There is nary a pair of finer testaments to the purity of the original SP sound than the group's first two albums, both of which have been beautifully remastered and generously expanded [here].

No other LP is more evocative of the raw essence of the Smashing Pumpkins' unique fusions of feels than this ten track collection, by far and away the most collaborative album in their canon.... This deluxe edition of Gish is chock-a-block with quality bonus material.

These songs may not scan perfectly or make much objective sense, but they feel very real and relevant and uncalculated.

Another exquisite solo performance entitled Rio.

[An] excellent record that anyone who wants to hear the graceful way by which hip-hop should age should add to their collections right away.

The combination of the two disparate methods of performance made for quite an extraordinary menagerie of styles that will definitely appeal to hip-hop, art pop and world music fans alike.

What's been created across this baker's dozen tracks is nothing short of a poignant, powerful referendum on the state of modern England that cements CG's place as one of the finest and most resilient indie acts to emerge from the UK.

Gonzalez paints broad strokes on this vast musical landscape, and although a wee long, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming may be his conceptual masterpiece.

It's a happy, bright trance, not necessarily to be avoided. C'mon. Dive in.

Bennett harbors a magic about him that inspires you to become caught up in the beauty of his performance prowess regardless of what artist is playing second banana to him on the microphone.

Count Yer Lucky Stars is sure to be high on the critics' picks again and finally garnering the band the limelight they so richly deserve.

Eno appreciators who maintain a sense of trust in everything he does will definitely want to add this to their collection.

A two-disc set documenting archival demos and an early live recording, The Singing Postman Delivers demonstrates that for the most part, John Prine's musical persona emerged fully formed.

Hazed Dream is the perfect place for you to tune in and turn on.

This scorching set of amplified electro-acoustic spiritualism between the pair and the mighty Mats is an effective snapshot of the potential for what could have been.

Gold Panda seems most interested in the former on his DJ-Kicks mix, keeping the dynamics understated, but the results are consistently interesting, melodic, and effective.

El Camino offers, like they say in Spinal Tap, something none more black, lean mean T-Rex-ish blues party pop (because the melodies are audaciously and apologetically catchy) that spirals nearly out of control yet is reigned in (really?!?) by producer Danger Mouse at his most spare and frame making.

Once just another also ran in a genre destined for obscurity, Jack's Mannequin have moved out of the emo ghetto and settled in nicely into a nice indie rock neighborhood.

Good News is an immediately infectious work.

Perhaps the most tangible set of songs he has produced yet.

Sit back, dig The Cambodian Space Project, and be prepared to be impressed. Very impressed.

With U feels fresh, new and mysterious.

Ersatz G.B. is a lesser Fall album, not as good as Your Future Our Clutter or The Real New Fall LP, and certainly not on a par with earlier landmarks like Slates and Hex Induction Hour.... Even so... there's enough fire and venom here to excuse occasional soft spots.

On Wonder/Wander Koone transcends such dippy, blog-generated catch-phrasing, displaying a sense of genuine dominion within the art of experimental laptop pop.

It's Apocalypse a-go-go for the Georgia gentlemen. Go with them.

Not a weak track on the album.

Hum-worthy ditties that suggest Artificial Heart is definitely the real deal.

Her Space Holiday brings together all the key elements of Bianchi's decade-and-a-half of coloring outside the lines of the pop infrastructure to deliver a swan song appropriately fitting for his underrated one-man-act.

The remastered discs sound great.

Peggy Sue's Acrobats is one of the most scattered, schizophrenic, soul questioning--and beautiful and best records of the year.

With Major/Minor Thrice have stripped away unnecessary studio production, added instrumentation and pretention to offer simply a great rock album.

Since that time in 1991, U2 has had other weighty tracks, sensualist personal soliloquies and dense production - but nothing better than this truly real thing.

There's a tip towards tradition that boasts more than a hint of reverence as well

Swimming in catchy melodies and tantalizing music (along with Wilson's vocal abilities), it may be difficult to select a favorite track within Glowing Mouth--but it's quite easy to enjoy.

Freeclouds balances strummy, acoustic campfire sensitivity with sweeping, anthemic rock a la sometime tour mates in the War on Drugs, tipping both styles into wild, mildly psychotropic territories.

Komba, the band's third album, ups the techno factor from 2008's Black Diamond, pushing Buraka's infectious kuduro-samba-house-rave hybrid into shinier, more modernistic directions.

Gentle introspection--instead of the outright melancholy he often exudes--paired with sway-worthy melodies make Parallax the most listenable Atlas Sound album to date.

It might not qualify as a lost classic, but Social Climbers' sole output does celebrate a band who played what they felt, even if it meant being ostracized by both the sub-underground and the masses.

What he does best is craft heart-string cautionary tales.

I Wake Up Screaming is an absolute delight, a rhythmically exhilarating, lyrically humorous, melodically intoxicating collection of thirteen terrific songs.

Wolfroy Goes to Town haunts you quietly, in a private way that is, somehow, all the more devastating.

The album is not a total departure from previous work, and their admirers will be elated at this crackerjack effort and the opportunity to live music the Strange Boys way once again.

A fine batch of bittersweet pop songs that are nearly impossible to ignore.

Given the complex menagerie of moods and movements interpolated amongst the din of this septet of songs, it seems like the man has indeed accomplished his mission.

There's a dose of the otherworldly in these evocative tracks, but laced, in all but a few cases, with recognizable bits of ordinary life.

Worden does "brave the war" and becomes quite the victor on All Things Will Unwind, the third studio release and a wowing conclusion to the trifecta of work she has produced since 2006.

That's the modesty and humility typically missing in all those acclaimed geniuses. But it's precisely what allows Henry access to the truths that make his songs unforgettable.

Every bit as riveting as the groundbreaking music is the ever-present studio chatter.

All together, this is a very classy compilation, and an essential piece of the global puzzle of 20th century music.

Harding's adept at melding a simple slice of life with irresistible refrains, and that's what allows The Sound of His Own Voice to soar ever so sweetly.

He still has plenty to communicate, his music not losing any creative potency over the years.

Biophilia is a delicate and highly tactile treat, a unique gem of innovation (pipe organs driven by computers, the mallet-tickled gameleste) and gentle real soul whose breathy endearing heights Bjork hasn't touched in a minute.

Co-written and produced by his missus Kathleen Brennan, Waits' songs--Bad as Me included--find their center immediately and stick like a record's skip.

Conspired in their Windy City origins at Andy's grandmother's house, Gauntlet Hair the LP is otherwise a fantastical recording, a complete artistic metamorphosis from the pair's raw-dog early 7-inches for Forest Family and Mexican Summer that finds Andy and Craig refining their edge to reveal the silver lining behind their inherit sonic clutter.

A must-have item for collectors and die-hards, this is also good for casual fans that may not have all the classic songs in their collection.

Only four songs on here but it's a good four songs.

Lovingly named after Rod Serling's cult post-Twilight Zone program and, in all intents and purposes, is just as thrilling.

A tripped-out masterpiece of transcendental space fuzz that pays tribute to the ruins of Italy that goes beyond the headiest moments of Pink Floyd's legendary performance inside of that coliseum in Pompeii.

Blue Songs has impressive diversity and variety.

The operatics of her voice make it the most intriguing instrument on the album but the new exploration of violins and cellos that feminize the massive drum fills make Conatus even more astounding.

Some of his best work, however, comes under the guise of his own name, as is the case with Crow's new album, He Thinks He's People.

At times, Wand does become something of a scavenger hunt for dedicated fans.

Isaak has somehow managed to make the homage almost as enjoyable as the originals. Almost.

An entertaining album that follows no musical rules, a record interconnected by one common denominator--that there happily isn't one.

Clearly not one to mess with, this confident, compelling outing suggests she can hold her own even within the top tier of alt-country's rowdier women.

Not one single note on this record fails to contribute something to the overall mood.

This is an elegant product of hard work and musicianship that shouldn't be dismissed because it is not entirely new material.

The Devil's Walks minimal electronic landscape is mesmerizing and perfect for a quiet, rainy day of contemplation.

This is a case wherein open minds--and some patience--are likely to be rewarded.

Dreams Come True will certainly appeal to anyone who enjoys their new wave artful and avant-garde, both of which are delivered in spades across this exceptional LP that will surely be lost on many Grizzly Bear fans looking for an extension of their sonic safety net.

Mostly it's hard to say what puts Veronica Falls over the top in a genre where so many fall flat. Enthusiasm? Personality? Songs? Probably all of that, as well as the indefinable quality that makes old genres come alive again.

As always, Russell's articulate arrangements embolden the material and give them the grit it deserves.

At any rate, Behind the Parade lobs another handful of Keene klassiks into the katalogue.

Robert Earl Keen is a master storyteller who blends acoustic, nylon and steel guitar with solid percussion and his pure, distinct voice into the finest Americana has to offer.

Phillips' agile vocals sweep over these mostly ragtag arrangements and provide the emphasis and impact that each of these songs demand.

Yet aside from that one cut, Megafaun's self-titled album seamlessly integrates an easy-going tuneful-ness with a nearly mystical devotion to tone and texture.

The last song, a sparse electric guitar ballad, identifies another dualism: it's called "Get It Wrong, Get It Right," and like most of the rest of this unsettled album, it gets it right.

Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down (Nonesuch/Perro Verde) ranks not only among his very best releases, but among the best socio-political albums ever made.

The Whole Love should make long-running Wilco-ites ecstatic since this is the best and most adventurous set of Wilco songs in nearly a decade.

This artistic upgrade from their previous work is further enhanced by a significant expansion of their sonic arsenal, including piano, cello, Mellotron and female backing vocals courtesy of Crystal Stilts/Dum Dum Girls/Vivian Girls drummer Frankie Rose.

While obviously studying their heroes with a fine tooth comb, Big Troubles has done a perfect job of combining past and present guitar pop into one 30 minute stew.

Wildlife has the feel of both a consolidation and an introduction, as the band runs every permutation of the underground guitar rock it loves through the ringer of singer Joe Cardamone's singular vision.

Whatever the fuel, the songsmith has created sterling and a wonderfully adventurous record that is quite possibly his best since 1995's 100% Fun.

Sweetheart of the Sun is something special, easily the second best album of their career.

What Thundercat has created with The Golden Age of Apocalypse is the sonic equivalent to a power-packed issue of Wax Poetics, bringing together several disparate elements of one nation under a groove to build a challenging and soulful playground for his indelible skills on the bass.

If this all sounds sort of strange or back-handed, that can be attributed to the fact that Strange Mercy takes a few listens to grasp, and it makes the repeat visits enticing. And that's a sign of a strong album.

Seasons on Earth is like a wry, forgiving smile set to music, its pleasures veined with melancholy, its ruefulness buoyed by hope.

There are a few missteps here and there, most notably on the plodding "Witches Dream," and drum-heavy "Well of Love," neither of which fit well on this otherwise strong release.

Father, Son, Holy Ghost contains some of the deftest songwriting of 2011, and is more than a worthy successor to the group's debut.

While the kick of recognition of the distinctive styles and contributions of each member is part of the pleasure, the album sounds like the product of a group, of a powerful force of equals. And it's all the better for it.

After 14 years they show no signs of slowing down and you know what you don't want them too because they haven't even come close to sucking. It's a win win for all of us.

This album is a wellspring of the bandmates' combined creativity and an ode to free-spirited artistic expression. Bravo.

Hurricane is her first new album since 1989, and it's her best ever.

True, The High Country doesn't allow for the giddiest of circumstance, but if it doesn't break your heart, it may just steal it instead.

He's a modern master.

There are 13 terrific cuts out of 15, and the album does it's job of demonstrating that the 5 Royales deserve reconsideration.

True to its title, Believers does indeed have the potential to make faithful advocates of all.

By focusing more on originality and the aural progression of this album, Neon Indian is clearly honing their craft and proving that the musical trend they helped to create, won't be going out of style anytime soon.