Oh, Common Life offers up more layers than any past Fireworks release to dig through, but it does so in a way that can be gratifying at face value as well. It’s a record that gives a little at first, but can continue giving.

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.

[The lyrics] carry a meaning that doesn't stop when the song does.

[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.

Hebrews isn't the return to form listeners may have been expecting from Say Anything; instead it's something entirely better.

Pleasant Living is anything but a happy album, but that doesn’t mean it can’t point us in the direction of better times.

Danny Brown is taking the route everyone wants an artist to take: putting out forward thinking, self-expressing art that is setting the bar rather than merely attempting to reach it.

The songwriting on Pawn Shop is solid and varied, ranging from big road trip anthems like "American Crazy" to swampy groovers like "Dirt Rich." But it's the musicianship that really sets these guys apart.

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

Uncompromising, gritty and intense.

Where When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes was safe at times and perhaps slightly predictable, Southern Air keeps listeners intrigued and invested throughout. This is the best pop-punk album of 2012.

Garden Window shows how a band can be just as destructive without cranking ones volumes up.

The elements of the band complement each other instead of over-powering, thus making Ø (Disambiguation) brutally beautiful and instantly memorable.

What draws me most to Lisbon is the exciting reinventions on the band's own formula.

The title track kicks things off with a familiar formula, with ghostly vocal samples and static noise building into a beat that kicks off, and from there things start to feel a little less familiar than they have in the past.

While State Champs is not necessarily reinventing the idea of what it means to be a pop punk band, they’ve sure as hell perfected it.

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

At the end of the day, Rise of The Lion was the record that Miss May I needed to make in order to continue as a band.02

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.

Trash Talk have stepped up with their new album. While many are still getting turned on by the word of mouth of the band's live outlet of aggressive showmanship, Eyes and Nines also shows that heart shouldn't be lost on the idea of moving forward as an artist.

Nikki-Nack is an outstanding successor to W h o k i l l and the year’s most memorable pop album yet.

There's certainly enough passion in Blue Sky Noise to show the masses where rock and roll and great songwriting can meet in a traditional compromise that everyone can enjoy.

While Four Year Strong will never be the band that wrote Rise Or Die Trying again, they prove on their new self-titled record that they have bigger steps ahead than the ones they left behind.

Mind-blowing and catchy, Black Up is an album too progressive to pass up. Get on this as soon as possible.

The Whole Love is much more encompassing of everything vital in the Wilco catalog, the twangy, the noisy, and yes, a little of the leisurely.

It’s easily his most exhilarating and challenging record to date, keeping you on your toes throughout by juxtaposing subdued verses with huge, soaring choruses.

Transgender Dysphoria Blues has an universal appeal that will resonate with anyone.

2008's critically lauded "Devotion" set the band on a new path, landing them an opening spot for buzz band Grizzly Bear and winning the hearts of hipsters the world over. Teen Dream, however, takes things to a whole new level.