Underneath the blustery sass and cynicism sparkles a tender human being still nursing old wounds.

FSHG continues this wheelhouse effect, drifting from Smile session bounce on opener "Honey Bunny" into the heavy-psych wind tunnel of "Die" and sprawling anchor "Vomit."

After almost eight years, APC couldn't jump back in too soon. Every aspect of this disc is delivered with blinding urgency, from the hook of "C Thru U" to the pseudo-prayer delivered toward the end of "Reflections."

Traveling Wilburys-vibe results in an impressive coherence, and though they inhabit one another's songs expertly, these Monsters' genre-expanding combinations prove equally inspired.

Any rock album that tackles such a wide spectrum without compromising the music deserves respect.

Earl Sweatshirt finally reconciles those influences and the voices inside his own head on sophomore effort I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside.

Badu's brave New Amerykah is a liberated land, a wild embrace of experimentation, and a gleeful if occasionally paranoid freak-fest.

The first disc of the 4-CD trove provides the best comparisons, showcasing the troubadour's most familiar tunes ("This Land Is Your Land," "Pretty Boy Floyd") with vocals and picking that are rich and unblemished.

An album that absolutely cannot be ignored.

It's evident that the band's traditionally simple sound has been augmented with greater influences and a desire to overstuff, miraculously without overkill.

If you haven't heard the plaintive and curiously uplifting songs of longing and loss from this rising phenom, you're missing the emergence of one of the most affecting new talents of the past five years.

Ultimately, it all plays out like a 60-minute calling card that illustrates hip-hop's most liberal producers aren't afraid to keep on keepin' on.

The 22-song epic marries Stevens' personal history to that of the state, as well as knitting spare emotional lyrics with lush orchestral and choral arrangements, upping the ante for singer-songwriters everywhere.

In the years to come, Low will trudge onward across the vast tundra of gross underappreciation, but in retrospect, their canon will likely be seen as one of the most important and influential of our time, so you might want to start paying attention.

Rogue Wave has reinvented itself with soft-edged, yet masculine, music that's far from fluffy.

Sophomore triumph Sound & Color aims higher.

Eschewing categories entirely, let's just call this trippy l'il slice of vinyl a masterwork, combining elements of salsa, house, reggae, hip-hop, and ska into one remarkably cohesive whole.

Let's just hope it doesn't take another near-death experience for their next album to be this good.

The whole much greater than its parts, Dead Cities is creation imbued and then muted again.

Like composers Mike Post (Law & Order), Danny Elfman (The Simpsons), or Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks), Survive axis Dixon and Stein's heterodox hard-wiring ameliorates TV's ambient takeaway.

Toy doesn't dog-Pile its predecessor, and in eschewing a straight-ahead continuation of the same-ol', A Giant Dog continues marking distinctly new territory.

John Lee Hooker meets the Pixies on "Bloodhound Rock" and opening chug "Desperate Love," with the payoff resembling an alternate universe Top 10 from 1962 as informed by musique concrète as by Del Shannon and Phil Spector.

A stellar supporting cast matching his vision, Walker produces one of the year's most exciting releases.

Real Estate already evaded the sophomore slump on 2011's impressive Days, now Atlas furthers the catalog.

Her proper debut full-length follows suit, but honed with more power.

In the Vines is a spare, unhurried blend of raw instrumentation and experimental electronic noisemaking serving as a chronicle of crippling depression and death's imminent domain.

Not only are these titles among David Bowie's best--dystopian "Rebel Rebel" rock, Soul Train albinism, and Berlin trilogy precursor, respectively--their refractions here bolster each case.

The MC locates and provides new polish on the lost sex-positivity found in yesteryear.