Nearly every song comes off as unassuming in its rightful place. Each track has a designed role, and for that reason you won’t need to use the skip button.

To put it succinctly, Amy Winehouse has made a really good record.

For a band noted for their precious aesthetics, their secretly aggressive riffs and jabbing zings are the most essential facets to their authenticity.

Although Mice Parade isn't necessarily the group's paramount album, it certainly makes their stock soar high.

Woman King is a brief and yet satisfying taste for what Iron & Wine is all about.

While the best tracks are the most uneasy and strung-out - like when bearing the deranged, astral colors of the Of Montreal kin, “Marry Me” or relishing the fabulous debauchery of the Pixieish devil’s waltz, “My Wicked Wicked Ways” - it can never be denied how honestly happy Lopez sounds on Knitting Needles & Bicycle Bells.

Superbly imaginative for someone still considered a "lad."

Taken as a whole, The Besnard Lakes display a unique style, a winning combination of intriguing songwriting and diverse arrangements.

Kala is only received as a political record if you listen up properly. The music itself no longer asserts itself like a militia; it's too calm and more scattered.

You In Reverse is equal parts subtlety and over self-indulgence, and its problems lie with the latter. More often than not, the stretched out jams seems to take up space rather than move the songs forward.

Although Outside, Closer dwells in cheerless minimalism it is a joy to listen to.

It’s Interpol drinking with the Stratford 4 while doing their best Catherine Wheel impression.

Some may blow off Tongues as too jammy or underdeveloped, but neither is truly the case and, in fact, it's unpolished characteristic is core to it's sound.

While not as fleshed out as some other remarkable debuts, Album is a fully realized personal vision.

While it starts a bit slowly, Aloha’s fourth proper album is filled with signature pieces that are stunningly relentless.

Mentor Tormentor is an inviting listen; it is, among other things, an advanced course in baroque pop and a warm reminder of the thriving music scene in and around their renowned namesake town.

Whereas the last album came across like the more muddled and aimless moments of Fiery Furnaces or Frog Eyes/Wolf Parade songs (all bluster, arrangement - nothing memorable even if expertly played), this record comes across like the more finely tuned pop songs from any of the aforementioned groups.

With hooked beaks and mighty talons, Brightblack Morning Light rip and gut the carcass of psychedelic rock, leaving it exposed and decomposing on the side of the road.

Feels like being caught up in a creative whirlwind; every song at some point grants you the position of the fly on the wall - being privy to a group of people just chilling out, making music and living the good life.

Mainly, Crazy for You manages to reference weed without being lowbrow and her cat without being twee. Sun-drenched guitar licks go woozy and Cosentino's crystal clear vocals lament and wish and hope. You don't have to be West Coast-born to feel the weight of an "I miss you so much" chorus and a slow drum beat.

Kidnapped by Neptune... finds an exponential increase in her reach while still relying on some of her time-tested tricks; the results are wryly melodic and never ever boring.

At a time when Internet buzz can make the latest bands seem like old news, listening to Vivian Girls is still exciting even after many times through; the band do not create something new so much as something now.

Less accessible than its eponymous predecessor, it creates a darker, less cartoonish world where hip-hop, brit-rock, electronica and Dennis Hopper monologues all seem perfectly at home.

A blueprint for where hip hop should be headed.

The good far outweighs the bad on this lack-of-thread-concept-album, and if you are dying to hear a modern day take on the 70’s soft rock band, check out Midlake.

This is deceptively simple, back-to-basics rock music that no honest American can help but enjoy.

Now then, aside from all that, "After the Garden" and "Families" are right up there with "Rockin in the Free World" for displays of board-stomping bravado, which is of course much less the goal here than raising awareness.

It is immediately more slanted than their standard fare - incorporating electronic elements and seething mystery at times - but it still sounds like Teenage Fanclub, which is, on all counts, a thoroughly good thing.

One must realize that this album was created to be fresh but not necessarily edgy. The difference means that the effort is intended to be highly enjoyable but not breakthrough material.

As for the claim that Romanian Names represents the pinnacle of Vanderslice's recorded output to date, the argument certainly holds water. The dozen songs are all inviting, catchy even, in their own way, and aurally consistent with the history of "sloppy hi-fi" production at Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studio.

Wolf, ever so self-aware, makes The Bachelor's most intimate moments its most powerful ones, where the frivolity stops and the artist reverts to his eccentric, idealistic nature.

What is key to this album's effectiveness is how Vampire Weekend's rhythmic momentum enervates the filler, turning another band's less flamboyant 'Campus' into a cymbal-crash-on-every-hit mini-epic, or the nearly irritating 'Blake's Got a New Face' into drunken singalong.

Packed with emotion and feeling, in Eyes At Half Mast Talkdemonic have issued a powerful statement of beauty.

This is it, folks - this is the Go-Betweens album you’ve been waiting since the joyous news of their reunion. Oceans Apart captures the lushness of their earlier works, the separate-yet-complementary songwriting beauty of Forster and McLennan and their ability to paint the doldrums in charming pastels.

Timeless and universal, everyone can identify with Willie Nelson's songs, as sung by Houck, as Phosphorescent's tales of heartbreak, wasted youth, and harsh introspection.

When you boil Real Gone down to its tracks, you’ll keep finding more reasons to love this man – more than anything, you can sense his easy grin.

A grand experiment in vocal manipulation, Son makes Bjork’s Medulla seem like child’s play.

Spoon has again produced a collage of songs that may be proverbial, but are not paint-by-numbers.

Set Free gives 2001’s Know by Heart - critically acclaimed and widely regarded as Amanset’s masterpiece - a serious run for its money.

This is rousing pop distilled down to its molecular structure, executed with confidence.

If you’re looking for music to make heartfelt love or fall asleep to, this here’s your record.

Dents and Shells is human in the best and truest kind of way: it is the work of a man, appreciative of feeling and progress, warts and all.

Furnished with seductive melodies, dry beats, translucent tonality and a variety of bouncing electronic arpeggios, So This Is Goodbye is filled with pure synth-pop oxygen.

With Living Well, Rob Crow has created some of his finest work.

It sounds a whole lot like you’d expect the new Xiu Xiu album to sound.

If you are a long time fan of the Danielson Famile... Ships will not disappoint.

Good Arrows tempers its communal, folky feel with tasteful and restrained use of samples and loops, resulting in an inviting environment that feels soothing and organic.

This is not a complete or coherent narrative of despair, as the two album halves don’t particularly work with one another—it really feels like two EPs sewn together. But the effort is more than evocative enough to scare the hell out of you, at least for a little while.

An album to which listening compares to watching The Break-up or The Last Kiss.

Fab Four Suture is a solid, satisfying listen front to back.

The album has a mood that runs throughout, unfolding from nothing into something extraordinary.

Lost Channels is still comforting, except now instead of misery finding company, Great Lake Swimmers have made an album that reaches down, and pulls you out of the darkness and into the light that was always there.

From start to finish the album is well balanced and well fueled, and while it isn't quite the total package it is certainly a step in the right direction.

Easy Tiger is his most consistent effort since Gold and his without doubt his most assured ever.

Whereas their back catalog centered on decidedly un-rogue waves of distortion, My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go is a collection of quiet, often surreal songs that border on balladry.

Thanks largely in part to founding member/mainstay Robert "3D" Del Naja, there still remains that indefinable, singular aspect to Massive Attack that still carried the group over the hump of 2003's tepid 100th Window and onto the superior Heligoland.

You always know when a Walkmen song comes on your shuffle, and Lisbon does nothing to dispel that. In fact, it adds another solid entry to an increasingly solid catalogue.

The lag spots that usually accompany albums like Pink Graffiti are negated by the surprising fun quality of the rest; a perfect wake-and-bake companion.

Rehab has every right to coast on the momentum of Ghost's hot streak--exploit it, if you will--for an overload of same.

Although the material could certainly stand on its own without all of its dressings, Canopy Glow is a more complete, dynamic experiment because of them.

Spacey, ambient, and vaguely tribal, Alpinisms creates a landscape to get lost in. Despite their differing musical backgrounds, the band has a cohesive sound.

Asking For Flowers is the work of a musician freshly settled in to the rhythm of her creative seas, and from here it is the horizon where her true potential shines.

While Smith & Co. may overuse a keyboard riff or two on In This Light, we shouldn't really let that sully this dark, majestic detour.

In my experience, there have been few albums such as In A Space Outta Sound that I have heard within the realm of electronica, where a musical palette was spread so broadly while still managing to sound like part of the same project.

The band seems powerful at their best moments, but may yet be too tentative to really grab hold of their own work.

It may seem disappointing to those looking for further progress in one of the best American bands of recent times, but in the end it all comes down to the songs, and most of the ones here are little gems, perfect for a summer morning.

Textual descriptions may be difficult to understand without listening through the album's 11 songs, but for someone who has been a faithful listener since their eponymous 1994 debut it is important to know that Beacons Of Ancestorship is surely a keeper.

Still, don't expect the bruising cut (or any herein) to set any tone whatsoever as Thing arguably represents Trans Am's most eclectic offering yet.

The result is like if "Sam's Town" worked, without a sign of embarrassing wordplay, conceptual grandeur, or annoying moustaches. The words are blessedly innocuous, leaving the grandiosity to the sound alone.

While the Raveonettes do little to shake things up on Control, they still have the unique and eerie ability to sugarcoat the most serious of songs with their infectious brand of music.

Although not an album of the year candidate or (unfortunately) likely an even noteworthy nod, Collett nonetheless delivers a fine collection of songs.

While indie purists might resent Bianchi's one-eighty, it shouldn't be regarded as a betrayal, but rather as escapist fun.

Some of the songs even stack up against the band's original catalogue.

It's good to hear our man Aes no longer forgoing pleasure in the pursuit of ambition.

Though it has its strong and weak points, Trouble In Dreams will no doubt receive well-deserved commendation. As a whole, however, it is the result of a grand but imperfect design (which, as we all know, has merit of its own).

Chase This Light's would-be killer singles make for enjoyable listening, but taken as a whole it feels uninspired for a band known for its ambition.

Twelve Angry Months is Lucas' best album in a decade, and arguably his catchiest. Not his most powerful.

Not surprisingly, the lyrics lack any real nuance or trenchant insight, but the fervor of Kravitz's vocal, coupled with hard-charging guitars and battering drums, gives the song a visceral power.

Even with a couple of clunkers, “Adventures in the Underground Journey to The Stars is without question South’s best effort to date simply because it has done more to command the listener’s attention.

This haunting collection of songs is yet another gem in Jagjaguwar's growing canon.

Playtime is Over, Wiley's third album, is full of tunes long on hookcraft considering their thrifty origins.

Show Robyn some love - she deserves better than one-hit-wonder tag she's been saddled with, and she's finally getting it.

Sex Change makes for an interesting listen and most certainly marks a milestone in the band's discography.

If the choice comes down to being obvious or oblique, the band could take a forty-five minute saunter down the road less musically traveled. When they do, I'm hedging that the result will be a masterwork. Until then, releases like A Mad and Faithful Telling will be as engaging as anything that has come before, but will only offer hints at what these colorful characters might do when they finally release the catapult.

Robyn returned this year with two new EPs with an alleged third one on the way and while the construction of each flatters the contents, taken as a whole, they're wildly uneven. The stronger of the two is Body Talk Pt. 1, with three of ten best singles of the 2010.

While the album is based around the repetitive choppy hook and big beat, some quiet building moments of the heavy songs lack a sense of creativity and movement towards a real climactic edge.

The album does have its duds--like 'The Prince of Parties' and 'Boom'--but a cut like 'The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)' makes the album entirely worthwhile.

It appears they’ve decided to mimic the vague Abbey Road allusions Yo La Tengo made in Beat Your Ass by giving the White Album a sideways 'you-da-man' here in So Divided.

Strange Geometry is something special to listen to; it feels like an album to treat yourself to as a reward for lovely deeds.

His best tracks are truly phenomenal, worthy of the talent he’s enlisted and speaking well of his own abilities.

Everything All The Time runs not only on imagination but on determination – the mix of the two is what makes it exceptional.

The good news is that the album is downright delightful. The bad news is that if you've followed Holland since her first release, you're probably not looking for an album that's merely consistent singer/songwriter fare: no, you want the highs and the lows.

This is an album worthy of unpretentious adoration.

A wonderful pop record.

The Believer is a strong and enormous album about sex.

Realism is a significant departure from the bands previous outing, Distortion, which was quite a departure from its predecessor, "i." And although the group continues to change sounds, Merritt's enthralling voice and songwriting dexterity continue to shine.

Neither the songs’ structures nor their lyrics offer rich rewards after close listening and dissection.

Tarnished as it is, Faking The Books is still a treasure. Ignore the ham-fisted political treatises and enjoy it for what it is: a streamlined marvel of IDM song architecture.