Twelve Angry Months is Lucas' best album in a decade, and arguably his catchiest. Not his most powerful.

When not so buried in dank sonics, Farrar's familiar songwriting drawl feels more crisp and lively; being able to hear the record's engaging pop hooks is a revelation. On the other hand, this newfound production clarity reveals that Farrar might be running out of ideas.

His band's former work may be referenced, but Adams' personal stamp is unmistakable.

Thanks largely in part to founding member/mainstay Robert "3D" Del Naja, there still remains that indefinable, singular aspect to Massive Attack that still carried the group over the hump of 2003's tepid 100th Window and onto the superior Heligoland.

As it is now, decidedly un-personal, In Our Nature falls flat.

At times perplexingly distant.

Travellers appears top-heavy, with a mid-section whose only correlation to time travel is that its melodies could've felt predictable in the 1890s, with the limitations of straight 4/4 beginning to wear. But listeners are rewarded for not giving up after that stretch.

X & Y is uninspired adult pop that drops jaws only in its capacity to elicit yawns.

All things considered, Washington Square Serenade is a bit nonchalant by Earle's standards.

Ultimately there's so many ideas vying for attention on this album that there is not enough room for its songs to breathe. And the discordant styles, some of them on their own of much merit, never truly mesh together.

The problem is simply that Gang of Four got Entertainment! right the first time, whether they like it or not.

And desperate single aside, it all works pretty damn well.

Genuinely soulful and unhindered by a slavish devotion to traditional Americana, The Opera Circuit is a tour de force for Hinson.

Set Free gives 2001’s Know by Heart - critically acclaimed and widely regarded as Amanset’s masterpiece - a serious run for its money.

Kenna has the indie roots to bridge the gap between pop and everything left of center. This effort has already created some stir between the two. My only concern is that the album's lack of balance may make for a one hitter quitter.

The good news is that the album is downright delightful. The bad news is that if you've followed Holland since her first release, you're probably not looking for an album that's merely consistent singer/songwriter fare: no, you want the highs and the lows.

A genre-bowing indie masterpiece as gorgeous as anything released since Sigur Rós’ ( ).

Heart Like a River takes you on a journey, and does not leave until every sight is seen and pathway is walked.

In this case I've been compelled to return a lot. Weird accomplishment for a pop singer. It's a five-or-six-listens album.

This album is not only the Like Young’s most diverse, is also its best.

Imperial Teen have again made one of the best records of the year.

While the album is based around the repetitive choppy hook and big beat, some quiet building moments of the heavy songs lack a sense of creativity and movement towards a real climactic edge.

While the similarities to Morretti's other group are what make Little Joy so easy to digest, they are also what make it seem somewhat unremarkable.

While the best tracks are the most uneasy and strung-out - like when bearing the deranged, astral colors of the Of Montreal kin, “Marry Me” or relishing the fabulous debauchery of the Pixieish devil’s waltz, “My Wicked Wicked Ways” - it can never be denied how honestly happy Lopez sounds on Knitting Needles & Bicycle Bells.

Playtime is Over, Wiley's third album, is full of tunes long on hookcraft considering their thrifty origins.

A Colores’s most glaring failure is its reluctance to shift from the narcotic tone it so quickly assumes.

Where Soul Coughing was defying specific genres and pushing norms, Skittish was scaled back, raw; Haughty Melodic is plugged in, not quite as downtrodden and surprisingly accessible.

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