If you're a fan of the old Blur material, this disc may not be your thing.

Bird seems to have really reached a stride in terms of his overall sound and the result is one of my favorite albums of the year so far.

Adamson isn't above mixing wacca-chika guitars with soaring strings and following it up with haunting instrumentals, and unlike some odd hybrids on former releases, this disc pulls most of it off quite well.

As a debut full-length, the group is definitely doing some excellent stuff, but like any band that gets swept up by the hype machine, you may be disappointed if you expect too much.

Although the album isn't groundbreaking, it does contain several new wrinkles in sound for the group, and most of them work quite well.

It's a melodic, pop album that doesn't pay attention to any typical structures or formulas, and Adam Pierce has pulled off another winner.

A highly entertaining album, and perfect for blasting during hot summer days.

In truth, a couple tracks could have been cut to turn this into an epic single-disc release of huge proportions, but it's still the best work that Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds have done since Murder Ballads.

It's sort of a cross between the epic masterpieces of Perfect From Now On and the shorter, more pop songs of There's Nothing Wrong With Love. Basically, it's another winner from the group.

Would most likely appeal to everyone from fans of Will Oldham and Palace Music to everyone who bought the recent Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and wanted to branch out a bit into some slightly (but still thematically similar) territory.

Interestingly enough, the group manages to pull most of it off, but not without some stops into new-age and downright silly territory.

If you like the group's other work, you'll definitely want to pick this up, even though it may take awhile to grow on you. Just don't expect a revolution.

If their last album seemed like a drastic change to their longtime fans, then Outside Closer will seem like more of a logical succession of sound.

In the end, the nine songs and fifty-five minutes of Sound Of Silver find LCD Soundsystem really hitting a stride. It's no less playful, but at the same time it's more focused and varied. This is one I'm glad I gave a chance.

Street Dad is one of the coolest, most fun releases that I've heard in quite awhile.

Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us lets loose just enough times to keep from sounding a bit too soft and steady.

This is one concept album that doesn't forsake listenability for pure experimentation.

At times, the album gets a little too sappy for its own good, but it's never enough to derail things.

If you already have the original download from last year, there isn't a ton here that's really alluring, although the three bonus tracks are all pretty good in an of themselves. If you haven't yet heard this one, its by all means time to pick it up.

People wishing the group would change up their style a little more might find themselves a bit disappointed, but everyone else should be happy to know that they've again put forth a very solid effort, and one of the best electronic releases yet this year.

It's one of those releases that takes awhile to seep in completely, and while there are a great deal of amazing songs, it doesn't move me quite as much as their last disc.

Downright awesome in places.

One of the most fun live albums I've heard in a long while, this is worth checking out even if Daft Punk's most recent offerings haven't done it for you.

It's definitely ambitious, and probably a little pretentious in places, but it works darn near all the time and is a downright joy in many places.

As with many releases like this, I wish the ride were just a little bit more bumpy just to throw off expectations, but nonetheless Fleet Foxes have put out quite an enjoyable little debut here.

[A] lovely debut album of hushed folk that may be one of the best things in this sort of genre that I've heard in some time.

Probably his most varied release yet.

They take their rough charm and run with it, continuing the giddy momentum they hinted at on [their self-titled] EP.

When they're on, though, they're on, and although this album doesn't quite reach the heights that their earlier At Dawn does, it's still a great disc from a young group who will be making even more noise in the future.

The Flying Club Cup doesn't feel quite as revelatory as the debut from the group. That said, it's still a solid follow-up, and the collaboration with Palette really pays dividends in grandiosity of sound.

An excellent instrumental rock disc with plenty of things thrown in the mix to keep things interesting.

The one-two punch of "Blue Lights" and "Chemical, Chemical" will be making year-end mix CDs like crazy.

An excellent atmospheric rock album.

It's not quite along the same lines as the ultra-drastic change from Start Breaking My Heart to Up In Flames by Manitoba/Caribou, but it's a somewhat similar jump.

Dense and substantive, Return To Cookie Mountain is a nice head-trip to take.

While it's true that the sheer precision of their playing is what makes some songs as great as they are, the organic touches of horns and textural washes of electronics help the group move into ground that hasn't been mined as much.

[Ounsworth's] weird quirks do grow on you, especially because the music backing him is so solid most of the time.

Some people who liked the more experimental side of Tamborello's DNTEL project will simply find it a little too boppy for their liking, but it's one of those little discs that practically drills down into your subconscious.

Some of the more stunning psychedelic rock I've heard in awhile.

Like all pop music that treads so close to the overly-sappy line, the release stumbles only when it moves a little too close to adult contemporary. Fortunately, it only does that a couple of times.

Despite having a lot in common with their first disc, there are some slight variations in sound that make Chutes Too Narrow even better than its predecessor.

There are a few peaks, not much in the way of valleys, and although it's not the best work by Kozelek, it's still pretty damn good.

Loney, Noir is an excellent little album and a great precursor to spring that seems so far away right now.

While there aren't any downright bad tracks on The Magic Position, it does have several places where it seems to lose a bit of focus before honing back in on things again.

At times, lyrics seem a bit too obvious, but its usually at these points that Dear also pushes his songs into more over-the-top mode, making them feel a bit more sarcastic at the same time.

For a debut, it's a remarkabley inventive and interesting release.

Easily the least indulgent of the releases for the group thus far.

One of the most disturbing orchestral albums you'll hear.

The album is almost all hooks, and like most albums of said variety, it's a load of fun but doesn't always stick to your ribs.

Despite all the different guest appearances, Level Live Wires never feels hodge-podge or unsteady.

Although some have dismissed the group as glorified emo, the group has really gone far and beyond such a simple statement.

It's probably not substantial enough that it will stick in my head all year (and possibly not even until the ground thaws), but it is a highly enjoyable pop album from a young group who are riding some hype and getting slapped with backlash at the same time.

One of the better British rock discs that I've heard in awhile.

Highly recommended for fans of The Shins [and] New Pornographers.

As a whole, The Body The Blood The Machine is a bit more inconsistent than Fuckin' A, but at the same time has some of the best songs in the group's discography and some of the better arrangements [as] well.

It feels more like a transitional album than the next level for the group.

The group takes the term "clinical" to new heights, yet this newest effort still sounds more loose than their last effort.

I actually find it kind of funny that the group has managed to land on a large label with this release, because even though it's a bit more polished sounding than anything they've done before, I simply can't imagine anything on "Crimes" playing on anything other than college radio.

One could argue that it sounds like a different group on this release, and technically it is. Still, if you like the last album from Rogue Wave, I can't imagine you going wrong with this one.

If you like instrumental hip-hop and don't mind a few tracks with vocals (most of which are quite well done), Soft Money is worth checking out.

[A] blistering album.

This is nicely-conceived pop music that keeps things concise and interesting.

Despite the inconsistencies, Hello Everything is one of the best things that Jenkinson has done in some time.

Despite some tracks that take immediate hold, it's another album that takes a little bit of simmering to really sink in.

Just the right mixture of sonics.

A highly enjoyable album that doesn't beg to be parsed too deeply.

Your tolerance level for the group will probably mostly have to do with how well you can stand the rather light vocal stylings and the sometimes lighter-electronics programming.

I find Venice quite beautiful and downright stunning in places, yet simply good in others.

A lot different than the release under his own name, Audion is enough to make you sweat a bit whether you use it for dancing or as a soundtrack for *ahem* other activities.

It pays off big time in places while feeling a bit hesitant in others.

It doesn't always work, but there are more than enough explosive moments to pick up the slack.

Sounds sort of like a cross between a more mainstream New Order and Daft Punk.

Cinder isn't an album that wallops you over the head at any points, but wins you over with steady and solid songs.

An atmospheric slab of mostly instrumental keyboard-driven music that basically sounds like a further advanced version of what LaValle has been doing for some time now.

Overall, the album doesn't show quite the range that some of his previous works have done, but if you enjoy Waits, you're definitely not going to go wrong here.

In essence, it still sounds like Fridge, but they've decided to look backwards just as much (and possibly more) than they looked forwards.

In the end Just A Souvenir isn't quite as consistent as it could be, but it offers a nice new direction that will likely have a bit more staying power.

Taken individually, several of the tracks on the disc are the best that Gough has ever done. As a whole, the album just flows a bit inconsistently.

Contains some of their best work, as well as some of their most indulgent.

In concept (and on the accompanying DVD), The Foley Room is a heck of an idea and meticulous in production and sound. Musically, though, the end result isn't the best work from Tobin.

All in all, the album is a good one, but still feels a small step away from being great.

Almost as solid as their last full-length, even as it makes a couple slight departures from their sound.

This is one of the more straightforward and brutal assessments of people and relationships that I've heard in awhile, all set to vaguely dreary music that is pretty impeccable in construction.

Push The Heart is easily the most developed batch of songs from the group, easing through ten assured tracks of soft orchestral pop.

It's not the sort of release that throws a lot of curveballs, but Saturnalia is nonetheless a solid album from two veteran musicians.

Overall, a small step up for the group, but not quite the masterpiece that they might very well be capable of.

The group largely plays around in well-established territory melodically and musically, but it's the small twists and slightly more upbeat tempo that make the release feel more exciting than their past efforts.

If you didn't like Joan Of Arc, this album still might not win you over, but it definitely strays away from the sheer oddness of their last couple releases.

Several of the shorter tracks feel like little more than filler.

There's still plenty to enjoy, but it's by no means a smooth ride.

Probably the biggest complaint could be that the group has tightened up their sound even more on this release, leaving behind even more of the roughshod qualities that made their earlier discs blister with such energy.

Like Belle And Sebastian, one of the main weaknesses of the group is that they're just to darn precious at times for their own good.

As it stands, Black Sea is a solid, if not entirely groundbreaking.

With twelve songs running just about an hour in length, Random Spirit Lover really starts to wear out its welcome during the latter third to quarter. Fans of their past work will definitely find lots to love here, and they will likely gain a few converts, but I still wish they'd focus a bit more.

It's true that if you've listened to a lot of kraut music, you've probably heard a fair amount of work like this, but Reinhardt has put together a lovely little release here that's topped off with some great artwork and design.

This one plays out slowly. There's no real rhythms to speak of, and it's easily one of the more harsh releases (at times) that I've heard from the Kranky label in some time.

After multiple listens, there are certainly a batch of songs that rise like cream to the top, and while the release doesn't have seriously low points, it's not as solid throughout as the best work from the group (especially towards the end).

The quiet/loud, quiet/loud thing has been going on for a long time now, and while Mono has things in common with everyone from Mogwai to the aforementioned groups, they're definitely one of the better bands I've heard doing this in a while.