You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine is the kind of “feelings” album that fans of noise-rock or hardcore can listen to without fear of being soft. For the rest of us, it’s an indulgence of our more dramatic emotions.

In the end, both are viscerally charged representations of what A Sufi and a Killer is: sincere and at times, bluntly honest, utterly captivating and exceptionally crafted, it’s a special album that will soon become, very simply, essential.

The great beauty of the record, though, is how repeated listenings peel back once-unheard layers, how Phillips’ voice develops a deeper resonance with each spin, and how the deceptive simplicity of the recording gradually fades to reveal carefully scripted movements and moments.

It's the sort of album which reaches back and forward in equal measure, applying what's known about past songwriting to invigorate the present day.

It's sometimes hard to push past the (at times) seriously sappy lyrics and focus on the music. Fortunately for us though, Eels are the focused ones here and have proven once again their acumen for crafting quirkily moody pop songs that are impossible not to like.

While they undoubtedly keep their snarl and sneer (just look at that album cover), this is the cleanest and most melodic they have ever sounded. While those looking for cohesion may find this frustrating, it certainly makes Under Color of Official Right a dynamic and enthralling crossroad.

Spring Tides is a success partly because it is consistent in sound and structure, but it still manages to slip through a variety subtle mood changes and elicit several emotional reactions from its listeners. Jeniferever should gain some fans with this.

The lyrics are sharper and far more introspective, the music is on a grander scale, working towards an overwhelming amount of brilliance and radiance and each musician plays a vital role to the entire album's fruition.

Often Lange is able to transform songs into something worldly and like the title implies, there is a mysterious glean to it. So while Lange continues to flex his many weapons, the black ice cream he's created continues to flourish.

Starting right where Ambivalence Avenue left off, Wilkinson’s strides on his inspired high with The Apple and the Tooth are again, an exceptional thing to witness.

The Decemberists are stuck in the past while innovating with an eye on the future.

For everyone who thought the conceptual excesses of the previous releases went a bit too far or simply didn’t have the patience to tie together all the musical loose ends, this may be the Of Montreal album they’ve been waiting for.

A demented, twisted, and exuberant journey through a hip musical funhouse.

Its warmth, honesty and intuitive sensitivity capture Stuart Staples firmly back to the dizzy high-quality heights of his cherishable early-career with the Tindersticks.

While their LPs are again, consistently, some of the year’s best albums, it is definitely true that their EPs are no slouches either.

Sleigh Bells' sophomore LP is unlikely to be met with the same peerless adulation as its predecessor, but Reign of Terror still seduces with an uncanny knack for extracting a pioneering spirit out of musty source material.

It’s all dense and heady stuff that takes several immersive listens to assimilate, but once you’ve found the hooks they don’t let go easily.

Suitcase 2 is a necessity for the hardcore Guided by Voices fan.

Ultimately, Precollection probably isn’t the kind of release to greatly expand its influence over the throngs of the unconverted, but it should be more than a welcome advance for those already convinced of Heasley’s obviously remarkable gifts.

West ties in all of the band's strengths for an excellent outlook on what the destiny towards west might feel like and with it, an album of stellar psychedelic rock.

The music is repetitively tight and although not much more than a three-set EP, The Ganzfeld EP is a strong showing.

His vision of the album is similarly relational, and this debut brims with variety and skill, coming off with a complex personality at turns exuberantly earnest, darkly melancholy, and dreamily coy.

Sure, you can kind of tell--except for the finale--they each sing four songs and their styles are unmistakable; however, they result in one tight, unified, startling beast of an album--it’s downright astonishing.

Keeping it loud and with some wry northern humour around the edges, Autobahn’s second album is a tour de force of resonant, power-driven, electronic alt. rock played as it should be.

With eleven songs, the album flows serenely well and sounds like a two part voyage; the second half much weightier, the first half perhaps more buoyant.

It’s pretty hard to turn down, just as his collection of self-referencing, string heavy ballads "You‘re So Silent Jens" was.

This truly is a beautiful collection.

The music on Something for All of Us… is focused, melodic and utterly impressive. Not only does it sound terrific but it sounds like it was a complete pleasure to make.

Perhaps the best thing about Up To Anything is that The Goon Sax seem so fully formed already whilst remaining open to the durable possibilities of longevity. One of this year’s most promising and addictive debut albums all told.

The diversity of the mixes on The Grey Album also is a testament to how carefully Danger Mouse has cut and pasted together his unauthorized sonic pastiche.

Shine a Light doesn’t defy genres; it defies poseurs. It isn’t fashionable; it’s a staple.

Lungs showcases Florence's dramatic voice as an instrument that the other instruments follow, from the urgent, rhythmic drums on "Drumming Song" to the fluid harp runs on "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)."

The importance of telling the tale far exceeds the risk for Moddi and so he should be praised for bringing these songs and their stories back into mainstream attention across a captivating musical and historical record.

Through its eleven songs Komba is exactly what we all need from time to time: a hopeful rejoicing in life itself.

There may be a lack of deliberation or direction in this record, but Big Echo is nothing short of a triumph for The Morning Benders and will be remembered by many as one of 2010’s most ambitious records.

Focusing on the music and what's happening within and around it – enables Hive Mind to deliver a truly excellent aural experience.

Lost in most of the noise and clutter was Jenn Wasner’s fantastic voice and Andy Stack’s ability as a “wall of sound” creator. On their new album, The Knot, these skills are not only refined but they showcase a wider, more advanced decadence and a band that sounds that much better, because of it.

Fans of previous M83 albums should still enjoy Saturdays as it doesn't veer too far from the template established on the past few albums.

See You in Magic's tracks are so consistently good that determining the album's best poses a challenge.

The album finds the Vancouver collective making only subtle yet effective changes to the way it does business while the songs remain as sturdy and taut as ever; it's one of the most reliable releases you're likely to encounter this year.

Together, the imagery and music provide a nostalgic, innocent atmosphere, and an album worthy of a listen.

I cannot overstate enough the cross genre appeal that is contained within Sentenced to Life. There is literally enough here for everyone; while it lacks a black metal vibe I feel it would still be relevant enough for those that jam out with corpse paint.

The band's most “accessible” album to date.

He's been able to continue on his path without compromising his talents or ability and with Underneath the Pine, this is now two outstanding albums in the span of just as many years.

Appropriately for an album called The Gathering, the esthetic Arbouretum achieves feels somewhat monolithic--overarching and whole instead of neurotic and splintered--and in this manner should provide healing properties for a psyche battered around by all the little specifics of daily life.

Before Today is another fun Ariel Pink pop/rock record, more solidly constructed than any of his past efforts. Even more importantly, it’s also more joyously musical than most full-lengths that have been coming out in recent years, aware not of self and scene but only of the fact that music is fun and feels good.

Mudhoney is a new band lyrically and emotionally.

Whilst some hooks aren’t quite high enough in the mix and the gauziness is almost as thickly-spread as on its immediate predecessor, De Facto pushes Lorelle Meets The Obsolete’s world into subtly groovier and wider-screen realms with admirable ambition. It captures a band reaching out whilst remaining true to its belief systems, with very convincing results.

She & Him is the product of folk troubadour M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel and the results are a beautiful product.

It's messy and it's fun. Sometimes pop music isn't meant to be cleaned up and polished to death, and here is proof of that.

Gratifyingly, despite Four Stones ostensibly being an oddments compendium, it hangs together with remarkable cohesion. In fact, its five wordless pieces segue into one another as if they’d always belonged in one place.

Arguably [Cave's] most convincing collection of boisterousness and drama since 1994’s Let Love In.

Admittedly, this two-headed beast, however benevolent, isn’t a flawless creation. There’s the inevitable White Album-style filler to bulk up the tracklist. [combined review of both discs]

Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under is, simply, a lot of fun. Some of that fun might most appeal to the countries it's directed at, but those feeling no particular kinship to Australia or New Zealand will still find Amanda's quirkiness endearing.

It almost seems like the Flaming Lips has regressed a little, structurally and rhythmically speaking.

Whilst ultimately Possible Dust Clouds may fall short of being another truly seminal Kristin Hersh long-player--which will always be hard given the stiff self-competition of her own bounteous back catalogue--the renewed sense of dynamism, diversity and drive within confirms that there is still plenty of propulsive creative fuel left in the tank.

Collectively the nine songs that make up False Beats And True Hearts don't stray demonstratively from the path that Damon & Naomi have followed near-religiously since being coaxed into cutting More Sad Hits, but its subtly refreshed vocal shifts, balmy inviting arrangements, blur of rural-meets-urban asthetics and a clutch of mesmeric moments make it a record that could one day be considered as a true keeper in the couple's discography.

While a few songs are leftovers from Angles and some were churned out “like the good old days” as they put it, Comedown Machine is a terrific release to The Strokes first five albums.

Thomas doesn’t need to be so shy anymore; with a solid debut and complimentary bandmates, he’s comfortably found his outlet.

If diversity is key, this album certainly has it in abundant strength and as more is revealed, the range of the band takes over.

An entrancing, accomplished, and often uplifting record that will be heralded by the time the semi-tropics of a British summer arrive. A triumphant return.

Soul Journey takes off in more than one new direction.

This is some of the most mature and eloquent music I've heard in quite a while.

The album sways and moves in ways we haven't seen since 1998′s 1965. Dynamite Steps sits comfortably in his canon, and that is perhaps the perfect compliment.

Quarantine The Past: The Best of Pavement comes after a decade of constant re-releases, bonus discs and live albums, so it shouldn’t surprise that it comes off as a final, all-encompassing victory lap. Luckily the tracks chosen reach deep enough to make it at the very least a respectable ‘best of’ compilation.

The Guided By Voices record making machine is in finely-tuned condition for the vast bulk of the Motivational Jumpsuit, keeping the gang of veterans on the reunion road without any embarrassment.

An Imaginary Country suffers nothing for these decisions [to ease back on the heavier, noisier aspects of his work] and in fact nearly stands as a perfect counterpoint to the acidic blasts of white noise on "Harmony in Ultraviolet."

there is an impressive and ambitious sense of craftsmanship across the record that captures Blank Realm on the cusp of something truly special.

Chthonic offer up an exceptional album that is worthy of praise and closer inspection.

Home is an overall softer, lighter affair and one that deserves attention.

Wilco (The Album) is just another wonderful and special reason to know that Wilco, as a band, are an astounding band for all to love-or at least as much as they say they love us.

These supposed table scraps left off their previous two albums, Good News… and We Were… respectively, run a gauntlet that finds the band revitalized, lively and tremendously wonderful.

Taken as whole though, The Singles is a strangely satisfyingly testament to the belief that most great musical ideas--even those delivered with such wilfully uncommercial and unconventional intent--can still be boiled-down to fit on one side of a 7” slice of plastic.

Simplistic, yet imaginative, Similes provides a hypnotic and surreal soundscape suitable for both daydreaming and nightdreaming.

It's clear that he and his band took a lot of time to nurture and develop each song, and the result is superb collection of affective and elegant pop songs.

Whilst Trees Outside The Academy isn't quite as breathtaking as it could/should be, especially given the niggling-feeling that Moore didn't give the album 100% of his attention, even when he had a fresher formula at his disposal, it does contain some consistently strong material that complements as well as outshines his best latter-day Sonic Youth wares.

This is definitely a solid album from a band that is surely to get better.

On the whole, it's a winner, and you can take the singles and run with them--the play be damned.

Salon des Amateurs is much more than striking the iron while it's hot, not just because of its singular attributes and styles but, frankly, it's yet another fantastic album in the span of a few months.

Not a career-changing collection as such but a quietly redemptive revelation that satisfyingly sustains its author’s veteran status.

More religious text and tapestry than commercial pop folk, The Smell of Our Own charts its own territory through the heart and head and holes of celebratory love. Truly unique.

Whilst occasionally the wistful gossamer elegance of Luck Or Magic comes close to being a touch too understated, its sophistication and warmth--much like Britta Phillips’s latter-day career as a whole--is revealed gradually and invitingly with repeated encounters. A fragrantly intoxicating and slow-burning new beginning all told.

Fall Back Open is a well-constructed modern pop record that displays some neat influences and also contributes a good deal of its own.

Dig Lazarus Dig!!! delivers a platter that is both powerfully-arcane and invigoratingly-fresh, that serves as possibly Nick Cave’s best ‘main-course’ studio release with The Bad Seeds for quite some time.

Although it dodges near-perfection almost deliberately, it confirms that Gelb’s maverick creativity has an astute methodology in its benevolent madness.

The Crying Light may not be as directly moving or as astounding as its predecessor, it’s a fine album on its own.

Rouse’s ambiguity and storytelling, so strong on Under the Cold, coupled with the quirky pop pastiche that found it’s backbone on 1972, is what his latest effort is all about.

Whilst Illegals In Heaven may not propel Blank Realm into dramatic new terrain, it does re-fortify existing ramparts with a scrupulous conviction.

The noises on Rivers, while off-beat, are more or less pleasurable, not testing the listener--instead introducing them, guiding down the increasingly sealed-off world the record builds for itself.

Although a little flawed, taken overall this repackage of Tago Mago is a strong reminder of an inspirational band that – like sometime peers Kraftwerk – can still be enjoyed directly in the present, due to a combination timelessness and foresight that sustains a remarkably intense freshness.

Vapours isn’t just a welcome addition to the band’s collection but it’s a welcoming album filled with tremendously rich highs, blunt and honest lyrics, melodic music and captivating hooks.

The most eclectic and endearing Dirty Three album in quite some time.

Whilst a few more Bert Jansch classics like “Needle Of Death” and his own rendition of Davy Graham’s “Angie” might have defined Live At The 12 Bar as a more complete go-to on-stage snapshot, its intimacy and strength still marks it out as an essential fan-friendly re-addition to his labyrinthine catalogue, which is due for further exploration via Earth Recordings in the near-future.

Whilst it won’t necessarily win Yo La Tengo many new fans, the aromatic potpourri of Stuff Like That There should happily intoxicate existing ones.

False Priest generally packs the kind of shock and awe that made 2007's Hissing Fauna such a delight. Throw in some deft work at the boards by one of today's hottest producers and a couple of guest appearances by notable female vocalists, and you've got one of 2010's most colorful releases. It's not for everyone, but that's half the fun of it.

The album magnifies both Meloy’s core songwriting and the group’s gifts for bold ambitious arrangements. This brings out some dynamic juxtapositions between simplicity and elaboration that serve proceedings in a refreshing fashion.

Midlake has created an album that can subside on its own. It never reaches sublime territory and who knows, it may not even need it but for a few in tow, there’s nothing rudimentary basic about The Courage of Others.

Formerly, you’d envision a samba paced song like “An Insular Life” to grow into a meaty, strong-armed force but here, Meiburg and Co. allow for the strings to bring it to a lifting end, well after they’d taken the drum’s pattern to a heavenly new place.