A memorable display from a band we need to acknowledge as true greats and it’s a thrill ride from beginning to end.

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 vocal parts are slathered in a hazy, echoing ambience and aren’t smoothly integrated with the songs. That being said, it’s not reason enough to dismiss the album, as there is enough substantive music to overcome this imperfection.

The Beatific Visions is not flawless, but even with a few glaring misses, this album is above average and often brilliant.

There are well-defined marks of maturity in every aspect on this record.

Daniel justly brings the band’s best attributes to the foreground and It’s Frightening ends up being a tight and concise album.

The Bird and the Bee is as light as a feather, for sure. It’s not throwaway, though; the darting melodies and twinkling keyboards are like some divine ringtone and the pair’s love of jazz standards is apparent in the harmonic reach and twists of their songs.

These sparse, unfastened and more importantly, exuberant covers are all flash and no substance. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t specially well done and loads of fun, either.

This album sounded exactly as I imagined it would, sounding pumped in straight from a dingy practice space from the early 80’s. It’s just that the music sounds more in service to the post-punk ideal than to the individual songs, affecting a feeling of taking a wild trip through a style instead of offering memorable individual experiences.

The truth is, practically everything on Dark Was the Night is exceptionally well done. Even when they aren’t covering but contributing original recordings, everyone brings their A-game.

Unlike other odds and sods collections, Around the Well sounds and feels like an accomplished release.

Although Violens is a bit remarkable for capturing such a specific sound ...its scope is a bit limited. The trio utilizes the same tones and mostly the same approaches throughout, resulting in only the smallest level of uniqueness for each track.

For the most part the music on Infinity is a skilfully crafted mixture of ambient soundscapes that are transformed into cohesive songs as Tiersen layers percussion and other elements across the initially sometimes formless tone generations that will inevitably have some listeners confused and others enraptured.

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

This is certainly my favorite British release of the year.

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

The Go! Team makes sure to reach for the stars and they're certainly poised to simply get more well-known from here.

Putting analytical angst aside though, in short this is another tranquil and refreshing oasis on the compelling Land Observations journey.

As much as I loved Amore Del Tropico, The Spell comes across even more striking.

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.

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.

Two years later, the five-piece returns with Simple Math – a concept album which, according to Hull himself, examines perennial hot button topics like marriage, love, religion, and sex. Again, not exactly revelatory material, but Hull has a gift with prose that turns even the most banal observations into striking reflections.

Magic succeeds magnificently because it is the perfect balance of what we’ve come to love about an artist while venturing out to try new things.

Don’t dismiss The Floodlight Collective for the outstanding introduction to Lotus Plaza it is, because in reality, it is a winning release in more ways than one.

Overall, Bubblegum, is very much a triumph of restyling, that makes it perhaps the most necessary Clinic LP since 2000's Internal Wrangler debut. Perhaps however, it's also time that Clinic developed more as a songwriting vehicle, with singer Ade Blackburn making his vocal/lyrical presence more memorably penetrating.

Get Guilty is unlikely to bust Carl Newman out beyond his inherited fan-base but neither is it likely to disappoint those listening out for more-of-the-same, albeit with obvious but not crippling disadvantages.

While Knuckle Down doesn’t wow with new musical directions, the album undeniably satisfies by being familiar and stunning.

Whether there's enough energy, fraternity and songs left in the GBV tank to warrant more new material on top of this year's LP trilogy remains to be heard but this solidly-built long-player successfully marks the end of an unquestionably enjoyable and productive year in the band's admirably contrarian career.

As a stand-alone, six-set album, it compares just fine to last year's eight-set Pigeons and in many ways, is a detached piece on its own. With songs that are as refined and delicately composed as this, Here We Go Magic have already presented a strong catalog to take notice of.

The Needle Was Traveling is that rare album filled with an electronic-acoustic amalgam that is ideal for day and night listening, which impacts the memory and the libido, and whose combination of lyrics and melodies is immediately catchy yet consistently prompts rediscovery.

Dekker has always seemed to me more metaphysical than mystical, but on this outing some of the lyrics are starting to edge closer to the easy contentedness of finding salvation through natural beauty instead of finding existential insignificance in the similarities of all matter. That said, there’s a good mix of elements here, and the increased focus on the diversity of the musical side of things takes the spotlight off the lyrics to a certain extent.

The Else is lined up with catchy, solid songs that I can’t help but sing along to. So though it’s not the best Giants album - it’s good, and it’s kept me entertained.

Beet, Maize & Corn is a pleasant album of calm, beautiful pop with a touch of class that’s rare.

If The Citizens' intended destination is a place of their own craft that lies beyond the boring boundaries of traditional pop, they can stop driving.

Car Alarm is essentially Everybody II; an album that subtly stretches the group’s formulaic parameters with rawer production and looser instrumentation but without cementing any concrete boundary-changes.

As two musicians who may have gotten slighted, their self-titled album is an accomplished and impressive debut.

Even at just six songs, they’re each powerfully presented and Perkins is better for it, in astonishingly marvelous fashion.

Poliça may have more to offer, especially if they can branch out from a blueprint that they rightly feel very comfortable with, but for the time being Shulasmith is a finely executed and thematically and emotionally rich record.

Those whose expected Pollard to bow out in a blaze of lo-fi glory will be sorely disappointed, but true fans will recognize just how well the mid-fi approach suits Pollard.

Furies might not be as diverse as Birds Make Good Neighbors but it’s the strongest set of songs they’ve produced so far.

The group continues their fantastic, totally unique song structures, lyrics and instrumentation, resulting in the next evolution of a Decemberists album, and it does not disappoint.

For all its sonic roaming and mulching, Inside The Ships holds together surprisingly well as a combined entity.

The menace, exhilaration, and sheer catchiness of the band’s earlier songs, however, have been diminished, leaving pop and rock tunes that rely heavily on Adele’s vocals and a chronically agitated tempo to carry them through to the finish line.

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.

Everything about Staring At The X is tightly controlled and composed, from its guitar chords through its electronic bass lines right up to the mixing board pyrotechnics that propel the songs forward.

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.

On Magic Chairs, Efterklang manages to excise its most affected gestures, keep its penchant for wide-ranging adventurousness, and bring new found confidence to the more personal, micro-aspects of their sound. The result is a triumphant orchestral pop record which radiates with intelligence and touch.

This is the stuff of Hollywood film soundtracks, and Gahan's robust baritone is a perfect fit for the proceedings.

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.

As a whole, The Weight is a Gift wins because the band knows how to write a catchy song and make it both sad and exuberant at the same time, with an unerring pop sensibility.

In lyrics and music, The Long Blondes have managed to put out a sophomore album just as addictive and catchy as their debut "Someone To Drive You Home."

An album that finds them further exploring the depths of their palettes with another worthy album of expressive highs.

Whilst the nostalgia-soaked Sky Blue Sky will cause consternation amongst those who backed Wilco’s brave efforts to bend the staidness of plaid-shirted alt. rock, it’s still arguably one of the most charmingly-effortless records Jeff Tweedy has ever spearheaded.

Feels like an honest treat for longtime fans.

Aptly an entire side-project, rather than a one-off on the electronic producer’s next album, the idea is fully fleshed into a discovery of solid notes.

This tandem of dream pop has crafted a beautiful, spectral and memorable album with Devotion.

Beach House is the perfect accompaniment for an introspective day, or night, of watching the globules of a lava lamp slowly float and sink.

While it may still fall short of the high-water mark established with Clarity, Jimmy Eat World’s latest is still a strong contender for the best album of 2004.

Mudhoney is a new band lyrically and emotionally.

Whilst as a whole The Catastrophist doesn’t surpass the high-watermarks of the band’s almost unimpeachable early-years pioneering, it does stand-up well as a solid and consistent collection to add to the post-millennial phase of the Tortoise canon, with just enough refreshed moves to keep the rust and cobwebs at bay.

With Crystal Castles’ infectious, eclectic music, this is easily one of the highlights of the year and a great addition to the super-genre that is electronic music.

Throughout High Places vs. Mankind the two further unravel as well as expand their influences and open-up their compact electronic world to include more live instrumentation and more upfront organic vocals.

Everything comes together in a melting pot of rock and pop that is both delightful and intriguing. It has melodies, smart and quirky lyrics, and the band features some unique musicianship that is executed well.

A record of truly original and moving songwriting.

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

Abe Vigoda is not quite up to the level of a band like No Age, but if this EP is any indication, they do have the potential to hone and fine-tune their sound. Reviver would be a great introduction for a potential listener, and fans of post-rock will probably find a lot to like with Abe Vigoda.

Thankfully, Danielson's music is interesting enough to look past some of these lyrical drawbacks.

It is the product of a septuagenarian survivor ceaselessly exploring a self-made world without conceding to compromise; which is sometimes frustrating yet frequently still compelling in execution.

Keep Your Eyes Ahead is certainly a rewarding venture as it contains enough amiable and alluring dream-pop, with ample atmospheric charm, to overlook it's few weaknesses.

On its own, it has some great moments, and it is a very good pop/rock record.

It’s a compliment to Stevens when one notices that listening to the music alone is rewarding and yet, the shots from the documentary are what run vivid in your head.

This is great music from a fantastic UK band.

The group manages to rise above many of their stereotypical, unoriginal contemporaries by featuring plenty of surprises and innovation (although there is still a very recognizable grounding throughout).

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

It is far too lengthy to function as a coherent hip-hop record.

Much like Slint, Mandarin’s sound is often infused with an eerie coldness that seems to melt when the songs begin to grow exponentially in texture.

A record that could easily be mistaken by record geeks as a 60s underground lost-classic... like maybe Quicksilver Messenger Service’s first album.

Despite earlier successes, European definitively solidifies Sambassadeur as a paragon of Swedish pop: sweet but not sappy, bold yet beautiful, and emotionally eclectic without becoming melodramatic.

This could be a rare Giant Sand LP that manages to be both sophisticated and sprawling. Overall, Tucson is destined to be labelled as a 'must-keep' for those struggling to house their vast Giant Howe collections.

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.

Orcas, stays in the same zone [gauzy ambient folk], but edges closer to the sublime and harrowing atmospheres more associated with Irisarri.

There is a heavy Krautrock /post-rock vibe going on with Little Joy, which works for, and against, this album it at times.

Everything is New is a gifted and resounding response to the many nay-sayers out there. It’s not the best Peñate could have done but who else could have expected this kind of departure?

Lali Puna’s Our Inventions mesmerizes with wonderfully layered and intricately constructed electronic sound manipulations that are tastefully crafted into experimental pop songs.

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.

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.

This isn’t a tired old pro knocking one more out but rather, a superb song-craftsmen and musician in control; Working on a Dream is one of Bruce Springsteen’s best albums, period.

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.

Sally Timms has a profound knack for interpreting a song.

In the end, I am hesitant to say that this is Vanderslice's best album; however, it is undoubtedly his most rewarding. Just be prepared to spend a lot of time with it.

What Romanian Names lacks in difficulty and depth, it makes up for in restrained creativity and faint tenacity. Though his aim fell short, it goes without saying that even at his moderate average; he’s miles ahead of most of the solo artists attempting to make music.

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

It’s an album unlikely to reign in anyone who’s on the fence about adding a folk album to their catalogue, but sure to delight those who like their melancholy sentiments sung by a voice that is as dexterous as it is vulnerable

Ultimately, this is a winner and though it may not offer the new, revelatory sounds and styles that some were hoping, in the end it wins out because of its heart.

Ultimately, this album is about Tyler and we cannot dictate how somebody chooses to express themselves, so the best thing to do is sit back and let him open himself up. warts and all… So yes, I highly recommend the album.

There is a hardy amount of sweet material on Let’s Be Still and it is a perfect accompaniment to a morning sunrise or a low-key soirée in the woods.

Passive Me, Aggressive You is novel and refreshing, even with overt pop influences.

Where past efforts have been brash and speedy, this one takes its time and delivers messages of love(!) instead of messages of insubordination.