The commanding Siouxsie continues to be a force to be reckoned with, as she both bears and bares her personal pain on this album, bringing a bittersweet weariness and frank vulnerability to her song lyrics and vocals.

Fortunately III is an aptly titled, continued sign of excellence from one of electronic techno music's prominent leaders.

This is the kind of album that will only reward as time passes; through more listens you will find that the startling music, sincere vocals and impeccable musicianship are all at a very high quality.

East of Eden is a worldly sounding album that still maintains an intimately personal feel. Affectionate, intriguing and absorbing, Bergsman’s music is of the finest variety.

Octahedron is most certainly not a wish for Top 40 stardom, but compared to past efforts by this collective, it’s probably the surest means of attracting a larger batch of casual listeners without completely rejecting the heady desires of Mars Volta obsessives.

To themselves and their fans, this is probably just another good Bats record. To newcomers, like myself, this is a great record that really deserves to be checked out.

This isn’t the same set of music each time out, no, instead it’s a sincere evolution into something that all can behold. Many would be smart to learn from this band because they’ve obviously got “it” figured out.

Remarkable for its excellence and not its originality.

The songs are catchy, well written, anthemic, and fun.

For an album that is only 36 minutes in length, Preoccupations manage to cram in a large amount of ideas, inspirations and ambitions.

A bravely uncompromising yet often richly rewarding affair all told.

Them Crooked Vultures is a wonderful introduction to this all-star band.

The worst thing you can say about On My Way is that it isn't as good as Sha Sha.

The album sounds amazing.

The tunes on this EP are raw, sharp, and catchy, and always push with some kind of propulsive rhythm--a dynamic strut of drums, guitar, and vocals, even on the calmer verse sections.

With producer Thavius Beck’s fast-paced beats and the MC’s lively rapping, the two have concocted a worthy listen.

As a unit, the group amassed some of the best music of their careers onto this singular, ‘effusively sentimental,’ career.

There aren’t any questions about the quality of Us, an album filled with exceptional music; it’s a downright excellent release.

Family is an excellent album. Le Loup hasn’t altered their original goal and purpose, instead they’ve added new collections and they’ve even improved on some of the earlier problems from their debut.

The feel of the piece is all, and its what carries the player, and the listener, through. In that respect, these records are essential listening for anyone who plays a guitar: invigorating, exciting and sometimes frustrating--but above all liberating music of the highest quality.

It is instrumental rock music that is experimental, emotional, colorful, and engaging, while skillfully blurring many musical boundaries.

The eighteen tracks and eighty minutes presented here don't hold a candle to 2008′s The Chemistry of Common Life but I truly admire the tenacity of this outfit to push on toward such a lofty venture.

Each of these tracks will peel your face off and serve as the equivalent of hooking your brain to a nuclear reactor.

The beats on The Mouse and the Mask are remarkably consistent, satisfactorily complex, and surprisingly subtle.

What Franz Ferdinand have proven is that not only do they make impressive albums but that they are capable of trying out new sounds with great skill. It’s still the same band we fell in love with, only they have incorporated more sounds into their arsenal and with songs as good as these, it’s a welcome addition.

The Incident is an incident in music that must be acknowledged.

It presents a picture of Anderson as a gifted songwriter and heartfelt singer not limited by a signature style, but who still manages to express a strong personality and distinct creative voice.

Works For Tomorrow just gets better and better with every successive--and necessarily louder--airing, to the point where it does indeed feel like another genuinely great Eleventh Dream Day long-player.

This is truly an album that will stay with you once you’ve let it work its way in.

Twisted, mangled, and deeply submerged under the layers of bewitching muck are brilliant melodies with sonorous strings hidden between double-tracked guitars and gigantic, mesmerizing choruses.

The dozen songs on here make for a brilliant affair of subtly great electronic music that blends a fresh brand of styles into one compelling presentation.

There are so many female singer songwriters making their presences known but Emmy The Great has a niche entirely of her own today, and that is all down to her songwriting and an elusive personality that avoids overlaying her actual charm.

Time to Die reveals a band that is continuing to grow with scintillating results. Luckily for us, no one’s sitting in the backseat here.

Music that's at once beautiful, joyful, and pure aural pleasure.

With all of that said and there was plenty said this album is not only highly recommended I would have to say for me at least it is one of the better efforts of 2011 and will more than likely end up on an end of the year round up.

Rather than break new ground, Rademaker, Losielle, and friends have chosen to have some fun making a record that would have sounded fantastic 20 years ago. While maybe not quite fantastic today, somehow it manages to sound fresh enough in 2004 that you’ll be glad you gave it a chance.

Despite the experiments with the various flavors of hip-hop and glitch techno, Spacesettings is a solid album from some of the more exciting artists in the IDM scene.

The highs here, while admittedly not quite as majestic or sugary as in the past, are still pretty far up there, and better yet, there are no lows.

Overall, this is sophisticated pop with a folky twist crowned by a heaven-sent voice.

Mascis does a superb job of firmly establishing that this is his music and though guest artists make timely contributions, there is no denying who is the star of this show.

The Sight Below has crafted a magnificent album and EP to help weather the darker nights and snowy days.

Ejstes crafts songs where throwback psych-pop melts effortlessly into cascading soundscapes, jazz interludes, and epic instrumentation.

If you’re only looking for a handful of records this year drawing-up from the seemingly bottomless Krautrock well, then make sure that this is one of them.

Let the bloggers cry about the change all they want but None Shall Pass is the most focused and dare I say accessible album of Aesop’s career

Surely the power of Spoon’s miraculous songwriting skills are enough to keep the listener captivated, but the fact remains that the only surprise the album contains is the apparent lack of innovation.

With Fade, they’ve come across ten songs that all sound tight and of course, refreshing, against the backdrop of what might be their most consistent album to date.

Firmly grounded, it's definitely the band's shining moment so far.

Sitting down and listening to a full length album all the way through without outside interference is nearly impossible, let alone desirable. However, the solitary atmosphere and minimal elements of Admiral Fell Promises make it designed for just such a commitment.

Give Up is an outstanding, creative effort from two of indie rock's most disparate voices.

Stellar production yields rich sounds assailed with raw emotions. These tracks are fully developed. No doubt, the vocals may grate on critics, but there are a lot of reasons to like this split. Especially Envy. Enjoy.

There's a strong sense of pop hooks all over and with a rock vibe that is both heavily-induced and rendered, Segall and Presley have delivered a terrific debut.

Each song sounds like a distinct ray of light and although it’s packed into something both concise and brief, it’s the strength of each song that makes the whole album stand out.

Mostly though, this ethereal mix of multi-layered and textured dream-pop is frothing with jangly and heavily reverbed guitars, amid shoegazing drones and electro-style beats, that displays Atlas Sound’s sense of adventure and pop experimentation while providing the listener with countless entertaining spins.

This album is proof that his talent extends far beyond grunge and pop-rock and that he can write and play songs in just about any style.

Never before has Bianchi put so much focus on the lyrics and been so open, so vulnerable.

It sounds like the Ramones covering OK Computer. It's also one of the best debuts of the year.

It’s an album that doesn’t reinvent the wheel but adds an extra corner and somehow makes it go faster.

Speck Mountain have taken the high road, sporting influences in their back pocket as a kerchief rather than wiping them on their sleeve.

Over the course of the album's 52 minutes, the eight tracks reveal a brilliance in construction.

Major General finds us with an accomplished and very steady collection of songs.

[The album’s final track is] a satisfying conclusion to the band’s best album since 2000’s Black Market Music.

It's often a bit silly, always fun, and surprisingly inspired.

Beam’s songwriting has always been the defining element of Iron & Wine, and it’s evident on these tracks, especially the lovely “My Lady’s House” with its gentle and loving theme.

The album is a tight yet tensile affair, that shows the old dog still knows how to learn a few tricks with scholarly shrewdness.

BLACKsummers'night is however, an impressive return to form. This is undeniably enthralling music: masterful, captivating and marvelous.

The Mouse is back, just as polished and schizo as it ever was.

Starfucker definitely have a gem with Reptilians, and have managed to make a remarkable album from a genre that can become quite stagnant and derivative of itself.

It'd be a daunting feat for anyone to furnish a respectable sophomore LP after the hype of a debut like Psychic Chasms, but Alan Palomo succeeds here, blessed with an innate ability to temper previous charms with present provocations.

The Only She Chapters is yet another confident addition to Scott-Herren's collection as Prefuse 73.

As entertaining as it is, there remains a nagging notion that Grinderman 2 is ultimately another water-testing exercise to decide upon which seas Nick Cave will sail the full Bad Seeds line-up when it next reconvenes – now sadly minus Mick Harvey – in the studio.

It’s great to have another album so musically rich that extols misbehavior as accurately as it soundtracks it. Let’s dance.

All in all this is a rock-solid debut from a group of veteran musicians who aren't necessarily out to reinvent the wheel but whose fiery passion rings through on every note.

Arguably the best thing Phillips has done since Grant Lee Buffalo’s fantastic 1993 debut, Fuzzy.

This record is vast, playful, and most importantly, an absolute joy to listen to.

This is one consistent record that will being a smile to your face; there is nothing breathtaking, but there doesn't have to be.

A gentle yet insistent collection of songs, Wilderness is marked by its subtle beauty and meticulous attention to sonic detail.

The way Satin Panthers comes at you is definitely much more abbreviated and more focused; whether or not this is due only to the shortness of the EP is quickly dispelled with how well the five songs do ebb and flow.

Fortino has created an album that is easily one of the year’s most moving reflections. It’s that life is all but lost and Fortino’s take on things are spectacularly delivered.

Astro Coast succeeds admirably because it pulses with a fun, youthful, and invigorating feel, and obvious lack of arty pretenses, studio mediation, or self-importance. Not every band can be Radiohead, thankfully.

Sarah retains her unshakable poise and British vocal inflection, but her delivery is warmer and more engaging than on her debut, yet still tinged with an edge of melancholy.

Yes it's slower, darker and more pensive, but like the sun that breaks through the clouds to reveal a brisk sunny morning, it shimmers and shines with splendid, polished arrangements and even grander guitar-scapes.

One of her most assured and intimate records to date.

There are a lot of moments that gently wash away, against the pushing drive of the other songs on the album. Segall mostly attempts to create different spaces of time and is able to make many of them work to his direct advantage.

Fourteen songs deep, each and every one is a terrific slice of electronic pop that definitely delivers astounding results.

One of the most interesting and rewarding things about hearing the tracks as they appear on this release, is knowing that they are presented here in their earliest incarnations, Earth's chrysalis stage, if you will.

If you were into Lightning Bolt before, there is no reason you won't absolutely love this album. If you were sort of sitting on the fence with them before, this may be the album that converts you into a fan.

At 21, he has the raconteur’s wit of a younger Nick Cave still buoyed by the weightlessness of possibility.

While Amore del Tropico blazes some new paths for Black Heart Procession, it also hits all the right notes from the group's past.

Three Fact Fader is an impressive sophomore effort. Engineers have created a winning combination of English pop/rock.

Pawn Shoppe Heart is a pretty kick-ass rock n’roll record.

Water Curses is fantastic because it can serve multiple purposes and it isn’t an EP that only fans will enjoy.

Glossy production adds a haze of late summer mist to some cleverly realised songwriting and Hit The Waves is an album that stands on its own terms musically, without its needing to explain itself or its influences.

Those who enjoy his new approach will like the album, and those who long for his old days of guitar-driven power-pop will find some highlights that prove no matter how old Mould gets, he still is one of the most brilliant musicians and lyricists ever.

Talk about a debut album, Panic Movement is worth more than just NME hype.

Dando conjures up a combination of The Lemonheads' It's a Shame About Ray, Buffalo Tom's Smitten and Wilco's Summerteeth - fashioning this year's most essential post-rehab record in the process.

If well-crafted folk-pop leaves you feeling lukewarm, by all means join the naysayers; otherwise, I'll be on the side of those dancing and singing along.

The net result is a crisp, sometimes crunchy, and often lush collection of songs that show Kozelek at his best since... Songs for a Blue Guitar.

Combining vaudeville melodies alongside a quirky pop sensibility lifts the eleven songs here above the merely angular and takes us to a unique space, and probably not somewhere everyone would want to go, but to my ears Moonwink's only real flaw is its brevity.