Despite including a few hallmarks of a groundbreaking record (experimentalism, eclecticism, ambitious), Wrath of Circuits is still not an easy listen for those people who don't wet their pants at every new Dischord or Touch and Go release.

A consistently heady and visceral shot of classic Mudhoney: angry, fuzzy guitars, propulsive rhythms, and sarcastically-jaded lyrics.

Blood Red Shoes still rocks out on most tracks, all riled up and restless, keeping the rhythms chunky and choppy on standouts like the defiantly-played and shouted "Light It Up," the revved-up guitar and drums of "Don't Ask," and the guitar jags and slamming drums on "Keeping It Close."

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.

All the Saints pound out lumbering hard rock. And it sounds good.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack is an excellent album of cool songs featuring some of today’s celebrated indie artists.

Big World can be counted on to deliver a handful of jangly ditties and ho-hum, dreary interludes that don’t demand much from the listener beyond a slow drag on a cigarette while it spins in the background.

The Joggers’ struggle against depression yields song after song of emotionally rending rock 'n roll, and the album tells the gritty tale of their fight against this epic beast.

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.

Suuns have given us an unexpected bit of orchestrated but shambolic rock on this album, and because the band isn't afraid to try new things and put things together oddly we may be witnessing the birth of something grand.

Fans of The Rhumb Line are unlikely to go head over heels for The Orchard, but Ra Ra Riot's latest is still among the most clever and thoughtful indie pop heard this year.

All we really want right now are some jams to soundtrack these days of eternal sunshine and oceanfront revelries. On these demands, Washed Out delivers in spades.

Honestly, there is no precedent for this album.

Out of its many blues like qualities the one that I see potentially defining the album as a whole is its rawness.

Despite the possibility for a scatterbrained collection, the album holds strong and each track maintains a certain commonality through the writing and the emotional build within.

And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is as brilliantly strong as Undun, with a multi-faceted story that slowly unravels.

Whether it's a fast-paced and crisply played rocker or a slower, aching ballad, Broken Records are adept at drawing us in with either style as Sutherland bellows with a coarse voice that can be both passionately rousing and intimately reflective.

Where the Aislers Set really create a distinction between themselves and their contemporaries is through the unpredictably imaginative arrangements, bolstered by Linton's truly enigmatic melodic sense.

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.

For now Bundick has accomplished many great feats and with Anything in Return, the first great album of 2013.

Grand Archives is still an impressively modern take on American indie; taking the best from Southern Indie rock and tossing over some modern effects and innovative musicianship to create a genuinely genre bending project.

While this most recent release does not equal the shimmering weight of Bows and Arrows, it has more than enough potency to stand on its own.

Get Awkward is mostly more of the same but with more hooks, more wit, and a hell of a lot more emotion.

It’s a bit of a tightrope walk for any female rock stars though, retaining femininity while cranking up the amps and pushing the blues rock envelope right to the edge of the table, but Deap Vally sound and look like they know exactly what they’re about.

While nothing on The Forgotten Arm is brand new for her, it's a natural evolution from what her fans have gotten used to, the minor-key laments and regrets of Bachelor No. 2 and Lost in Space.

While it may lack the aggressive and occasionally caustic momentum of "Playing The Angel," Sounds Of The Universe succeeds primarily because of its ability to make a nostalgic nod to past successes while still looking to the future.

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.

Day & Age isn’t a masterpiece but it ends up being their most consistent album to date and it shows true promise of growth and strength in their music.