Fans will be pleased to find Alkaline Trio remembering what it's like to be itself.

The end result may not be enough to convince America it's missing out, but expect this album to bring the already-converted back onboard in droves.

Bareilles' new album was the result of unrest, but as its title suggests, she has positively embraced her dissatisfaction and subsequently grown as an artist.

Children's gospel choirs and Joss Stone make somewhat unnecessary appearances, but musically the project impressively meets its goal of cultural connection.

The set has a fullness and energy-not to mention an arsenal of layered guitars-that give it the kind of muscle we haven't heard from the band in quite some time.

El Pintor succeeds in besting 2010’s Interpol, whose reception was so deflating, it could have killed the band’s career. But against even 2007’s ho-hum Capitol Records excursion Our Love to Admire (let alone Turn On the Bright Lights or even Antics), El Pintor fails to do much more than tread water.

As the band's first disc for Epitaph following a 15-year major-label run, the stripped-down Hurley mostly delivers what you'd expect.

The Toronto-based collective goes all out on its third album, Latin, which features lead members Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh's spacey keyboards and effects supplemented by the powerful live drums and bass of their touring personnel.

We come to "A Wasteland Companion" with certain expectations. Happily, Ward meets them.

It's not high art, and it won't land them on any year-end best-of lists, but it will sell a load of copies, and it's just the thing for your next lousy day.

The band's sixth studio album, Alter the Ending, is a perfectly blended concoction of acoustic melodies, graceful harmonies and powerful anthems wrapped around the story of a man trying desperately to save a failing relationship.

Jollett and company do it one more time, most definitely with feeling.

The Monitor probably could've borrowed more firepower from the ironclad battleship for which it's named, but the album nevertheless meshes old-fashioned themes with a modern twist.

The guitar legend still plays with the energy of a teenager-albeit a highly talented one-just starting out. And when he gets his dander up on such tracks as "Too Soon" and "Let the Door Knob Hit Ya," Guy can still diss like a street gangsta

Rock act We Are Scientists typically has a good sense of what hits, but on its latest album, Barbara, the band begins to figure out what misses.

The duo strays into territories of pop predictability with lines like "The music stops/And the music drops," but jj's sophomore effort is nonetheless charming and imaginative.

The quietly brilliant set translates the dance-rock explosion through the lenses of two guys who have lived the dance scene from the beginning.

Hawthorne Heights' rediscovery of its heavier roots may be what longtime fans have been yearning for, and also what the band needs to recover from past personal struggles.

For something drawn from so many obvious sources, Amoral is refreshingly original.

Her debut album, Just Like You, has no shortage of commanding pop-rock tunes, but Iraheta really shines when her spirited voice breaks through the precise production.

Like a true woman, Ledisi keeps growing as she takes the good with the bad.

The delicately crafted "Coming Home" is Maiden's most effective power ballad ever, while "The Man Who Would Be King" delivers a slice of medieval mayhem. And the jam section during the cut "Isle of Avalon" suggests a metal take on the Grateful Dead. With all that, The Final Frontier boldly goes where few metal bands have gone before.

Nestling welcomed experimentation among familiar tunes, Beam is hedging his bets with Kiss Each Other Clean.

Overall, Believe sinks its tendrils into the listener's brain by riding the dance music phenomenon and offering some whizz-bang production alongside Bieber's sticky-sweet singing voice.

Plenty has been said about how well They Might Be Giants' playful, absurdist rock translates to kids' music-and the band's fourth offspring-focused effort is no exception.

Ambition nods to Ross' cartoon grandiosity in "Miami Nights," where Wale details his collection of luxury goods over a jubilant horn riff. Characteristically, though, the album heads in plenty of other directions as well.

It's a worthwhile reinvention, but a little more noise wouldn't have hurt, either.

Olson is still processing some pain, but there are plenty of bright moments.

Strange Weather, Isn't It? is not life-altering fare, but the album's 40 minutes of club-approved funk-rock signals another noteworthy entry in the band's discography.

Balancing these cheery influences with the melancholy prose is the name of the game. The lively accordion and clanky piano on the song "Shadow People" recall Bob Dylan's 1974 country-folk single "Forever Young," but the cheerfulness seems to contradict Dr. Dog guitarist/vocalist Scott McMicken's strained lyric: "It's the right time for the wrong company."

Consider Eric Clapton's 19th solo album a largely successful bid to be all things to all people, including himself.

The set is full of the Deftones' usual energy and showcases singer Chino Moreno's knack for alternating between screams and sweet vocal delivery over heavy, complex guitar work.

Aside from arrangement updates and catchy synth touches, the Bird & the Bee play it straight as George fetchingly channels Hall's vocal groove.

While "Hellbilly Deluxe 2" certainly captures the Saturday afternoon matinee spirit of his 1998 solo debut, it's also a different kind of creature.

The 11-song set draws from some of the Big Apple's more established rock outfits, but still keeps the DIY feel of the Whigs' previous albums.

The group's poppy guitars and thick, layered vocal harmonies occasionally improve upon some selections of the vastly diverse material.

Even though Crash Love isn't terribly progressive in scope and the band's '80s idolatry might one day run its course, the set is another highlight in a discography that's as consistent as it is expansive.

As a series of off-the-cuff side projects have shown, though, Jones' musical interests are more varied than they might appear, a fact that's demonstrated neatly on ". . . Featuring," which collects more than a dozen of her collaborations with a wide range of other acts, including Willie Nelson, Belle & Sebastian, OutKast and Foo Fighters.

Although Raekwon, Bun B and Birdman all turn in solid guest spots, Freeway remains in control and drops his most memorable lines since his 2003 debut, "Philadelphia Freeway."

With a career clearly on the ascent, Neon lights the way for Young's next move up.

Cali Swag District's surviving members memorialize M-Bone in the artwork of The Kickback, the group's debut full-length, which was originally set for release last year through Capitol before arriving in stores independently through a distribution deal with Sony RED. That dedication is a rare glimmer of gravity on a set filled with buzzy, lightweight odes to whips ("Burn Out [Drive Fast]"), women ("I'm Freaking You") and weed ("I Don't Need Your Money").

The British vocalist was pegged as a Beyoncé-style pop/ R&B diva during an abortive mid-decade Los Angeles stint. But escaping that environment allowed her to develop the genre-straddling, retro-modern mélange of Travelling Like the Light, which was released overseas last July.

Three albums in, Boyle sounds like she's finally arriving.

For this warm set of 11 country-time covers (including a track from his 1986 album, "Eye of the Zombie"), Fogerty turns to his speed-dial list of superstars.

With Closer to the Bone Kristofferson digs deep into his long and troubled past to bring listeners one of his most beautiful moments.

Slash shoots a little too wide for its own good, but the album showcases him as the guitar hero we've always known and as the songwriter we probably haven't appreciated enough.

Cee Lo Green's pre-"Fuck You" presence on the soundtrack to "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" last year seemed to signal an expansion of the series' indie-dominated musical brand. That opening-up continues here with tunes by hipster-rap MC Theophilus London and Green's pal Bruno Mars.

It may take listeners a while to wrap their heads (and ears) around Scratch My Back, but it will undoubtedly polarize an audience that has long awaited something new from Gabriel.

The dozen tracks of effervescent, shimmering, faith-based synth pop blend Young's adenoidal, Warped tour-ready vocals with a decidedly '80s new wave flavor.

As the title of a song on new album "All of You" suggests, Colbie Caillat isn't afraid to sing about a world where we "Think Good Thoughts" - most of which are about her falling in love.

Omarion describes his third solo album, Ollusion, as proof that he's all grown up. But the set comes off more like a bid for street cred than maturation....But when Omarion reaches for the high notes and sticks to nuance on the aching ballad "Speedin'" and the teasing "Sweet Hangover," he shines like a seasoned star.

It took awhile, but the Strokes have ultimately rewarded their fans' enduring patience.

Kurupt's distinct slurred-barking cadence lends itself well to the anthems on "Streetlights," an impressive albeit uneven release.

It took the Black Crowes seven years to release last year's "Warpaint," but now that the Robinson brothers are back in the studio album business, they're making up for lost time.

Until its sequels are released, Green Day's latest should be regarded as a disposable but thoroughly enjoyable return to the band's long-deserted roots. The Cali punks are back, and it's nice to see them.

The new set casts a spell with Stuart Price's signature preternatural touches, Minogue's breathy chirp and the hooky melodies of a varied crew of dance pop-focused songwriters and producers.

The band's current six-member lineup, together five years and responsible for 2007's stunning "Sky Blue Sky," is its strongest to date--and Wilco (The Album) is as well-rounded an effort as the group has released.

From the range of production styles to the bonus disc of live tracks, Swords is a welcome catalog addition

As the album's title suggests, Slug primarily concerns himself here with matters of home and family, but it's hardly a Hallmark affair.

He may still sport the same look, but stylistically his new music proves that he's not a one-trick pony.

Clipse fans are no doubt still listening, but they'll need a more cohesive vision next time around.

The saying goes: If it isn't broken, don't fix it. That seems to be the strategy Jay Sean and his team employed.

It's a bold change of course that gave overseas ears pause when it was first released in July under the group name RPA & the United Nations of Sound.

It's the airtight beats of Danger Mouse and the surreal songwriting of Linkous that make this a fascinating set.

The big guns are firing again on his newest release, Y Not, and to good effect.

Catchy verses and get-your-hands-up chants are layered among '80s synth and keyboard lines on these 10 tracks.

As haunting as Lewis' ballads are, perhaps fewer of them would do her some good.

Lyrically, Louder is rather one-sided, as she often sings about the perils of relationships, over and over, in ways that we've all heard many times at this point. Still, it's a solid effort that shows she has promise as a bona fide pop artist.

The shimmery guitars and thundering rhythms of album closer "What Remains" show that the group does best when sticking to its own math rock genre

Cut Copy thrives when the ingredients are simple: melody, voice and its influences interpreted.

The rapper proves he still knows what it takes to make a solid, well-rounded album.

Every song comes and goes in less than three-and-a-half minutes (and most in a lot less) as the band makes up in ramshackle charm what it lacks in glossy production.

Toby Keith has been writing and playing country music long enough to know every one of its conventions-and how to twist them around.

Long.Live.A$AP may not change the game like "good kid, m.A.A.d city," but A$AP Rocky's absorbing debut is more physical in its pleasure--as in, you'll be knocking your head to some of these songs for months.

Overall, Carey's throwback vibe on Memoirs is refreshing and much welcomed.

He sounds as unflappable as the subject of his first hit.

The casual nature of the sessions-Dylan coughs during "Blowin' in the Wind" and stops "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" to correct a lyric, for instance-only enriches the experience.

While the album is fluid lyrically and musically, it's missing one thing: Monica's spunk and sass.

Phillips sounds natural enough within that [Dave Matthews Band] style, more acolyte than imitator, which makes the album one of the more engaging champion debuts in the show's inconsistent history.

Currington sings that he's "not known for doing a lot," but he's certainly found a way to do something that's undeniably his own.

Among the many Odd Future efforts already circulating on the Internet, BlackenedWhite was a wise choice for an attempted mainstream incursion: It's got enough of the outfit's deranged humor to titillate tourists (see tracks "Gunsounds" and "Deaddeputy"), but softens the edginess with a pronounced pop sensibility.

Delightfully restrained production gives plenty of breathing room for a full, resonant rhythm section, where similar dance rock might give more bandwidth to a hotter, shriller high end.

None of the new spice here is likely to change anyone's mind about who Bad Religion is or what the band does. But you have to admire these guys' determination to keep things tasty.

Heavy Rocks arrives in the marketplace along with Attention Please, a lower-key companion album that showcases the coolly resigned singing of lead guitarist Wata. Surprised? Don't be.

The appealingly schizoid approach isn't unlike that of America's Melvins, whose 1991 song "Boris" provided the band with its name. On the new Heavy Rocks, Boris makes no effort to hem in that sound.

It all sounds sturdy and fits comfortably down the middle, more dependable than daring.

Much of the album is frenetic--full of bodies and larger-than-life. But the muted and downcast moments end up being memorable, tender and affecting.

Blue Neighbourhood features soft-touch synths and booming drum machines worthy of the next Lorde or Taylor Swift record.

She's confident for a new artist, but this promising debut backs up her big words.

Under the cover of midnight, Del Rey has been exploring big ideas about eroticism, drugs, myth, the empty promise of YOLO, what it means to be a woman, and the American soul.

The band hasn't lost its sense of wonder--it's just seeing the world through a more realistic lens.

The missteps are few, but grave: on "Gimme a Chance," she transitions from bouncy rap to full-blown salsa, complete with Spanish singing, while the retro surf-pop of the Ariel Pink-produced "Nude Beach a Go-Go" confounds. And yet, both merely amplify how creatively combative Banks can be--especially when she focuses that energy into her music.

There are times you hope for a little more dumb fun--enter Diplo, who turns up on five tracks with his air horn and Caribbean beats and would be welcome on more--and there's at least one moody ballad too many. But then an aqueous bassline bubbles up and a surge of trance-y pulses sweeps you along to Madonnaland, where introspection and abandon engage in erotic acts of self-actualization.

On new album Moth, the follow-up to 2012’s Something, Polachek and Wimberly seem to relish their good luck, layering hooks and beats with a kooky exuberance that was missing last time out.

Majid Jordan’s best quality is its intimate feel, sounding like each song is the extension of a conversation and is to be heard by a specific set of ears.

Their ­second album sharpens their ­instrumental attack, while singer Jehnny Beth exposes her bloody heart.

Sometimes, the 20-year-old's vision needs to be adjusted, as on the manic French Montana collaboration "FU" and on "Someone Else," which feels like the album's hundredth dramatic breakup song and plays for nearly five minutes. But more often than not, Cyrus' daring attitude guides her to invention.