Evil Friends kicks out the jams, heightens the hits, and rolls it all up in a trippy joint.

A pall of unrest certainly permeates the record, but II feels of a single entity, one cloaked in fog but backlit by strobes.

Although distant from the translucent bedroom recordings of debut I Will Be, the 18-minute EP marks a pivotal moment for Dum Dum Girls, extending far beyond the initial lo-fi confessions of Dee Dee Penny.

Carry Me Back stands as one of the group's strongest efforts to date.

Don’t be shocked that this album is mid-level pop, be surprised that even at 20, Miley can open her scope to encompass country, hip-hop, ballads, and even the electronic impulses of today’s pop.

The music is cleaner and tighter, and the lyrics let listeners in on the joke a little more clearly without sacrificing their methods.

Truly, this is more of an extension than a sequel, with Blige showing once more that she can go from tripped-out, beat-heavy tracks to earnest love songs in a moment, and that "moment" is something she inhabits achingly well.

A truly compelling example of what a real collaborative hip-hop album can be.

Secondhand Rapture blurs the line between throwing up our hands in defeat and throwing them up in joy.

It's [closing song "Ain't The Only One Havin' Fun is] a free-spirited return to the teenage wildness that's entirely off from the varied, conflicted emotions of an otherwise mature Butter. Even on this step away, the true blue guitar riffs and steel-cut hook are the work of a professional pack of southern garage rockers.

The arid sands of the southwest might not be the most fertile, but over the course of eight tracks of expansive noise jams, Destruction Unit find a way to make that ground bear strange but rewarding musical fruit.

While neither Perry nor Prism push any boundaries for pop music, they certainly raise bars.

While we’ll likely see the direction in which Tim Smith wanted to take the band on his forthcoming collection of songs under the moniker Harp, Midlake has made a strong statement with Antiphon, quelling the doubts surrounding Smith’s departure.

There’s this cool embrace of death, maybe even an advocacy of suicide, that underlies The Brothers Lionheart and in No One Dances Quite Like My Brothers, Vår has constructed a kindred document. Try not to get too bummed out.

Originally planned as a mixtape, there’s an unfinished feeling to Trap Lord, which in turn lends a lot of promise to the eventual follow-up.

Truth falls in line with the Kelly-Ke$ha-Katy dance-pop fare du jour.

Runner is worth it. Aesthetically, it's one of the band's most synthetic albums, continuing along a path they started on near the turn of the century.

Imperial Teen have regularly delighted fans with their recorded material's impish tendencies, and Feel the Sound is no exception.

He should be tired after creating an album in a voice so insularly his. That insularity can make tracks blend together some, but Laufman’s genre-collaging and quirky point of view make Id a compelling listen.

While oOoOO doesn’t display the sheer discomfiting power of a Haxan Cloak, the emotive abilities of a Balam Acab, or the rhythmic intensity of an Evian Christ, Without Your Love pulls from all of them and leaves with a solid, worthwhile listen.

Even despite her [Jade Castrinos] standout moments and Ebert’s assurance that Edward Sharpe is now something much bigger than him and a rehab-inspired alter-ego, the whole thing is his show, through and through.

All in all, Hurricane is a worthy collection of music for Jones at this point of her career; we should hope it's the start of a new era for the icon rather than just a one-off release.

Singer John Orth's gentle vibrato is well positioned to channel the nervous, ephemeral innocence of boyhood curiosity.

While the album is again principally focused on Eddie Argos, it's not exactly the same Argos. He has his quieter moments, his darker moments, even a rare, purely happy one. It's not a huge difference, not one that makes this seem like it's somebody else's album, but it's a difference nonetheless.

Heaven, the band's fourth release and first for the Modern Outsider label, is ample proof that the band knows their way around a pop song.

The Octopus Project pushed farther than they ever had on their last record, and in a sense, Fever Forms is a step closer to their comfort zone. That said, the comfort zone for a band like this is a weird, wonderful place.

The Story of Light is business as usual for Vai, a man who fights to avoid repeating himself and always tries to find new territory on an instrument that he has described as being "infinite" in its creative potential.

Their first full length proves to be a commanding venture with unrelenting attitude.

They've crafted a cohesive sophomore effort in a world that doesn't require cohesion, setting them apart from their many, many peers. That's admirable.

All in all, Outside is a solid third album and a return to form of sorts from a band clearly in the midst of a big transition.

Newsted’s triumphant return has been one of the most surprising heavy metal success stories of 2013. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

In addition to being a contender for garage-rock album of the year hook for hook, chord progression for chord progression, there are lots of strong personal touches here.

The Year of Hibernation serves as a whimsical introduction to the magic of Youth Lagoon.

Comprised of seven outtakes from those [Wakin On A Pretty Daze] sessions, this new EP is another solid dose of heartland paranoia courtesy of Vile and his backing band, the Violators.

Like Halo’s previous work, Behind The Green Door coos the listener to listen often and closely, while instilling that sense of intrigue that unexplained mysteries leave you with.

LCD Soundsystem fans will eat this up no matter what, as the group's infectious dance-punk pulls at your most primordial instincts to get drunk and move and shake like no other group can. If you're like me, though, this live studio album will be enough to make you re-think the live concept revolving solely around Mr. Diamond. And that's something worth dancing to.

There's an underrated vulnerability that's been exposed here, which makes for a valuable listen.

Yeah, you could tag Pala as any number of things, but there's no arguing that this is anything but pure, unadulterated fun.

The claustrophobia of recording on a farm in western Australia may have contributed to Beard, Wives Denim‘s concision, whereas Hobo Rocket is a more freewheeling response to modern psychedelia.

This isn't a new band, just a well-honed new direction.

It has flashes of musical and lyrical depth that few can match. The hooks don't quite sink in as far as some of those on past records, and the diversity doesn't quite match either, but the depth of the intelligent, philosophic experience grows after each listen.

The production isn’t totally underwhelming, just streamlined to develop a sense of dream-like haziness.

The replay value requires a couple of things: some sort of ear for harmony, and the utmost confidence that the feeling will remain universal, even when the sounds are not. Golden Age almost never forgets to bring both.

With all elements tuned tight, Forever moves from Holograms‘ playfulness to something more of a spiritual yearning.

Dr. John and Auerbach come together to capture a rich, evocative, almost apocalyptic party on Locked Down, an album that makes you dance while wondering about the state of the world.

Brimming with joyful bombast, Harmonicraft warrants re-listens.

There aren’t quite enough of these ringers to bring The Third Eye Centre to the A-game level of …Barman, but they at least make for a decent compilation album. And, some bands aren’t even capable of that.

Ali backs his vitriol and vigor with '70s R&B soul-style beats and a flow that expresses his emotion without being guttural or angry.

Fans will be pleased to find that the maturation evident between 2008′s critically acclaimed LP, The Midnight Organ Fight, and Mixed Drinks has been retained.

Blunt’s past records steeped that sincerity in reverb or in incomprehensible in-jokes-the beauty was in the blur. This time around, he’s figured out that he doesn’t look too shabby in focus either.

MCHG packs a lot of ideas, and not all of them prove very useful, or even well-articulated, by the end. The pieces congeal, eventually, to form a semblance of one of our most prominent cultural figures. The image just isn’t as defined, as focused, or as powerful, as it once was.

II feels like a collaboration in the purest sense.

Overall, though, the album is crisp and straightforward, making Forever Endeavor a big step toward Sexsmith gaining household-name status.

Thanks to the commercial success of the new class of R&B singers like The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, Otis’ sultry R&B has found a market in 2013.

Though the album is assembled well, and almost anyone will find the playing impressive, it won't please everyone.

Clock Opera's brand of mutilated pop music shimmers as a genuinely profound musical experience. Excuse the awful pun, but their time is most definitely now.

What is undeniably true is that Miller has rediscovered the alt-country voice that earned him his fanbase back in the '90s.

Vol. 3 isn't as intimate as previous installments, instead relying on a metaphorical outward exertion of sweat, blood, and terror; the alt-rock blues numbers are on a long leash with a short time to bask.

Along the way the band delivers a succession of sparkling melodies in wistful yet grounded indie-pop songs that are satisfying enough for you not to want to change stations along the route.

These collaborations [with members of his 20-year-old band, Teenage Fanclub, and Bob Kildea of Belle and Sebastian] coupled with Love's easy commute to record in the neighborhood at his own pace culminated in a welcoming, laid-back, and cohesive album that is the embodiment of springtime.

Just recently reaching their five-year milestone as a band, Dinosaur Bones have solidified their ability to weave talented instrumentalists through the voids of Fox’s lyrical sorrow without falling into the trap of indie pop redundancy.

These songs dance around themselves, swaying with confidence, before getting lost in a grey area between jaunty and confused.

It expands substantially on the tangeted, capricious nature of the record that many complained about to begin with, and ultimately serves as a very compelling companion to The King of Limbs.

Natalie’s embattled relationship tales balance the island vibes, and Elliot’s expressive backdrops frame each without battling for attention.

Releasing a covers album can be career suicide for some, due to the pressures of stripping apart a classic and making it your own, but Party Store is refreshingly not the case.

Despite (or maybe because of) the lack of clutter, this is an album at least on par with any of the Gallants' prior output.

It is another collection of charming, infectious pop songs--a solid addition to the band's expansive catalog, and maybe that's the best we can hope for.

Each song is a lively, clever meditation on layering and adding electric flavor, bit by bit, in both the buildups and comedowns, and the freakier, funkier ideas are what Terje should focus on.

Money and success can be just as good a fable as Romeo and Juliet, and Swift is deft enough to make a point of and poke fun at her fairytale stardom.

Even if this act is Deer Tick 2.0, this is still an album of infectious, ultra-grimy blues-rock tunes from dudes who've mastered the equation and then some.

For now, they’ve delivered a derivative LP that’s also, ultimately, very much theirs.

The end result is more appealing than the retro-heavy work of many of their fellow Brooklynites.

Ssss may not be the album expected by longtime Depeche Mode fans, but for those who still appreciate mid-tempo techno, the vinyl is definitely worthy of coveted crate space.

The instrumentation throughout is flawless, with careful guitar, exacting percussion, and funky violin swirls all blending into that signature Dave Matthews Band sound.

Unshackled, Yoakam casually eschews his established sound for new ones, and although these pop experimentations won't please country music fundamentalists or single-searching radio executives, Yoakam has legitimized himself as an artist.

None of the tracks break four minutes. Yet there are clear moments of self-reflexivity that make the new direction an easy adjustment.

When the grandiosity succeeds, it's pleasing, perhaps even wonderful. But when it fails, which it does every so often (even at moments on the strongest tracks), it just kind of makes you wonder why things couldn't just stay the way they were.

Synthetica is also the latest in a series of Metric albums whose greatness comes in moments, rather than being fully actualized.

While Longtime Companion may suffer from infrequent changes in pace and tone, Smith's archetypal broken heart is articulated kaleidoscopically, and with the authenticity of a grizzled highwayman.

After her third lineup shuffle in as many albums, Wennerstrom has finally found a perfect counterpoint to her own remarkable voice.

The Russian Wilds captures the magic of on-stage jamming.

An Object, as a conceptual aesthetic project, borders on brilliant. Yet the music itself is not immediately captivating.

It is a mature and impressive collection that connects love and fear holistically.

Yeah, he hinted at this sort of consciousness on a couple of recordings in the past, but this is full-fledged social commentary.

Where You Stand reflects a band at peace, but it’s peace achieved through having successfully endured its share of bumps in the road.

For Swedish House Mafia fans, Until Now is exactly what they wanted out of the trio.

It’s always a good reminder that everyone wonders what’s wrong with them, especially when its done so honestly, plainly, and engagingly as this.

Once you’ve finished Kavinsky’s OutRun, you’ll want to buckle up and ride again.

Come for the hype; stay for the delivery. He's earned it.

It is at once as haunting and dreamy as it is harsh and calculating.

So many of the tracks on the disc are strong musically and structurally that it's hard to argue with Sniper's singular vision....But, it'd be nice if, on one out of every few of those tracks, Sniper would find a way out of his monotone.

It's engaging, and, in pulling the best elements from her past two efforts, Spears and her production crew built a purely blissful account of currently-trending tunes.

On the whole, Looping State of Mind is carefully thought out, beautiful in its lofty ambitions, and a refreshing return without any unnecessary sheen and gloss--minimalism that moves.

Marciano has emerged with an album that doesn't so much use long-established sounds as insurance as remind why they're tried-and-true in the first place.

Simply feel inspired, because you can't help but be taken on a journey upon listening.

The effort's as sweet as any candy and just as jarring as inhaling 11 inches of the stuff in one sitting.

For those awaiting more of Hawthorne’s soul revivalism, his new carefree mentality has also had a positive effect on the songwriter’s more straightforward soul affairs.

Free Reign II improves upon its predecessor and offers a welcome glance into the usually opaque process of assembling an album.