Any questions as to whether they or their sense of artistry have had too long to coalesce are promptly answered and put completely to rest by album's end, as they prove just as able as ever to build tension to stunning emotional heights and bring it all crashing down in spectacular displays of cathartic release.

Thao & Mirah is everything a collaborative album should be: Two artists use their divergent, but complementary, approaches to push each other out of their comfort zones and into new musical territory.

Some tracks are pretty, some are ominous and haunting, a few are just plain fun, but all the songs on the Hanna OST are quality electronica from one of the genre's foremost acts.

Every ounce of Hot Sauce spectacle comes from so many ridiculous angles, it's a wonder that a single arbitrary reviewer could just throw words about it onto one page.

The gamble was worth it as they have improved as artists and presented an album where you never know what will come next.

Most of the songs clock in at under three minutes, and the Sunsets definitely know how to make the most of the time they've chosen to take.

While Magnetic Man demonstrates their work candidly, you haven't heard the works of Skream, Benga, or Artwork until you've seen them live.

Even though this is the band's most accessible album yet, casual listeners should still beware. Like most Gang Gang albums, it first comes off as overwrought jumble. But with repeat spins, it gradually morphs into its true nature of earworm irresistibility.

Like Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix, Jones' inner soul permeates through his instrument and his voice is unmistakable.

Saadiq's genius spin on this sound is almost too fresh for its own good, occasionally finding itself in an over-indulgent state, but what's good about Stone Rollin' is great, as Saadiq succeeds in creating an album that almost any music listener can get into.

The ultimate beauty of Smother, though, comes from its subtlety as Wild Beasts continue to transcend conventional pop music with yet another great addition to their catalog.

Girls Names have managed to take all that familiarity and bring it to a mysterious place, where seemingly disparate worlds of innocence, pain, dancing, and dreaming are encouraged and inhabited, taken back to the future.

Its mischievous and fun with an undercurrent of sadness--definitely a charming release to add to their catalog.

A record that is both magical and heartbreaking, Past Life Martyred Saints looks to be a beautiful start for Anderson, who has a small handful of live shows set up for the summer.

It's an album containing 10 diverse songs--all performed with near immaculate precision--that reward with repeat visits.

If Mountains deservedly rose to prominence with the critical acclaim of 2009′s Choral, then Air Museum should cement that praise. This album is a serious triumph.

Here, the band focuses on building atmosphere and creating interesting soundscapes rather than high-volume noise. This is rare: quiet Boris.

Cloud Control's lyrics may not be revolutionary, but that isn't the point of Bliss Release. It is a demonstration of truly versatile, fresh talent, a debut full to the brim of completely absorbing, compelling songs.

The Elected's pop sensibilities are in full throttle for 42 minutes of glistening '70s AM bliss that never sacrifice the thoughtful melancholia that has always characterized Sennett's lyrics.

Buzzo will be Buzzo, the Melvins will be the Melvins, and we will all have to either love it or stop caring. But with more consistently impressive performances like this, it'll probably be the former.

Even if Suck it and See didn't shape up to be as fine an album as it proves to be, the quartet behind it deserve major credit for their ensuring that any conversation about them has to do, first and foremost, with their music.

For Jay Reatard's followers, this is a great chance to look back in the past and discover where his music started and, with the benefit of hindsight, see how it evolved. It may not win over any new fans, but the ones who followed Reatard's career should be pleased with Teenage Hate/Fuck Elvis, Here's the Reatards.

Slinky, sultry, sophisticated--the multidimensional Dengue Fever will make love to your inner indie rocker.

The missteps of narrative are easily paved over by the energy, power, and fun of the music. As such, rather than feeling constrained or overwrought, this is a concept album where you can forget the concept for a while and just dive right in.

How long before the next Vek release remains to be seen, but Leisure Seizure will be stuck in your head long after you quit listening.

The Errant Charm is, on the whole, immensely successful – a venture outside of a comfort zone, a triumph for an artist who has consistently put out quality music only to be instantly likened and compared to a list of formidable influences, and an excellent soundtrack to hazy summer days and introspection.

While there's still a sense of DIY sound on Sun and Shade, the focus of the music has a much more communal feel.

By taking a few risks that work and doing what they do best--but doing it better--The Coathangers have given us their best album yet.