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.