Comparing to what the band has done in recent years though, Siren Charms is still an unforgivable misstep containing oversights in both songwriting and execution that such a veteran band should be able to spot and correct.

Rivers' lyrics are just as bad as they've always been, the band's sense of pop-song structure is still the backbone of every track, but that doesn't matter when everyone is having fun.

Syro stands as a quiet achievement, an un-fussy, humbling, and excellent release.

With Ritual in Repeat, Tennis have crafted the most affecting record of their short career and purged the emptiness too often lurking behind the facade of similar artists, not to mention their own past work.

Even though 52-minute long Enter! feels very much like one multifaceted composition, it has been awkwardly divided into two parts. The first one is way more engrossing, showcasing the big band's knack for blending numerous potentially dissimilar styles to dazzling effect.

At times The Physical World feels like the real deal, at others a pale imitation of a too-distinct aesthetic.

The very things that inspired Maybeshewill to make music in the first place--social unrest and robust melodies--are both absent on Fair Youth, and there isn’t a whole lot left to take their place.

It’s a bit front-loaded, and not every track will floor you, but it’s definitely the most summative album of Robert Plant’s career.

The fact remains that Songs of Innocence ultimately feels like a crucial upswing in U2’s discography, especially since it comes at such a late stage in their careers.

Adams occasionally steps into a puddle of shallow adult-contemporary tripe that even his incisive personality and increasingly tamed voice cannot save. Those basic imitations of past great Adams tunes are few and far between on Ryan Adams, particularly when weighed against some of his other recent albums.

Confident and complex, it's a standout debut from one of the most promising artists of the last few years.

As a record, Barragan concludes as a frustrating summation of Blonde Redhead’s overwhelming promise and a glaring reminder of the band’s flaws.

Tying everything back to the idea of the album as a showcase for Grande’s newfound maturity, My Everything ends up ringing hollow.

Brill Bruisers is spread everywhere at once, loud and crass and saturated with color and nearly fit to burst. It won’t make very many memories, but it will create a hell of a lot of good times.

Brimming with melody and bustling with energy, The Rentals have made a statement album out of Lost In Alphaville.

Meandering, extremely derivative 2000's metal.

Sparks is an album containing its share of diamonds, but only if you’re willing to sift through the rough in order to find them.

The inconsistencies within Green Language, unfortunately, undermine the potential beauty of the album’s closing few minutes.

You Will Eventually Be Forgotten offers nothing new nor does it pay respectable homage to its influences.

While it sounds as though the band are still working on perfecting their recent power/thrash/prog formula that started being established with The Power Within, everything's beginning to be pieced together quite nicely.

Angels and Devils is a triumph of anguish, needles and monsters and evil in aural form. Be warned.

There's pure pop gold to be found here, but also envelope-pushing alchemy that turns these songs into unforgettable aural expressions of joy.

Get Hurt may go down as The Gaslight Anthem's worst album to date, but that's not much of an assessment: a difficult Gaslight record is still a really good album, and it's commendable to experiment, evolve, or otherwise try something new.

All in all, Sand + Silence is an accomplished blend of rock, indie, and pop.

They Want My Soul chases that sound far past anything Spoon have done to date in their careers. It’s a chase I hope never ends.

Gorgeous melodies are painted across a variety of instrumental backgrounds, forming an ideal blend of his more traditional emotionally-charged ballads and bolder, more unfamiliar pieces.

Gemini, Her Majesty easily manifests as the album you expect and deserve from a group of consummate pros like the Rx Bandits.

As easy as it goes down, The Voyager is a record that rewards repeated listens.