Ehrlich and Kakacek are perfectly in tune with each other, evoking ache and yearning on every note. If the record is not as immediately grabbing as Light Upon the Lake, it’s because it’s a slow burn, driven by a deep desire that blooms into a heart-wrenching splendor.

While(1<2) offers a more thorough understanding of the dance music culture than the main stage at Ultra has done over the last six years.

Across the album’s 19 tracks, Meth’s nuanced rapping, the cohesive production, and the guest rappers’ willingness to be team players cohere into an affirmation for Meth’s fans.

When given adequate space, Le1f once again succeeds just being the best and most honest version of himself.

While it still falls short in holding attention from start to finish, Big Black Coat signals a welcome return. Junior Boys created their most uncomplicated album yet, which still holds their signature style, and with it comes a jagged body of music made soft to the touch thanks to Greenspan’s buttery vocals.

All of the themes of Painting With converge to form a portrait of togetherness and encourage a shift of perspective. Panda and Avey preach on “Lying in the Grass” to “Try and approach/ The hidden picture.” Do so, and you’ll find that even in the album’s minimalism, there is plenty to enjoy and find worthwhile.

Lamar delivered untitled unmastered. as if it were a whim, and yet it works as such a powerful statement of the duality of his existence--driven yet humble, fed up yet excited, frustrated yet joyful, casual yet serious.

Beat the Champ is strongest when he follows wrestling’s narratives beyond the ring.

With True Sadness, The Avett Brothers open up to their audience, sharing their dark depths with tenacity and bravado, all while inspiring to see struggles as strength.

Staples’ songs have never been short of heart and warmth, nor has she ever been the type to let much drag her down. But never has she been as deliberate about spreading her positive vibrations to the world as she is here.

PUP is an incredibly self-assured and refreshing debut for a band unwilling to shake the pressures of becoming an adult.

Reznor and Ross held something of themselves back on this EP, and while it doesn’t completely upend the great work that’s here, it does open up speculation about how it could have been even better if it had their full attention.

It’s music designed to be consumed and interacted with in a specific context--not with headphones on the subway, not on a vinyl record in your apartment.

The concept works for Cole, and he does a stellar job diving into the mind of a seasoned criminal, who despite his seemingly impenetrable outer shell, is still human after all. It’s a narrative that allows Cole to retain his reputation as a gifted MC while displaying his own growth and maturity as a human being at the same time.

A double album that cracks Fernow’s process and history apart, rebuilds it Frankenstein-like from the pieces, and lets it live and breathe in the world.

By challenging their listeners and pushing themselves, they manage to sound fresh by refusing to settle. Watching them work through their identity as a band offers a promising take on what an assured statement in the future would look like.

This is the first Hot Chip album that channels the appeal of their live show. There’s no need to go out. They’ll bring the club to you.

This is a record that should please both the Hot Topic kiddie-creep contingent and Manson’s more seasoned and sophisticated fans sonically. Lyrically, it captures a lot of his oddball charm, too.

At this point, she’s like a Starbucks coffee, a consistent product with a reliable buzz. The next cup probably won’t change your life, but it might just get you through the day.

No matter who is in the lineup or what other activity Willis and Warren are up to, Big Business deliver exactly what you ordered time and time again. And that consistency is precisely what makes The Beast You Are such a thrill to listen to and carries with it a small pocket of disappointment.

Much of the sweetness on Feels Like comes from the re-recorded and rearranged tracks from the band’s self-titled 2014 EP.

When all is said and done, this album will be looked at as a turning point for the trio: the moment they went legit.

Nearly every song on Luv Is Rage 2 comes with a distinct enough hook to break up the limited set of things it does and subjects it ponders.

In between Beauty’s innumerable hooks, Tesfaye finds room to be a pop figure with something to say.

Big Ups aren’t always this lyrically profound, but they can make a little go a long way.

Mostly, though, Dark Sky Paradise is an ambitious, tasteful album from a rapper who’s often viewed as neither.

Even without the willful innovation, the record is important evidence to just how strong and poignant his songs are in skeletal form. Wilco is nowhere to be found here, but Together at Last is still a very good Jeff Tweedy record that should hold over fans until his band’s next musical flight of fancy.

That refusal to keep quiet is essential to the makeup of Jambinai, accentuating and amplifying traditional Korean music, turning up the noise, and letting both traditional and modern emotions vent.

While Farrar’s restlessness seems authentic, he sometimes gives the impression of someone who’s lost track of himself, barking truths so obvious that they fall flat when said aloud. Still, Spirit World rewards repeat listens, a dense full-length on which a band with an ever-shifting identity finds a firm foothold, at least for now.

Night Surfer remains that rare record that elucidates how dysfunctional our world has become while somehow leaving us thankful that we get to trudge ahead through the mess.

Given all the resources he has, the album may have been too big to fail, but he’s still maintained enough of his unique talent that it’s unlikely anyone could have done it better.

This album release coincides with the aforementioned documentary, and as the details of Lovato’s rocky recovery continue to unfurl, there’s a bit of concern in the idea that this record is a bit too intrinsically tied to another very public narrative. She tells us, over and over within the album, that this devastating chapter of her life is over and gone. In the aching, tender closer, she sings that she’s in a “good place” in a track of the same name. I desperately want to believe her.

The Gamble may be a record nearly a decade in the making, but by not putting pressure on themselves to make a grand statement, nonkeen have made a memorable work and showcased their strengths.

A.L.L.A flows well from track to track; it’s well sequenced but long at 18 songs and more than an hour.

Bahamas Is Afie demonstrates a powerful agility and musical literacy on Jurvanen’s part, and its powers of seduction lie in how easy he makes it all look.

What the album lacks in singularity, it makes up for with a stronger sense of urgency. It’s louder, it’s heavier, and it’s jammier.

It’s the sound of a band digging deep, sharing the lessons they’ve learned, and channeling their experiences into something bigger than all its members combined. Even if it’s slightly lopsided and occasionally heavy-handed, this album undoubtedly proves that Arcade Fire have a lot of gas in the tank, and they’ll do whatever it takes to… (I’m sorry) keep the car running.

Interpol sound more connected to each other as players and songwriters, the result of making music in closer quarters and in the midst of unfamiliar footing.

Even with its inevitable blemishes, The New Abnormal is easily the freshest, most interesting album that The Strokes have released in more than a decade. While the band haven’t proven to be the single-handed savior that rock music always seems to be searching for, they have made the case for taking a slow-burn approach to collaboration and creativity.

eternal sunshine is a place for her to process and reflect; she might not be fully in her healing era, but she’s picking herself up and preparing for whatever’s next.

Pocketknife is surprisingly diverse, with nearly every song offering a hook or refrain that feels textured, vital, and, perhaps most importantly, of a piece.

While the music of The Julie Ruin may not have as much of the anger and purpose that colored her earlier work, it feels like some of her most personal music yet, a reclamation of herself as a musician.

The current of honesty that runs through Endless Summer Vacation encourages the listener to press play on the record again, and the stories here get even better on a second or third listen. It’s cohesive without feeling repetitive.

Half of Where You Live is a strong follow-up from a producer who’s underrated due to his patience and steadfast refusal to be ostentatious.

An expanded look at this duo's heady, cinematic interplay likely would make for even stronger results.

Is this the best album of Orbital's career? Certainly not. But it is their best album in the past 15 years.

There are a few moments that go on a bit too long toward the end, like “Branches on the Arrow Peak Revelation” and “North Star Ordination”, but overall, Illumination Ritual is the band at its poetic best, riding the quiet night wind to a restful conclusion.

On House of Baasa, Zambri excels at combining the eerie with the fun, and the result is one of the more remarkable debuts of 2012. It's akin to throwing a dance party at an abandoned haunted house.

Dagger Beach is a marked return to Vanderslice’s impressively meticulous tinkering after the hurried live recording of White Wilderness.

While scores of pop punk and emo bands continue to mope halfheartedly over lost love and childish transgressions, Propagandhi's tangible rage has always had eyes for larger, considerably weightier targets, and that combined with their musical prowess works in their favor once again here.

The overlapping layers of symbology on Benoit Pioulard’s latest disc, Hymnal, shroud everything in an Earl Grey mystic fog.

The result is a blend of startling lyrical depth and slow, whirlpools of murky music.

Time Travel has some stellar moments but is not quite the album to make a star of Alessi's Ark. The singer has time on her hands for that to happen, and happen it surely will.

While That's Why God Made The Radio may not be in the same league as SMiLE or Pet Sounds, it's an immensely satisfying and interesting outing.

You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks stays true to its title, not really introducing any new elements to this Seasick Steve's canon, but perfectly satisfying if you're coming in not looking for a revelation in his sound. Expect the expected and this album won't disappoint.

As a result, Blood Drive is an entertaining (if somewhat safe) record--hopefully the first of many now that ASG is in the Relapse stable.

By leaving behind the experimentations and the peculiarities of their former albums, Beirut create an album that's all too easy to hold on to and all too easy to let go of.

The 23-year-old Tesfaye will almost certainly make a bigger, better record soon. For now, Kiss Land works fine as one of the year’s most fearless pop releases.

For the time being, Lost Sirens may not "stay with you 'til Hell freezes over," but long-standing fans are sure to rejoice in this welcome blast from the past.

Clash the Truth is Payseur evolving, the band shifting in a direction that’s probably unlike what they previously imagined themselves moving toward.

Like the eponymous candy, Leaving Eden will draw you back for more of that sweet warmth to melt on your tongue.

On his sophomore LP, Me Moan, Gibson manages to dig even deeper while never lifting a knee from the alters of Hank and Willie.

[A] precise and neatly packaged 12-song collection.

He's a little scatterbrained on Blunderbuss, as if he's still shaking up his past to move forward into the future, and as a result, Jack White represents everything Jack White has already accomplished.

The album doesn't really spark until you fold in a few of the harder tracks.

Often very pretty, just as often very strange, Holter has crafted an album that reflects her unique vision, though it fails to captivate the whole way through.

Mature Themes is definitely bonkers, and it's also the quintessential tapestry of hi-fi genius.

At almost 60 years old, Gordon is still pushing the musical envelope, and that in and of itself is something worth celebrating.

While a sense of nostalgia runs through the record--from archaic instrumental sounds and gramophone crackle to Gibson's own pure vocal distilled through multi-tracking--the sheer craft she brings to blending the old with the new makes listening an altogether rewarding experience.

The saxophone lines and other decidedly non-metal trappings only work because Yakuza (as they prove on this disc) have a hard-beating metal heart.

On Magik Markers’ latest, Surrender to the Fantasy, the rough edges are further sanded down, the songs revealing interest in a diverse set of genre signposts.

There are no concepts, no gimmicks, no frills: just straightforward metal, period.

Total Folklore doesn’t stray far from the scratchy kaleidoscopics established in its first few minutes, but it keeps the madness churning throughout.

There are some real pop gems on here, especially if you're fond of The Cure and their ilk. Maybe it's just me not getting that soupy gloom that seems to be out there for everyone else.

There is no perfect Weird Al album. Each of his records act as a cross section of culture. They become time capsules.

Privateering is a rootsy testament to Knopfler’s rich reservoir of influences.

Tip might be eager for another major hit. But fortunately, most of the album finds him delivering more modest pleasures, which, at least at the moment, work just fine, too.

LUX holds up to close listening and background work alike, providing material for deep thinking just as well as the scene in which a character thinks deeply.

There's a glint of genius in these songs that's best realized if you turn this album up as loud is it can go and think about relationships and stuff. Even if noise/lo-fi/shitgaze is showing its wrinkles, its heart still beats strong here.

The Dusted Sessions leaves you unsure of what you’ve just heard, like seeing a natural wonder for the very first time and feeling like a speck in the vastness of it all.

Lanegan’s personality is present throughout Imitations without defiling the spirit of the originals, the best attribute of any cover.

Everything But the Girl's Tracey Thorn's Tinsel and Lights is just that, and you could do worse than add it to this year's Santa list.

He and Budo's work together are a perfect match throughout the album. The lines are well crafted, and poignant, and the music is thoughtfully composed to match.

Overall, Taylor has tried his hand at electronic music, and succeeded. But are we surprised? No.

The Flip isn't a flawless effort; "Boy + Angel" and a few others lack punch. But updates to tracks like Cheap Trick's "Southern Girls" and Thin Lizzy's "Running Back" shine.

On the whole, Mystical Weapons functions as fluid conversation between musicians who have left everything but the desire to explore by the door.

You may love or hate the record but you won't ignore it.

The studio polishing shows Polizze’s songwriting strengths, and it doesn’t change the fact that he’s writing from an open, spontaneous place.

Wig Out at Jagbags is a reminder that as long as we’ll keep listening and guessing, he’ll just keep playing guitar solos and spitting our analytical words for him right back at us, adorned with a rhyme and stripped of all seriousness.

Daydreams are the landscape of Memoryhouse's world, and they deftly weave not only different atmospheres, but paces.

The short interludes (“Superheros” and “WYHUOM”) break the album’s pace and hold back some of the flow. Overall, though, the combination of Rock and Dawson is undeniably addictive.

Producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Usher, Vampire Weekend) channels the glitchy rave girl esthetic of the like-minded Charli XCX, but ups the scale considerably. Ferreira always manages to stay in front of the wall of sound, though, never getting lost behind it.

Urstan is worth a plunge, even for listeners new to the musical genre.

Throughout, the sounds of warped and rewound tapes take precedence, but the whirring and whinnying only stirs up serenity.

While Lewis can emote with the best of them, a little more nuanced emotion in the music would really let his vocals shine.

With their sophomore release, Wax Idols are carving a place for themselves in the camp of reverb-addled musicians who just won’t settle for normality.

There are moments at which the album relaxes too much, finding itself dangerously near the line of New Age spa music, but these are certainly the minority.

The trio tosses musical Hail Mary's and nails it almost every time, producing a record that's life-affirming in its grandiosity.