This electronic-folk duo, in the likeness of bohemian hedonists, turns meticulous attention-to-detail into bounding creativity--and something unequivocally bookish.

The sparkling solo project of multi-instrumentalist Adam Pierce, Mice Parade specializes in chilled indie arpeggios that swell with craftsmanship. We can now add to that description "crunchy sunshine," in the case of Pierce's third effort What It Means to Be Left-Handed.

A remarkable work overall, Swanlights proves-yet again--that this odd duck has always known true beauty.

Mixed Race brims with well-formed songs played and sung with clear-headed emotion.

Precise dissonance has long been Stern's strong point, and when paired with a super-human stamina she careens through a 10-track album without any sense of relief until it's all over; every note is climatic, every vocal a yelp.

While his newfound symphonic leanings (hello, string section!) are welcome, the real soul of Monogamy is in its theme: Practically every song explores the relatable yo-yo of emotions that accompanies the transition between indiscreet youthfulness and faithful suburban adulthood.

Bradford Cox's jagged, swirling atmospherics reach an apotheosis on this hazy but blissful offering.

Invented finds the foursome loosely hanging on to the punk-emo sound of its early years, and the same melodically catchy, lyrically emotive song craft encapsulates Jimmy Eat World 2.0--even if it's now flavored with the sweetness of bubblegum.

With the stunning Everything in Between, Randall and Spunt's emergent sonic juggernaut, No Age is continuing to build, brick by brick, a bulletproof reputation for thunderous virtuosity-all without leaning on worthless crutches like Auto-Tune, capitalized formula, compromise and other fakery that divides pretenders from those who set fire to the dustbin of musical history.

Don't let the record's unrefined demeanor fool you - Yorn isn't tucked away in a corner feeling sorry for himself like on his previous work.

Public Strain evokes such questions about genre and instrumentation, recalling heavy hitters like late-period Sonic Youth. But, don't take them for imitators. What the men of Women are crafting is all their own--guitars strung over an abyss.

The good thing about an album like this is if one song isn't quite your style, the one following it just might hit the spot. It doesn't say much for consistency, but such is the story when dealing with one David Sitek.

Pairing synths with Springsteen is a formula that's worked well for The Killers' frontman before, but here the Lanois production begins to grate amongst the constant God imagery and every third line being a cliché.

With an intense, brooding sound, Phosphene Dream is the perfect album for those who want to take a trip to the dark side.

Though the songs and tone may be different, there is a distinct, familiar sound that makes this undoubtedly a Black Mountain record-and that's a wonderful thing.

Yet as delectable as the melodies are, Sex with an X seems like it's all been done before--and in fact, we know that it has.

If one thing's for sure, Penny Sparkle represents an audible dosage of Xanax-inspired dance music, and because none of us are getting any younger, it's spot on.

Where Underworld was once a dark foil to what was generally a culture of peace, love and hedonism, in these grim times, Barking is a relatively upper's affair, and something of a techno's-greatest-bits.

Dripping with libido and pristine production, False Priest follows Barnes as he sows his oats from a variety of angles, some of them brand new, and with multiple partners to boot.

Lisbon, solemn overall, plays like a jukebox at closing time, wrung out but ready for a new day. 

Grinderman 2 is a great album by most standards. By Nick Cave's standards, however, the man responsible for Prayers on Fire, No More Shall We Part and even the first Grinderman record, it doesn't quite live up to its promise.

Business Casual is the sound of Chromeo having wholly realized its vision. The only question is where does the duo go from here without becoming a tired party trick? Chromeo just might want to get out while the getting's still good.

Instead of being tired, Drawing Down the Moon feels loaded with nostalgia, like being welcomed home by an old and very heartsick friend.

Dungen's sound is equal parts pastoral and wildly raucous. Skit I Allt digs deeper into these patchworks with an ear of layered precision that would make even J. Dilla proud.

"Trust in Desire"--one of the album's strongest-brings together several stringed instruments, making the song sound like an epic movie soundtrack, and "Sincerity" is an excellent track filled with toe-tapping, fist-pumping beats and sing-along lyrics. Who We Touch is packed with several such numbers, but also loses its way on a few others.

Regardless of the universal, earth-loving edges of this Minneapolis collective's sound (which edges can be trying), what there definitely is in Light Chasers is some supremely beautiful and well-produced music.

It is clear that Prince Rama is a band with aural purpose, and that makes it a welcome swell in an undertow of strangeness in which underground music is presently trapped.

Frontman Tim Booth grapples with emotional instability and alienation, a lyrical content the band has layered over an appropriately modern and very British rock sound. One can't help wishing, however, that the band would have released a proper full-length instead of an admittedly disjointed and ultimately less-than-ideal collection.