White Hills may not be blazing any new musical pathways, but there is no denying that they're good at what they do.

Late Love is the sound of a band who knows how to rock, but just not in the right way.

Because the formula is so well-tested, Empire Central is at its most satisfying when avoiding Snarky Puppy’s full-group sound.

He and Danger Mouse clearly are creatively simpatico, but hopefully their next joint venture will be more satisfying than Rome, whether it's an album of songs or a soundtrack for a real movie.

A fine enough retail debut, but when you can get the stronger, more unique product for free that's a strange thing to strongly recommend anyone.

Without its context, Beauty Party doesn't make any sense.

On the one hand, Sorry I Make You Lush is as accomplished an album as you are likely to hear this year. But it skates a very fine line between irreverence and irrelevance, and emerges only partially successful.

Roommate has always been prone to overbearing imagery and aimless compositions. Guilty Rainbow falls prey to some of the same temptations, but on the whole, the new release finds Lambert cultivating his strengths-a no-frills delivery and fluid, organic verses that roll into one another with an easy inevitability.

While it is understandable that Telefon Tel Aviv wanted to explore the styles conducive to being on one of the premier dance labels in Berlin’s robust music scene, it just does not feel right for some reason, especially in comparison to the fractured brilliance of their first two studio endeavors.

As debuts go this is in its way a throwback to a bygone era when bands offered up flawed but fertile inaugural efforts of the kind that made "promising" a buzz word before there were buzz words.

These Stars is a promising debut and one that rewards repeated listens. There is warmth in this coolness.

If only the rest of the album were as good as the lead single.

Angry and disturbing lyrics of this caliber would signify liberation for any other female artist. But it’s never been more evident than it is on Gag Order that Kesha is not a free woman. This makes it all the more difficult to enjoy Gag Order for what it is when there’s a blaring undercurrent that’s hard to ignore.

Nothing is forced about Thomas's blend of folky Americana and electronic psychedelia. However, the album becomes a chore as Thomas's nihilistic tendencies overshadow the confusingly hopeful tone he was attempting on The Other.

Fingers, Bank Pads and Shoe Prints can get predictable at times, RP Boo’s comfort zone of vocal sample, rattling percussion and synth interludes becomes obvious by about four tracks in.

Even the most hardened of cynics have to marvel at 20/20‘s sheer musical audacity, but at the end of the day, the individual songs fail to hold up to close scrutiny.

It’s some of the parts, the ones that seek to rise above that whole though parlour tricks or overwrought strangeness, that feel too long, even as the running time of the record as a whole, seems to glide by.

It aims huge and comes up huge on occasion. Even if the result is a mixed bag, it’s rewarding to hear West expand his range and infuse his unique brand of techno with more droning and expansive qualities.

Peripheral issues aside, if you temper your expectations and just concentrate on the music coming out of your speakers, you're going to enjoy this edition of the Megamixxx series. It's not Donuts, and it's certainly not Fantastic Damage, but it's a fine piece of work from a producer whose demand far exceeds his supply.

Ultimately, however, Me and Armini is basically just an above-average batch of pop music that, while generally not on par with her last album, does occasionally match it’s high standards in warmth and candor.

As a whole, if more of this album tinkered with their inspirations, it would have made A Sentimental Education more memorable.

It's a seldom-heard rendition of the familiar.

If you can get by the instruments of choice and shed your pop-cultural and historical references long enough to forgive the undeniably cheesy synth lines you may just find yourself appreciating this record for what I believe it was intended to be-upbeat, easy-listening dance music.

As it is, City and Colour achieve only part of the goal here, that is, to make an album that represents the totality of Green’s one man, overarched vision. That he succeeds even partially is a credit to his willingness to at least try.

On Seeker, we get a solid album from a talented musician, but it feels more like the groundwork for a classic. Hopefully, that one's imminent (and arson-proof).

Willie brings everything he’s got to bear, acquiting himself admirably in an otherwise miscalculated effort.

If you like your mood music weird and wandering, you'll find much to savor in this disorienting package. Old Punch Card is a noble experiment, possibly one unworthy of a full-length album release, but a noble one nonetheless.

While Tongue ‘N Cheek is easily more instantly gratifying than Rascal’s previous albums, it lacks the unique perspective and replay value of his more nuanced work.