It's cliched to remark on a duo's ability to sound like a full band, but the Dodos' virtuosic acoustic guitar playing and busy arrangements undeniably defy their numbers.

Along with this requisite silliness come beautiful melodies (See The Leaves), exploding rock-out sections (The Ego's Last Stand) and catchy, laid-back guitar melodies (Silver Trembling Hands).

This isn’t Drake at his most exposed.... Production-wise, however, it’s his most mature, and frankly, most beautiful.

It was always hard to predict which direction he might take next, but on his new album, Hardcourage, he’s surprised us by finally bringing all those disparate tangents together into a cohesive sound.

Simply Grand is the perfect showcase for Thomas’s impressive range and understated power.

Hegarty sounds more in control of his remarkable voice than ever before, and this new restraint suits him. When you’ve got this much emotive power at your fingertips, it’s wise to reel it in a bit.

He's used what could have been a tragic turn of events as fuel for a vibrant, engaging and often playful record.

Veloso still sounds as smooth and warm as on his 70s recordings that helped spearhead the Tropicália movement.

Vapours dutifully recognizes the playful history of the group and, with the re-addition of drummer Jamie Thompson, is sure to appease followers and win over new listeners.

The Double Cross, a slyly titled nod to their anniversary, returns to the songwriting style not of their beloved first two records, but of the equally strong One Chord, Navy and Bridges era.

Well sharp.

It could easily stand on its own without Scott-Heron's raspy vocals, but it's the interplay between his world-weary lyrics and Smith's youthful enthusiasm that makes this an essential companion piece to the original.

They save overt prettiness for the music.

It's intentionally confounding and endlessly ambitious, but also eminently listenable.

The Sheryl Crow duet works where his Norah Jones collabo didn't; I Taught Myself How To Grow Old is classic tortured Adams, and Pearls On A String is a rewarding reflection of the time he spent hanging out with Willie Nelson.

Lends itself to numerous repeat listens and laughs.

MU.ZZ.LE finds the idiosyncratic artist more focused than ever.

It’s middle-of-the-road, but only by Wilco standards. A worthwhile listen.

It’s not a perfect record, but nothing this ambitious was ever going to be.

The adulterously titled I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too, which certainly has its issues, comes across as more grounded, learned and confident.

Three years later, Purity Ring's sophomore effort lives up to the anticipation.

Packed with lo-fi-meets-nu-rave parsings of UK post-punk discontent, the album’s distorted melodies are immediately catchy yet convey brooding emotional depth.

Taken all together, it’s a rousing record fit for serious-minded death metal fans convinced of the genre’s capacity to produce art--not just pained expression.

With Rather Ripped they continue their slow but remarkable progression that currently finds them, for the most part, dropping old SY standbys such as long experimental noise passages in exchange for a significantly more sedated route.

These are love songs with sharp edges that keep the sweetness mysterious.

Many great pop artists build imaginary worlds with sets, costumes, music videos and artwork, but Gwenno achieves something similar using a richly detailed soundscapes that gradually draw you in deeper.

Despite the limited tools, he evokes everything from jazz and doom metal to techno and classical music, often simultaneously.

Black Radio 2 falls a note short of its Grammy-winning predecessor, but just shy of spectacular is still damn good.