Noah’s Ark is a distant album - one that outgrows a few fast friends made on Le Maison de Mon Reve and depends on those truly willing to listen. It is a record designed to make believers out of its fans, and is certainly not for the faint-spirited or fickle.

Set Yourself on Fire is a release of unexpected dimensions.

The first three-quarters of Beauty and the Beat stands as something to be admired.

If you’re looking for a record whose smirk is as intoxicating as its smile, or one that proves that pop doesn’t have to be straight-laced to be delectable, Laughter’s Fifth should be sly enough to sneak its way into your favor.

With a marked improvement in lyrical content, !!! have also brought the beats.

Consciousness is fleeting and I fall asleep knowing that tomorrow will be tough, but that the dreams to follow will be as soothing as the music that preceded them.

In a way, re-releasing brand new material automatically canonizes it. You Are the Quarry received moderate praise, but listening to Live at Earls Court, you’d think his latest songs were some of his best, sitting comfortably next to Smiths classics like “Big Mouth Strikes Again.”

One either engages with the gears of this get-up, or not. If you do, the delights abound from start to finish, and it really makes no difference whether each song intends to evoke a different French city, as they do on The Flying Club Cup.

How I Got Over is also the Roots' best listening experience since Things Fall Apart over ten years ago (a rap eternity).

The prospect of Midnight Juggernauts completely reviving the new wave scene is a long shot (perhaps thankfully so), but the trio has gone a long way toward proving that, when only the best parts are culled, the fairly dead genres of yore can, when bolstered by modern sounds, result in something beautiful and memorable.

Dusk and Summer’s over-the-topness is relentless – most any second-banana Blink 182-er would sell an expendable internal organ to use one of these songs as a set-closer.

Throughout, Cee-Lo’s crazed Muddy Waters-meets-Al Jarreau tenor drools soul and exudes liquid-nitrogen cool.

Contra flourishes in its effort to ease up on "A-Punk"'s stiffness as the quartet engages in sonic experimentation of unprecedented playfulness even compared to the debut's.

Although an amateur sound bleeds through all the songs on Skeleton it is obvious that this group of Danes take themselves seriously. It is that seriousness that makes this album so enjoyable, as it affords the band a certain degree of confidence in their quirkiness.

Not an album for a sunny day, What the Toll Tells can seem gloomy and filled with shadows.

The album is loud, visceral, and messily human, and should be regarded as an essential chapter in Cave's considerable discography.

It is clear Holopaw know how to unearth beauty when grounded in the harshness of reality; they also have the wisdom to leave the indisputably beautiful moments just as they found them: ready and able to elevate the soul.

While there isn't much variation in instrumentation or sound, the impeccable, thought-provoking lyrics more than make up for it.

Gone from Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars are the long periods of monotony that turned Welcome To The Monkey House and The Dandy Warhols Come Down into sonic quicksand. Instead, when the Dandies come to forks in the road, their arrangements wander off into uncharted territory that’s worth exploring.

El Perro Del Mar will find a bigger following abroad with From The Valley To The Stars; the sound is more refined, the melodies stand out more, and Assbring's vocals are much more accomplished than on her earlier digital releases and the eponymous freshman release.

Viva La Vida does find Martin and his bandmates willing to extend their musical boundaries, making for an occasionally brilliant album that's exponentially more vibrant and engaging than 2005's generally stale "X&Y."

Even though the album may be too erratic to cohere into anything thematic, its eccentricities do an excellent job of keeping it interesting.

Be forewarned: Donuts can be a frustrating tease when the average instrumental clocks in around the one-minute mark. But for those who hold a true appreciation for Dilla and his avoidance of predictable sounds and mainstream beats, Donuts will sound right on track.

While Ringer may not be his most towering achievement, his expert navigation of yet another new world of sound maintains the (hopefully) growing belief that for better or worse, a Four Tet release is always an interesting and rewarding listen (at the very least).

Although not nearly as hot as early 2006’s Donuts, The Shining shows for a handful of great collabo’s and bangin’ beats and further paves the way for Dilla’s powerhouse legacy.

King For A Day is part-pop, part-prog rock, but all cultured and colorful.

Raw beats, sick rhymes, nothing obvious or tired.

It makes a stunning case for a silent nod of the head: sometimes it’s good enough to enjoy an album, taking it take it all in as it comes, without attempting to articulate its majesty.