While a product of hard times, Defend Yourself is a joyful listen and welcome addition to the Sebadoh catalog. It will please any fan of the band and also wouldn't be a bad jumping-off point for a new listener.

It's bitingly honest, thoroughly self-reflective and often, uncomfortably relatable. One of the best albums of the year.

If you stack this up against all the Pixies' previous output, it leaves a sour taste. But if you judge it simply on its own merits, it's a not-half-bad set of somewhat generic indie rock.

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

Hesitation Marks is a solid, if typical sampling of NIN's sound presented through traditional means.

Khan's most profound release to date.

Tend No Wounds might not be the best starting point for new listeners (that'd be Dial or Taste the Sin), but it should tide over fanboys until the next full-length.

Whirr's clearly moving to the beat of their own drum, rotating in new vocalists (who, at least, largely tend to sound similar) and opting for more dissonant and graying atmospheres. It feels like a losing compromise, but they're more than merely competent players at it for now-just strap in and make the most of the ride.

I think An Object battles Everything In Between for best No Age album, and while I think Object contains even more interesting musical elements, Everything had more hooks.

This record is so good we don't need to focus on those details. With I Hate Music, Superchunk will once again land near the top of my year-end list.

Dog Party know how to make a kicking, moving, genuine, bona-fide rock tune with just two instruments and two voices.

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

What's tough is that to get to the second half, you really have to drag yourself through some disappointing stuff earlier. If you can make it through, you'll find Zero isn't the disaster everyone thought it would be.

The pacing of Youth is near-flawless. It's a gloomy atmosphere but ambitious nonetheless.

All the hallmarks of Defeater's sound are here.

Some tracks settle better than others but the fact that most tracks don't sound like repetitive iterations of the other surprised me a lot.

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

An album on par with its predecessor but at times, exceeding it. It has everything people love about the band in abundance.

This plays like any other band's greatest hits. Every song is gold.

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.

Overall, Modern Vampires of The City sounds fantastic, but not overproduced.

Not the best Queens of the Stone Age record, but a respectable showing with a few absolute gems.

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

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

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

I can only assume the title Save Rock and Roll is intentionally ironic on their part because even they should know it's quite a stretch to call this rock and roll.

A surprisingly fun album in Sister Faith, in which Coliseum channel their metal past while creating their punk present.

If one doesn't expect the last great Stooges album and sets aside the hype, Ready to Die is actually a pretty good, satisfying proto-punk rock album.