White is not hurting for fans in any of his musical guises, but he might have many more if he were to lighten things up a bit.

At a brief 36 minutes long, Medicine at Midnight is a solid addition to a discography that raises the bar for what it means to be a rock act that seamlessly evolves with the times. It also exemplifies how the group isn’t afraid to stretch their imaginations whenever the mood strikes them.

This bedroom project shakes with a gentle reverb and the snapping beats and upbeat percussion she programs using a drum machine. What connects Murray to her peers in Look Blue Go Purple are the similarly earnest lyrics, psychedelic dreaminess and low key production quality made modern with synths and other electronic touches.

Aly & AJ are releasing career-defining music (and have been for the past six years), and With Love From might top a touch of the beat as their best album to date.

Master of My Make-Believe is by no means a disappointment, but it falls short of the expectation that has been gestating for the past four years.

Mostly, Imaginary Man sounds like Baxter composing a conscious push to the mainstream. It’s just that his previous, strange, and wanderlusting alter-ego seems to capture more curiosity.

The framework for Odin’s Raven Magic grounds the band and shows that, when they wanted to, they were more than capable of tempering their penchant for extravagant strangeness. Which is not to say that Odin’s Raven Magic’s doesn’t contain many of the band’s signature hallmarks—like the rest of the Sigur Rós discography, the album comes drenched in mood, as well as an incomparable sense of elegance.

Overall, Witch Too mines Ono’s imaginative catalogue in search of hidden gems, buffing them up to sparkle anew. And ideally, the more inquisitive may even be moved to seek out the original versions of these tracks.

Common stands out from the best hip-hop albums of 2011 by doing what he has always done best since the '90s and standing firm in his style.

Covers, of course, are always fraught with peril, and at times singer/guitarist Matthew Caws’ inflection has a way of fermenting the source material’s latent cheese.

Clear Lake Forest is a quick listen at just seven songs, but The Black Angels have the wherewithal to pack in enough volleying moods that you feel like someone has sprinkled DMT into your smokes.

It’s pleasantly concise—a welcome change from Oczy Mlody and Heady Fwends—and doesn’t rely on excessive guests, 24-hour songs, LPs pressed with menstrual blood, or any other gimmickry to impress you. Now we wait for the Broadway adaptation.

Intimate and organic. [Sep 2006, p.74]

There’s nothing for Danilova to hide behind here, and having her so present throughout this album is breathtaking.

Obscurities will please hardcore fans and serves as a nice holdover until Magnetic Fields makes its official Merge return with a new full-length in 2012.

While the recording and performance are at times a little ragged in voice and tone, the band’s earlier semi-punk instincts ring through and its taste remains impeccable.

Teeth Dreams is the first time since Boys & Girls in America that The Hold Steady toes that perfect line between adolescent, backseat make-out sessions and stoned, intellectual discourse on the human condition.

You Know You Like It is so imbued with the history of the genre it's chosen to recreate that it has no sense of individual identity.

Warpaint have crafted an album that is ultimately rewarding and full of promise, with the listener excited to see Warpaint push their vision further, believing that the road is worth the effort.

Occasionally, their ambitions get the better of them. [Oct/Nov 2005, p.135]

Change is good and expected from new, learning artists, but lacking a distinguishable characteristic to cling to makes the trajectory for a band like Childhood hazier than the kaleidoscopic jams they started out with.

Mature Themes is another satisfying step in Ariel Pink's evolution--an album as melodically, hypnotically addictive and surprisingly danceable as it is arcane.

Experiencing The Other Side of the River without knowing the primary work would be like reading the footnotes in a history book and skipping the main text. But check out this well-intentioned, albeit overstuffed, collection after savoring the easy pleasures of River, and enjoy a flavorful chaser.

Pursuit of Momentary Happiness isn’t as consistent as its predecessor, but its moments of punk gusto find Yak at their mightiest peak.

Common to all these songs is the confidence of a band who have leaned on each other through trouble and grown stronger for it, learning to better work together and making the most of their hard-won creative chemistry.

With Only in Dreams, Dum Dum Girls have raised the bar.

Most poignant are the songs that offer something a little different from standard, because these are the instances where you can hear the makings of the band proper.

Individ maintains that energy and precision throughout its 40 minutes--adhering strictly to the band’s core approach, offsetting a lack of surprise with sheer sturdiness.