These are some of Cube’s hardest and most energetic beats since the ‘90s.

The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us proves that Beach Slang are not a flash in the pan. They’re a genuine part of the heart of punk rock, pumping blood and keeping its spirit alive.

Atomic is a powerful artistic knife to your skull and leaves an impression that's lasting, to say the least. It's an esoteric trip that says a lot, without words.

It's wildly accessible and I think what works the most is you just wouldn't be able to tell what kind of band they really are and what's their definitive sound -- which is a beautiful chaos that works in Turnstile's favor.

Keith Buckley's masterminded so much raw emotion, power and helped provide an experience that's always as vicious as it is captivating. Low Teens is another example of this, encapsulating the best of the eight LPs that came before, and really representing the history of the band--dynamic metalcore at its best.

Young Enough is better than its predecessor in every way, and its predecessor is very good. Every song should be a gigantic sing-along single, each with its own level of catharsis. If more pop songs had Charly Bliss’s sense of craft, pop music would be in a much better place.

This collective continuously defies the status quo and Have You Considered Punk Music is another successful representative of their never-ending quest.

Hang is the product of a very experienced and talented band carefully crafting a set of songs. And they’re damn good.

This record is a super early contender for album of the year for me though. It’s loud, dark, and thundering. Bambara suck you into their world for just under an hour, and as unpleasant as it can be. It’s not one you find yourself ready to leave.

What The World Needs Now builds on This Is PiL in just about every way, taking the band in new directions while remaining rooted in the sound that PiL invented so long ago. For those who thought the band's 2012 return album was a one-shot burst, you're dead wrong, and you're lucky you are.

Painting With will not compare to Animal Collective’s most lauded work but these guys are forever experimentalists. This batch of songs is quicker and sunnier, something older fans are sure to despise. But what a great change of pace it is.

Here, it's a lot more of that soft-loud dynamic, that visceral arrangement on the buildups and honestly, a lot more of Andy's iconic poetry. ... It frees them even more creatively, and I love the growth shown.

This time around, the instrumentation's more exposed and as minimal as they feel on first listen, the arrangement grows by the song.

With a sense of humor and punk tilt, Under Color of Official Right decidedly makes Protomartyr one of the better acts of its kind going on.

It's certainly Clutch's most enjoyable album in a good number of years, and any fan of the group's post-Pure Rock Fury era would do well to give Earth Rocker a spin.

It's not that they're reinventing the wheel but as Guilty of Everything shows, they make beautiful art out of introspective melodies, gutwrenching shoegaze and explosive crescendos.

For any fan, past or present, this is mandatory listening.

At the end, we’re left with something quite different than the beginning. Where we once had two musicians paying tribute to their heroes, we now have two musicians demonstrating showing us how the masters do what they do.

You can tell these are songs that could come straight from the minds of Davey Havok and Jade Puget. I would admit sometimes they kill momentum of the album and one or two tracks do blend in and feel repetitive but the lyrics, messages and overall political edge compensate for these shortcomings.

A cool, sleazy rock record that's unmistakably a group project but also perfectly an Iggy album: sexy, nasty and darkly funny.

Rkives is an excellent time capsule. Here's Rilo Kiley, preserved and earnest and hooky as ever.

Fans who dismissed the band as being on autopilot after Invented was released should give Damage a try; they'll find a band that's focused, relatable and on top of their game.

No Coast is a record that encapsulates their evolution pretty well, as a record that allows space to let the music dig in to your skin, and also, as one to show that there's no need to fear change.

11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory is all about our conviction, belief, the redemption we seek... and ultimately, triumph of the human spirit. Not a bad way to dropkick off the year.

For music fans that like their art on the more confrontational side, 22 minutes of Beneath California on your headphones will be time very well spent.

The album is pretty much a joyride from start to finish, moving through a number of different styles, driven by some of the best damn drumming you’ve ever heard. And everyone involved in writing these songs (yes, including Feldmann) is a talented lyricist who knows how to craft excellent pop songs. So ultimately, it’s a brilliantly fun album if you have the fortitude to look past a lot of very annoying studio effects to listen to what Blink-183 are really saying.

A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings, like all Beach Slang releases, is made for the purpose of inclusivity. James Alex may be forty-two but Beach Slang, in sound and energy, remains ageless.

They’re never going to knock you down with their raw power. But, like the Midwestern cities of southwestern Ohio that birthed them ... you’ll find a lot of beauty if you stick around long enough.

Saves The Day sound lean, concise and reenergized. Pleasant surprise.

The set of tracks cultivated here flows organically and with an emotional tug that draws more than just nostalgia. They're stomping on the terrain again and doing so with a vociferous sound and one that they should be very fucking proud.

Floor is no longer Torche's prologue, and a new narrative where they coexist is forming.

I love the tempo changes across the record and while this joint might not be for all JEW fans, I think most will appreciate a band that still feels like art and less like product, and more so, once that reminds us don't just survive -- get out there, seize the day and live.

Ultimately, by the time the final song rolls around, you can't help but wish this ran a few songs longer, which is indicative of how good the album is.

From the Very Depths is an unexpectedly awesome record that should please most extreme metal fans.

This batch of tunes has got enough of everything The Thermals do best to satisfy their die-hards (who might call it a "return to form") and would even be a good jumping-off point for new fans.

It's tough to get through in terms of lyrics, but musically Waxahatchee deliver yet another piece of art.

On Clone of the Universe, Fu Manchu finds a good balance. They give fans what they crave along with something more unexpected.

It’s fun and enjoyable. It's exciting, even if nothing new is being done.

As usual, YLT evoke a lot of emotion and Stuff Like That There is another luscious, heavy-hearted piece of storytelling, which I'm accustomed to when it comes to their style.

Despite a short list of shortcomings, V is Wavves’ best album since King of the Beach, and continues the strong run of stoner punk that Williams has been on the past five years.

Not only is it a fresh, focused and very hard-hitting record from the kings of NYHC, its a fun trip down memory lane.

Midnight Scorchers is one of the rare LPs that takes the lightning out of the bottle, blasts it around the room, and then puts it back in another bottle.

It’s a gratifying experience structured like a pop album jam-packed with catchy choruses. While it is flawed and contains a few too many niche references, that’s become a part of Weezer’s DNA.

Restarter continues to push the NOS button and races off into the band's new era. Perfect build on the foundation they laid with a few tracks in 2013 as well.

There is a clean, precise vision here resulting in powerful simplicity.

They’re not afraid to step outside the box, and subsequently have crafted what is perhaps their best album yet, better than anyone could have expected of them at this point in career, and better than anything any of their peers have crafted in years.

It's strong all the way through, and it'll make you wish there were more than ten short tracks.

Moving Mountains is built on measures of emotional force and with that emotive drive, it's hard to see this record failing.

Not to say they've been turning out clunkers every two or three years, but there's a renewed energy and focus on Illumination Ritual that lifts it towards the upper echelon of their best works.

With Delusion Moon, Meat Wave have created a batch of punk rock songs both uniquely suspenseful and crawling with creepy energy. It is also one of the year’s most engaging punk rock albums.

The release is energetic, genuine, and not concerned with being “perfect.” Emotion and inflection beats systematic skill every single time and the lighting pace at which these tracks seem to have been laid down only makes them more compelling, more exciting, and more genuine.

L lo and behold, leave it to Harmlessness to rediscover the wit and irascible, emotive charm of the band, which funnily enough nodded back to their older material . The same material that became one of the templates by which I would later gauge all indie records.

This album is like you're setting fire to your soul. And there's no better feeling in the universe. Because it has you feeling awake.

Running at you full-steam ahead, seeing red and gutting you. This album is testament to the trials and tribulations they've endured and more so, how they've risen up.

Overall, their sound's much tighter. Filled with more impact and warm, relatable moments. It's a passionate plea.

Evil Spirits is compact and focused. Instead of trying any new idea they might come across, the band, perhaps refreshed from the rather long period since their last album, has asked themselves, and not the fans, what the Damned are and have crafted a release that acts as much as a return to glory as it does a self-definition for the band.

Overall, Moral Hygiene is a damn solid Ministry album. The band has had many peaks and valleys over the course of a nearly 40 year career, but they’re once again proving that they’re still relevant.

On Outer Heaven, Greys take a major leap. Like, major leap. This will surely alienate some fans that prefer their more straightforward approach, but ambition should be rewarded.

While these tunes might not have quite the caught-in-yer-brain stickiness of “I’m not a loser,” they’re longer lasting. Because the band is speeding so quickly, and rushing out combustible sounds, it takes more deep dives into the album to catch everything.

Abandoned, amid its mid-tempo hardcore aggression, is more introspective and focuses on personal torment and demons. It sinks its teeth into you, very deeply.

Their sound is fully formed, but they could stand to mix it up in song structure and technique, but that’s being picky. One of my favorite releases of the year and highly recommended.

Hints at the past of each band member but comes together quite nicely to give something new, something unexpected but something that has, well, almost everything, for rock fans of many genres.

This record will never have the far-reaching influence that Slaughter of the Soul had (honestly, no extreme metal record probably ever will again,) but that doesn’t make it any less of a headbanging and invisible orange-grasping good time.

When all's said and done, the record dips and swells (see "Fulton Street I") to reflect the oscillations of life and from these tracks here, it's hard to call LD and The Wave nothing short of timeless.

These 11 tracks play on every ounce of rage you've ever known. Be afraid of them all. In the best way possible.

They stand true to their ideals on Stoke Extinguisher.

Fans of melodic rock music with a tinge of punk attitude will find plenty to sing along to here.

Relatives in Descent is a gloomy, menacing album, not for the listener looking for a good time. But from pointing out issues within their home city of Detroit to the disastrous place the world is in, Protomartyr are too smart to ignore the problems in the world. They are watching it burn and giving you their take in elaborate, intricate detail.

Ultimately, the band ends up playing off each and every strength, backed by Oberst doing what he does best.

This isn't a radical leap forward, as with some of the other releases. This is quite clearly a self-definition.

The music might be slightly quieter simply because it isn't amplified, but it's not any gentler than his usual stuff. By contrast, Osborne seems to be going out of his way to make these recordings as combustible as possible.

Every member is in top form here. Ben Weinman has crafted an eventful aural masterpiece.

Minor flaws aside, this new chapter appeases the demand for more epic tunes from a band that has so much to offer.

Somehow, 40 years later, that fundamental sound is still intact. More than that, instead of sounding stale, it feels like a breath of fresh air. In a world of homogenized punk, it’s good to be able to throw on a record like Alphabetland and be reminded of what a rich tapestry punk can be.

Titans of Creation is an enjoyable listen, and is going to be an essential purchase for all self respecting thrashers. It’s definitely another worthy addition to the already impressive Testament catalog.

Sleep Well Beast is a heartfelt confession plucked straight from a middle-aged couple's diary on how good and bad things get, how we feel to leave at these tragic moments, how death touches us from that moment we learn to love, but most of all, it teaches us that love is worth fighting for and work has to be put in. No matter what.

In true late 70s record style, the band seems to be throwing everything in the blender and letting things lock together as they will, as opposed to forcing a mandate. What’s not surprising about this is that it works.

This album definitely cranks out most of their hits, although it's a tall order as their first four records are perfect front to back.

They’re at their most fun singing about whiskey while the brass section forces you to get up and dance. But on All a Man Should Do, they deliver something special--an album that shows our weary travelers making peace with the world and maybe even finding happiness in it.

An endearing work of art from a band that undoubtedly have more magic up their sleeve, as they've consistently shown in the past. And as this album shows, they have a lot of love to share, and for us to feel.

As a time capsule, Live at Goose Lake documents and cements the legacy of the Stooges. No one really questioned this, mind you, but it’s nice to have even more evidence to show that the praises heaped on this band aren’t supported by fandom as much as they are supported by white, hot recorded proof.

Paul Walker is painfully realistic, openly grim and socially unconscious, expressing a worldview that really, only Kindlon seems comfortable expressing in our scene.

A number of the songs on Talon are very personal and show an uncommon, brutally honest vulnerability.

It’s on par with recent great stuff by Testament, Exodus or Death Angel. It’s another excellent addition to the already impressive Overkill discography.

While it’s unlikely to have the same influence as his earlier work in Guided by Voices, this is an album that is likely to get repeated spins on the turntable. It also is a solid reminder, that Tobin Sprout is every bit the songwriter and musician that his former GBV cohort Rob Pollard is.

Metz are at their most creative and their most liberal. II is one of the most in-your-face records you'll hear this year.

Their last effort, Keep You, signified this transition fully after a split with Touche Amore hinted at it years ago, and now, Wait For Love cements the change. Gone are the days of The Lack Long After and Old Pride but in this rebirth, something just as beautiful has emerged.

Dinosaur Jr have been an incredibly consistent outfit since reuniting, and Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not is another solid addition to their catalog. A step up from I Bet on Sky, it’s sure to please all Dino fans.

Alex Edkins' vocals shine like never before with Metz's exposed sound bringing a grainy and emotional feel that the old albums crafted but which Strange Peace maximizes.

The big hooks, crunchy guitars and foot-stomping jams will surely have fans erupting at live shows for these songs, because the album's such a rich, full novel, musically and lyrically which we all can, or will end up, relating to.

This album has a cultural and stylistic appeal that has enormous identity, living up to Alcest's most sublime work.

Here, Rancid don’t redefine themselves, but they show that there is a lot of life in some of their lesser explored aspects. Simply, this is the band’s best record since Rancid 5.

Creation Rebel, especially on their new album, have a foot in both worlds which is why the music doesn’t sound throwback or avant- it sounds timeless. And it’s catchy.

TSSF find its true sound here and it is a pleasant spin of melodic punk.

Transgender Dysphoria Blues is another excellent album for Against Me! and one they should be proud of, especially after all of the obstacles they had to climb to get here.

This album is violent, dark, full of anger and explosiveness--and one you shouldn't miss out on.

Whether it's power-pop jams like the self-titled opener or the trauma of the slow burning, haunting "High Horse," there's a clear picture painted--in fact, it's a whole novel--on the bruises (emotionally and physically) scarring us for life. Marisa Dabice's vocals are once more a delight--powerful, earnest, honest and carrying--which is perfectly complemented by producer Will Yip.

Everything there was to like about Portugal. The Man before is present on Evil Friends and multiplied tenfold.