are masters of delivery and flawless executioners, proving to be much better mechanics than designers.

Open Your Heart's greatest triumph is its ability to hearken back without feeling retro.

The album's ten dirty bass, hydraulically placed rhythms come off like a more focused, implicit version of the Minnesota-born laptopper's previous work.

Cursive have delivered a highly stylized album with a vivid conceptual storyline that keeps old fans listening while giving new listeners a chance to experience the progression the band have experienced over the last decade.

Though the stouter vocals have given the band more confidence for moments of melodic bombast, occasionally they sound out of place.

Straightforward and simple, A Eulogy for the Damned isn't a work of great musical genius, but is refreshing in its bravado and simplicity.

A lack of variation in tempos and tones gives a sense of redundancy, yet the pace of the album, with all of its gosh-darn hooks, carries it through to the end.

A marriage of vocal house, disco and pop, it's an immediately accessible album with several decent dance floor stompers.

The vocal delivery throughout (care of guitarist Woody Weatherman and bassist Mike Dean) is pretty weak, especially compared to Pepper's attention-commanding style, and that, combined with a somewhat jarring mix of fast punk, smothering, Sabbath-ian metal and good-ol'-boy Southern rock, just whets the appetite for the return of Pepper and the big rock.

Reign of Terror builds on the success of Treats without breaking from it, establishing Krauss and Miller as masters of their craft.

With their traditional sound mixing well with some new elements, Utilitarian marks the next chapter in Napalm Death's impressive career.

There's no doubt the songwriting is there--but the LP's best tracks ("All Our Wonder" and Old Haunts") share the lo-fi production that was a boon to the atmospheric beauty of their EP.

Spread over 12 songs, Del Rey becomes so ordinary, even bland, that no amount of little girl vocals or pouting can save her.

This is a release worth snapping up on vinyl when it finally comes out.

As songs pulse and glow bright in the most dynamic of ways, it's almost bittersweet to see Mouse on Mars sounding so comfortable delivering house music, losing a bit of their identity with each passing beat.

The End of That has more outstanding moments than La La Land, but whether those highlights are enough to neutralize Plants and Animals' weakness for occasionally derivative kitsch depends on how much their fans are willing to overlook.

Temple Beautiful is the sound of a mature rock'n'roller continuing to reach for new heights.

Personality comes off as expert techno done in a peculiarly conservative manner, an unadorned but sturdy tugboat floating amongst dubstep's rising tsunami.

To the casual listener, it may sound like a shadow of their greatest work, but fans will find it rewarding.

For a stopgap collaboration, Underrated Silence sits comfortably with some of Schnauss's best work.

The music contains all of the trembling beauty fans have come to expect from Alcest, combined with a sense of vitality and wanderlust.

The record is their most musically ambitious to date, while still maintaining the unrelenting, thrash-influenced Southern heavy metal they do best.

With a fine balance of clean singing between Scabbia and Ferro, atop the technicality of strings and beats, there's something for everyone.

Apart from the uprated production, there's not a great deal to offer to listeners.

Never in recorded history has there been an album of such audible variety, distinctive fidelity and lyrical intensity.

Walker is an exceptional blues artist at a time when there are few left, but on Hellfire, despite its volume, he comes off as frustratingly average.

It's a raucous, vibrant, but well structured musical approach that brings along recognized artists (like current lead singer Corey Glover and local rap legends Mystikal and Mannie Fresh) for the ride.

The profound sadness imbued in Mr. M, something that hasn't necessarily been as apparent on previous Lambchop albums, lends a consistency that produces a satisfying meditative effect.

It's clear that White's bravery in baring his soul has resulted in a quiet masterpiece.

The record still meanders around a bit too much, in the way instrumental music can, not quite sure where it's heading when it should be soaring. When it does soar though, it hits some pretty giddy heights.

Plumb is a rich, complex album, with the songs spilling over into each other.

It's unburdened by obligatory connections to what's come before and as a result, has a renewed amount of energy.

The fact that it's both artistically bugged out and immediately rewarding is just the icing on the cake.

Sinéad O'Connor's eighth full-length album, and her first in five years, is a revelation.

On their new full-length, much-anticipated Epitaph debut On The Impossible Past, they exceed expectations once again.

It's a wide landscape that Tindersticks illuminate with a palette of both vivid and muted colours.

Though not the punchy, great leap forward it could have been, Rose finally proves that she's far more than just a part of her former groups.

Windy & Carl deliver yet another significant and sublime release that's perfect for late night listening.

This record collects the works of Austrian composer Franz Schubert and morphs them into a gloomy meditation on the sure, comforting absurdity of existence.

Their brand of quirky indie pop runs throughout, but the slower numbers are as effective as the upbeat tunes.

Far from essential, Hotel Sessions is a glimpse of a once great songwriter in mid-process.

They're still more than capable of cranking up the guitars and making the kind of caustic, spiky noise that's been their trademark for more than 30 years, especially live.

Reenergizing the band after a lackluster sophomore effort, the move [of switching guitars for synthesizers] has led to an atmospheric, assured and largely compelling record.

Six Cups is a "fun" record, sounding less serious in melody and experimentation than Lindstrøm's previous work, but it was undoubtedly crafted with the intentions of being taken equally seriously

There's enough here to keep fans happy and even win a few more over in the process, but it's another mixed bag from a band that are easier to like than love.

Though a touch disjointed, at times, The Search Engine is a trip.