Pedestrian Verse is an album made up of melodies, lyrics and verses that are completely, well, pedestrian.

The production is minimal, leaving II feeling pure and honest.

Captivating to its core, it will undoubtedly soundtrack countless mushroom-fueled spirit quests and soul-searching walkabouts for light years to come.

Winston Yellen’s debut Country Sleep builds an intangible place you’re immediately delivered to upon first listen.

Handsome, sparkly stuff.

[John Reis] and compatriot Gar Wood have injected the fire of Hot Snakes into The Night Marchers.

Although Mice Parade is typically regarded as a solo project of Pierce, it is clear the concept of community compels him. And this is where his biggest strength lies.

Smalhans is all the luscious layering, thoughtful breakdowns, sneaky beats and catchy positivity fans would expect with some cockier, more straightforward dance moves included, as well.

From start to finish, Hummingbird is a compelling record that warrants your enduring affections.

Ra Ra Riot devotees will also recognize this electronic turn. The change, although typical of seemingly every 21st-century band, is respectfully executed, retaining Ra Ra Riot’s unique style, making this third album far less superfluous than most indie-rock bands’ later efforts.

The most direct album the band has ever assembled, Fade functions like one of the darker, LOL-averse episodes of comedian Louis C.K.’s eponymous show.

This unpredictable first effort is a stirring paean to the golden age of rock.

While Green and Shapiro write about romantic tribulations, they avoid overdoing it by keeping these tracks brief and letting each other's vocals stand out.

The Flower Lane provides width for Mondanile to freely explore bluesier, spacier frontiers, and the fresh air to achieve a cohesive clarity that builds on the successful points of his previous efforts.

It's a gritty trip from the barstool to the vaudeville stage...and just about everywhere in between.

The fact that this album doesn't fit as neatly with their most popular album, The Con, is a good sign--the girls aren't yet ready to rest on their laurels, and instead continue to push their music dynamically forward.

When he lets loose with a gloriously pretty and groovy synth-funk piece like "Rolling Down the Hill," you just wish he would move farther in that direction and ditch the hackneyed MOR harmonies that are given too much place on the rest of Oak Island.

Unlike their debut-which could sometimes have moments equivalent to loud machine-gun fire, occasionally hitting its intended target but blurring together and exhausting itself--the tracks on Wolf's Law are like laser-guided rocket blasts, tighter and more effective.

A little unbalanced, Anything in Return nevertheless showcases again just how good its maker is at his craft.

From the adrenal rock-and-roll guitars on "Cheap Beer" to the guttural shrills on "Cocaine," every song here champions that adult adolescence and "f*** it" ideology that has always made the genre so damn appealing.

The only drawback is, of course, that the songs that do this best are better than the ones that don't...but there aren't many of those.

Much like Bergsman's previous efforts, Other Worlds' vocals have a heavy-lidded quality that may turn off listeners who prefer a more forceful rhythm section.

It may be a bit heavy-handed, but it will no doubt thrill fans that probably assumed this day would never come.

There was always a sense that, if given wings, the songs would soar to empyrean reaches. And this live, symphonic recording with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra bears that out to dazzling and devastating effect.

If you're not a devoted fan, don't lose any sleep over missing this one.

It's another album that can grow on listeners with repeated listens.

It's an immediate, utterly engrossing collection of hook-laden, distinctly modern rock songs, as vibrant as anything being turned out by the hipster kids.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' triumphs far outweigh its failures. This impressive expanded edition drives that point home by giving insight into the record's rich gestational process.