The fiery temperament of former releases often gives way to that aforementioned arena-sized pop sensibility, making No Gods sound bigger (and more attractive) than anything this band has written before.

As with everything Van Etten puts out these days, it’s an essential release.

A Christmas Album captures the essence of any early Bright Eyes album whilst putting a new twist on festive favourites.

From front to back, Holy Vacants is a visceral, fist-pumping cornucopia of rage, terror, disappointment and instability.

Universal Themes has the makings to be one the year’s most intriguing collections of songs yet.

The unrelenting force of these songs almost becomes too much, but Waterfall is over before you know it and somehow leaves you begging for more.

The resulting songs sway in and out pleasantly, but are too often as easy on the brain as they are the ears.

While armfuls of musicians can sing songs and sound entirely forced, insincere and phony, Potts is blessed in that every word he sings sounds authentic, honest and direct. In a musical landscape chock full of Auto-Tune and feigned emotion, a disc like this is certainly something to champion.

Although The Greatest Story Never Told almost never saw the light of day, Saigon is an artist that needs to be on every hip-hop head's radar if he isn't already.

Once the initial shock of hearing this Mazes' brand of distorted but highly melodic rock wore off, it gave way to pure delight.

Phantogram have put forth a collection of heady and stimulating songs primed for in-the-dark listening.

[Harmonicraft] finds Torche further indulging their pop muse. The result is a set of songs that retains most of the heaviness we've come to expect at this point, but with even more single-ready ear candy than ever before.

It's punk rock for the same fans who loved Hot Water Music years ago.

Direct Hits is a solid, predictable, and wholly enjoyable look back at the Killers’ tumultuous first 10 years.

While his best songs may yet be scattered about the internet or buried in his friends DJ sets, Guilt Trips works better as a cohesive whole than anything which has come before, yet leaves you clamoring for more.

Aside from that rather flat conclusion, Nightlife is a solid offering from a unique act who possess a sound all their own, who seem unafraid of exploring all aspects of that sound.

Regardless of the reason, Country Sleep is more immediately accessible and rewarding than most of the records from the artists listed above, a stunning surprise debut that will be sitting somewhere in my annual top ten come December.

Songs of Innocence is a great record. Not a perfect one, mind you: for one thing, Danger Mouse, the record’s primary producer, uses a few too many of his tired stock tricks along the way, making the record sound more generic than it would with Brian Eno behind the boards.

Overall, The Vaccines have released a great album in the form of The Vaccines Come Of Age.

Dopamine isn't his best record, and it might be his worst, but for one of the slyest songwriters from the past two decades of pop, "worst" can still be pretty damn great.

While some tracks may feel more like Bay and Ratner, Ross more often than not hits his mark.

Those who soak up the sex-addled, beer-swilling rockstar lifestyle will find plenty of kinship with Most Messed Up, but don’t for a second call it their best work though, it’s far too narrow to be given that glory.

These songs demand attention like they demand volume; they require the space of repeat listens and the privilege of high fidelity audio presentation.

The Wallflowers have always been a band that excelled at bringing new life to things we'd heard before, and that remains true on Glad All Over.

This isn’t an album that’s going to light people up or satisfy those who are still suffering from The Smiths refusal to reunite. However, if you take The Messenger for what it most organically is, a British indie rock album, you won’t be disappointed.

I Don't Dance is a sprawling, thought provoking work from an artist who is just now hitting his stride.

Often misty eyed and always misty, the sophomore album from Blood Orange makes a compelling argument that a stroll on the beach can be as affecting alone as it is alongside a partner.

So even when he's writing winning pop anthems, Page One, ultimately becomes a mirror to his personal life: brilliant, impassioned and articulate, yet undeniably hinged to hiccups, pitfalls and moments of sheer idiocy.

Like its predecessor, Pigeons is also delicate, but it does much more than shimmer and sound pretty. The rhythm section takes a huge step forward, the arrangements are more varied and robust, and there are countless actual hooks.

Combining the huge sound of Of Men & Angels with the youthful honesty of Hello, Good Friend and Do You Feel, Avary has created his best record yet with Life Will Write These Words.

It may not supplant Through Being Cool or Stay What You Are as your favorite Saves The Day album, but you can safely put it in the upper echelon of their discography.

The result is the most actualized version of Fall Out Boy we've ever heard, an undeniable portrait of who Fall Out Boy is today, in 2013

Over and done in less than 45 minutes, Crazy World is a fine album from a band who seems comfortable with their place in the landscape of contemporary music.

True to its name, this record is one of the finest debut pop-punk records of the last five years and easily among the top tier for the genre this year.

There is a lot to like on This Is How The Wind Shifts, as Silverstein accomplishes the tricky balancing act of progressing your craft while retaining that sound that made the band into what it is today.

While overall House of Balloons carries a chilling vibe, it proceeds to rock the listener with exciting tempos and relaxing melodies that intertwine to form a beautiful piece of art.

In the end, Plant sounds more comfortable in this genre than he has on any of his past solo albums.

The different moods and soundscapes take awhile to digest and let sink in, but every trip back to the dim dance floor has your feet leaving the disco with fresh moves and new accolades.

As a full record, Paramore certainly isn't for everyone--but there's certainly something for everyone. If you're not having fun at some point of the album, you're probably not trying.

Produced by Shaun Lopez (Far, Deftones), the sound and shape of each Renacer is clean and spacious.

Bad Books' II is the band finally discovering its sweet spot, as the album's eleven tracks are firing on all cylinders.

As long as they keep making records as good as Drifter, they can stop wandering around, and stay as long as they like.

Come Back As Rain is a pleasant...not a surprise, but reaffirmation...that Good Old War is one of the most talented bands around at this point in time.

While it’s certainly not what anyone thought a new Deerhunter album would sound like three years removed from the world of Halcyon Digest, the band certainly succeeds in their goal of crafting “nocturnal garage, and the album’s high points--namely “Monomania,” “Punk,” “The Missing” and “T.H.M.”--are some of the best songs the group has ever recorded.

Despite lacking value in the originality department, though, This Time Next Year has manufactured an album that listeners will be happy to jump around their living rooms to for a while to come.

Despite being fifteen years in the punk rock scene, My Shame Is True is a showcase of a band continuing to be vibrant and vital, when lesser bands have become stale and irrelevant.

From a technical standpoint, the album does little to challenge, provoke or push the envelope. From a thematic standpoint, there's no cerebral or overarching theme, there's no incendiary political or social statements. At its core, it is a safe, sun-kissed collection of 11 utterly harmless light rock songs about the delights of newfound love.

For a stopgap release that no one expected, assembled from outtakes, B-sides, and covers that all but the most ardent Bruce followers would call inessential, High Hopes is still a remarkably cohesive and consistent record, and serves as a wonderful way to kick off 2014.

These Ohioans escaped the abyss and emerged with the definitive Hit The Lights album, one well worth the three-plus year wait.

A beautifully hazy indie pop record, perfectly suited to hot summer days.

If Move Along got the name in lights, it's Kids in the Street that ensures The All-American Rejects to be burning bright for years to come.

This is an album that will hold up over time, keeping us more than satisfied as we wait for Chvrches to give us something even bigger.

It may not be groundbreaking or shocking, but it’s quite a good record nonetheless.

If you’re looking for something heartwarming in the short term or an album to warm cold nights, give The Bunkhouse Vol 1: Anchor Black Tattoo a go, however here’s hoping that the second volume of The Bunkhouse holds something a little more defined and innovative.

Overall, if you’re going to listen to one seasonal release this year, Los Campesinos! have created an EP which provides that festive hit whilst maintaining exactly what it is that makes them special with their usual work. Another stellar release from one of the most under-rated indie rock bands in the world.

It's a version of All Time Low that not only has zero interest in moving past its pop-punk roots, but is embracing them with more vigor and pride than ever, laying the groundwork for punk bands that imagine a world where "maturing" doesn't mean leaving behind what you grew up loving.

In a genre that seems to be heading downhill in quality and popularity, Norma Jean pump enough blood into it with Wrongdoers to keep it going.

Picture Show may not have as much mainstream appeal as a song like "Animals", but it definitely shows a band honed in on creating enjoyable, addicting tracks that seem fresh without losing the hint of the past this album seems thankfully unable to shake.

His propensity for pushing boundaries is carried over onto an album that devotes more than a third of its runtime to previously released songs. Terje took the remainder of that time and expended it on bold, successful new iterations of his aesthetic.

Even if The Damnwells feels a bit anticlimactic as a big reunion album, even if it isn't quite as good as either One Last Century or No One Listens to the Band Anymore, and even if it could have been improved substantially through the addition of a few more EP songs (particularly "Along the Way," a bittersweet Boyhood parallel that stands as arguably the best song Alex Dezen has ever written), it still largely succeeds on its own terms.

While the record’s bloat does kind of compromise its overall consistency and cohesion, Lost on the River probably still has more of the year’s best songs in one place than almost any other album.

This album is a great start for anyone who leans on the more accessible sides of ambient/indie music.

Lights Out is a more-than-satisfactory entry in the singer's solid discography, and easily one of the best pop albums of the year so far.

Even if this isn't your preferred genre, there is no denying that Life Cycles is one of the most personal and genuine albums of 2012. There's nothing manufactured here.

It has all of the right things going for it to make anyone even slightly interested in metal sit up and take notice.

Overall, Tame Impala have created a steady sophomore album.

Chances are, his best work is still ahead of him, but for now, Tomorrowland is another fascinating statement from one of music's most promising young players.

This could be the record that provides that breakthrough [to mainstream].

The record is a jukebox boiled down to its greatest hits, a playground romp through the back-pages of pop music history, and in this case, the journey is well worth taking.

Happiness Is showcases how much each member of Taking Back Sunday has grown as an individual and a musician.

Rooster Rag is a fun and inspired effort with far too many careless throwaways. The only lasting grace is that despite mountains of adversity, the Little Feat train keeps on rolling.

Teeth Dreams fits squarely in the band’s wheelhouse, generating the same sundrenched feel as their past records while simultaneously cultivating a sound and direction that is new for the band.

Their latest is yet another gem that you could spin for a room full of the most down-on-their-luck sad-sacks and get them all high-fiving.

While he may not hit the mark every time, he hits far more often than his misses. And when he hits, he hits hard, as some of the best songs on this mixtape are among the best rap tracks so far this year.

His latest release with the Black Widows, the pop-tinged, rock-and-roll based The Spade, is a collection of reasons why. It's tough to imagine why any band or artist would pass over a chance to work with Walker after hearing this release.

The only thing I want to do at the end of Vices & Virtues is hear it all over again.

When Future gets into the sweet spot with a trusty producer behind the boards there's nothing stopping him, and Beast Mode only further solidifies that with some of his strongest tracks to date.

The Hunter is another polarizing yet captivating (and incredibly fun) effort from one of the most talented bands in modern metal.

Everything here is well thought out and meticulously executed, it's just that Matsson makes it all seem so effortless.

AM is a tight and focused record that sounds huge and retains Turner’s personality and charm in a way previous releases haven’t always done.

Like most of the record, it's slow to mid-tempo, but pushed forward by quick acoustic strums, and it builds up slowly to a huge rise with the type of sly hook that's all to rare on the set.

All of this makes for an interesting listen, even if the record can tend to drag on a little bit toward the end.

Unbridled youthful vigor may now be but a distant speck in The Futureheads' rearview, but the joy of pop music still rings through in their every note.

Much like his public persona, Kanye West's presence is hard to ignore on Watch the Throne. Every track is, without a doubt, his and his alone.

Though You Get What You Give is not their strongest offering to date, it certainly points to a most promising future. And that in and of itself is probably all the music world really needs.

This record takes everything the band has done in the past and gives it to us in a rather different, yet just as captivating way.

Gossamer. That's the best way to describe the new album by The Watson Twins. Like strings of gossamer and gauze, Talking To You, Talking To Me is a supple, soothing effort that's relaxed, reflective and decidedly old-school.

What this EP shows most effectively is the band’s seemingly innate ability to restrain themselves into a frenzy.

Animals as Leaders have proven that they can rise above the trends that Tosin had a hand in creating, but have not done so perfectly.

It does have sort of a Swiss Army Knife Effect: Use what you want only when you need it.

Plain and simple, Trans-Continental Hustle is a decent album that seems to rest on the band's multi-national roots and Hutz's Balkan growling to accomplish its goal. And while it's certainly an engaging and inspired exercise, the disc grows awfully weary after about a half-dozen songs.

With The White Album, Weezer solidify their place as a more-than-capable modern pop-rock band.

Much like Bad Religion, these veterans of the genre have aged well and with Laugh Now, Laugh Later, have proved they can still be relevant well past their more celebrated years.

The production from song to song remains strong, but many of the tracks tend to blur together on repeated listens.

Freak Out! is an undeniable tour de force in hook-filled songwriting with a sharp spike of punk wit.

For being an easy album to just listen to, Pool is not easy to break down.

Best of 2015? Maybe not, as Cloakroom could do well to add just a bit more variety to their sound. Nonetheless, they’re off to a rather auspicious start, as Further Out refines positive aspects of their debut EP and ups the production value immensely.

Despite the uncommon thread of the vocalists' raspy deliveries on each track, Be The Void never really settles into any sort of discernible pattern.