This is Speedy Ortiz at their most refined and most accessible.

Valentine delivers on the hype and proves—in case there was any doubt remaining—that Lush wasn’t a whip-smart fluke.

[Shields is] an album that unveils deeper levels of emotional impact and aesthetic dimension for a band that continues to challenge and captivate in ways that are entirely their own.

The music itself feels like a sort of cocoon enclosing the singer. It doesn't use reverb and distant samples in the way ambient music does, to suggest the world opening up around it. It leaves great amounts of space between the beats, as A Seat at the Table does, and then ties up the ends with searching synth chords (jazz band Standing on the Corner backs her for much of the album). The sense of engulfment is uncanny.

Allen Toussaint’s The Bright Mississippi offers a look backward at our music’s roots, but it does so with a keen consciousness of both modern jazz and rhythm-and-blues.

Review #1: <A HREF="http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/g/graejean-thisweek.shtml" TARGET="_blank">Rock solid, thought-provoking, entertaining and frequently wonderful.</A> [score=90]; Review #2: <A HREF="http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/g/graejean-thisweek2.shtml" TARGET="_blank">Exceptional.</A> [score=90]

While aspects of the band's creative vision have been altered and their sound has further evolved, the core elements remain intact. The asphyxiating sound has been augmented with the inclusion of longer, heavier sludge influenced moments. ... They truly deliver.

Fear of the Dawn reveals a mature White who is not only at the height of this prowess as a guitarist whose effects have formed a unique signature he both hones and transgresses. The album finds him reaching new heights as a producer and creative experimenter.

M.I.A. has given us one of the albums of the year. Bravo.

This will likely be 2013’s most necessary debut and will undoubtedly stand as one of the years best ten months down the line.

The true achievement of Mount Eerie’s Wind’s Poem is the redemptive arc Elverum finds within the black metal context.

This is another great Low record: weighty and airy, compelling and quiet, eminently beautiful.

For the First Time maintains a well-tempered intensity refined in its delivery but honest in its angst. Black Country, New Road show us what a "rock band" or "rock outfit" can achieve on their debut. For those bands labeled as experimental, we now have an expectation and a new benchmark.

Last Exit, while being one of the year's most cutting-edge releases, is, most importantly, a warm, friendly, entirely accessible pop album.

The Breeders have released the rock album of the year so far.

The record is quite an accomplishment and an excellent vehicle for the singer’s estimable talents. It’s a low-key yet unequivocal triumph.

The songs are rooted in Chicago but the narrators are generic types who don't say much, who clip their exposition to fit verses and choruses rather than the other way around, and that strategy ends up making their songs relatable and powerful.

The vastly competent array of MCs each have their own distinct flow and pace, but very little--from Flowdan’s lightning-fast verbal gymnastics, to Rick Ranking’s slow-cooked esophageal rumblings, to Roger Robinson’s soulful melancholy--clashes in a way that dulls or vitiates the album’s impact.

Such perfectionism can easily be construed as soullessness, but I think what Deakin and Franglin are actually striving for here is to strike a balance between the warmth and humanity of their music's sounds and the machine-like grace of its flawless production.

The moments on Chloë and the Next 20th Century that seem normal and traditional are executed so perfectly that you can’t fault Tillman for simply making a pop album of the highest order. But when the album delivers surprising, sometimes jarring episodes, it’s a reminder that Father John Misty is an important, unique, and undeniably brilliant artist.

EMA's work is simultaneously some of the most interesting I've heard in years, and jaggedly alive, the furthest thing from any sort of academic exercise.

The best pop record of the year.

This is a cohesive, serious album. It is distressing, depressed, isolated, alienating, and probably the best Of Montreal album to date.

The result will likely turn up on a number of critics’ short lists for best of the year.

Yes, goddam it, Cracker Island is as good as Demon Days.

Second Line is an important record in that it brings deep humanity and emotion to dance and club music. It’s a deeply personal album, one that brings to mind the soulful singer-songwriter albums of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, or Syreeta Wright but marries the confessional, candid sentiment with a self-consciously synthetic soundscape of house.

Turns out the Dirtbombs have some mystery in them yet, as they stop sounding like a first rate cover band and instead discover the first rate freeek lurking inside; now that's reason to celebrate.

If humanity hangs in long enough, we will live to see the impact Iglooghost had on our music. It’s going to be a bottom-up kind of influence on pop production and composition, with a clear line from the avant-garde. Bear in mind, he has only just begun.

What is great about this set is that one disc feels like enough, but once you hear the second you know it's necessary.

Cadillactica stands on its own as a deviation in sound but a continuation of greatness. An intriguing concept, exceptional production, and captivating lyricism ensure that a trip to Cadillactica is one that will stick with you for life.

On Heaven to a Tortured Mind, Yves Tumor clearly relishes his shift to microphone caressing rock star. Whereas on previous albums, he would obscure himself behind the music, here he steps out of his sonic chrysalis, dons some shiny black wings and soars.

One of this year’s most striking releases so far. Add in a killer style, playful energy, impeccable production, incredible performances, and some very important representation, and you’ve got one of the most striking pop records of the last few years.

Like any worthy match, the coming together gives each aspect assets that they'd be wont to find otherwise, the eletroclashy bursting with depth and the indie-croon thankfully adrenalized.

Accompanying a pure individualist and plain speaker like Nelson strips the Marsalis Quintet of its preciousness. Here, Marsalis and company sound natural, loose, gritty, and certainly inspired.

This is an arresting album that doesn't let go of your attention.

This is vintage neo-soul and future rap hand in hand; a soulful sanctuary for those turned off by the austerity of mainstream mumble rap. Noname stands front and centre of the movement, existing in the same historical moment as Kendrick Lamar, Toni Morrison and Nina Simone; sincerely engaged with social realities--redefining the contours of rhyme.

Drift Multiply requires zero thinking or analysis to enjoy. Listen attentively, though, and it becomes apparent that this album is a game-changer on multiple fronts. Consider it essential listening, regardless of your tastes or listening background.

If you are impatient, you’ll dread wondering if some of the songs are going anywhere, but most listeners will be fully rewarded with the promise that even the most ominous music on here is leading up to something transportive.

Amadou & Mariam’s latest encompasses a whole host of sounds and serves as aurally delightful proof that Bagayoko and Doumbia are unafraid of musical evolution. With such an embarrassment of musical riches, chances are you’ll find something to love on La Confusion.

Brilliantly textured, brilliantly sensitive, unrepeatable by its very nature-this is a great example of a sound recordist's art.

The reason Tell Tale Signs works so well from start to finish is that all the songs, even those that are modest on their own ('God Knows,' 'Miss the Mississippi'), are illuminated by the company they’re in.

Given the sometimes-dodgy, bootleg-quality sound, this set is probably not for the casual Iggy fan, but for anyone who has the albums and wants to recreate the falling-off-the-edge experience of a live concert, Roadkill Rising is a consistently strong set of performances in one handy package.

Where Does This Door Go improves over his last effort, which was already pretty good to begin with, and may go down as one of the year’s most exceptional releases. Where Does This Door Go is as refreshing as a tropical breeze, if not a good cup of joe at your favorite hangout.

A political broadside aimed at the hostile takeover of America by Wall Street traders and greedy corporate raiders, it's guaranteed to please anyone inclined to give it a sympathetic listen.

It's without a doubt the best hip-hop release of 2010, and might as well get ready to earn praise in the smart circles as one of the best overall releases of the year as well.

Maxwell might be delivering one course at a time, but for now, delivering one of the best albums of 2009 will sate your appetite just fine.

While this album isn't quite as good as the now legendary Stillmatic, it is one of the best hip-hop discs to drop in some time.

Shearwater has magnificently outdone itself. Not only is Rook destined to be named one of 2008’s favorites, but it could be one of the best albums for years to come.

Walls Have Ears is certainly less valedictory than Live in Brooklyn 2011. Yet, by virtue of this, it gives a stronger sense of how Sonic Youth earned their unimpeachable credentials through a long-standing ethos of contravention that unsettled musical and artistic complacencies of the time.

Silver Mt. Zion provides ample proof here that it has become the unit by which the work of those musicians who pass through its ranks should be judged.

[A] freedom to push things to extremes is what makes In Case We Die such a thrill ride.

A headphone trip for the ages, Primrose Green is a diaphanous tapestry that envelopes our collective musical history.

Melodrama finds Lorde producing the best work of her career so far, crafting an ambitious and uncompromising pop statement suffused with intensely personal artistry. Both jubilant and frightened, insecure and proud, the album establishes her as a pop star on her terms.

Innocence is Kinky might be a more clear distillation of Hval’s vision, but that’s only because the gaze is fixed so intently from performer to perpetrator.

Brown and Amos have intelligence to burn. Everyone’s Crushed soundtracks our present frenzied moment in new ways, portending a mutual future neither bright nor grim but, like this band, is inescapably singular.

This is a superb, must-have album that places Ty Segall firmly at the centre of the garage scene and continues his extraordinary evolution as a multi-faceted, multi-talented musician.

Maybe this is their best album.

In an ideal world, Street Songs of Love would be topping the charts. Sadly, it's not all that likely, but with the management magic of Jon Landau behind him and songs as good as those on Street Songs of Love, Alejandro Escovedo may finally be recognized as one of America's finest musical treasures.

This box-set from Holger Czukay falls definitively into that inspiring and still-futuristic category.

Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress is, without a doubt, and seemingly with all intention, their most immediate record to date.

Keepsake contains nihilism and optimism at once. This tender, overwhelming pop music has a way of feeling like the soundtrack to the end of the world.

This album should solidify them among Americana's best.

The Shins dare to take some chances on this CD, and their boldness winds up elevating this album over their first one by a considerable margin.

With nijimusi, OOIOO have reestablished their reputation as an astonishingly talented band that can often be jarring, unsettling, and even occasionally off-putting. But their spirit of innovation and originality is always present. And they are never, ever boring.

There's so much more musical depth on Room on Fire, that it makes most of the band's earlier songs sound stale in comparison.

As an album, it is both as lovably outrageous as Danny Brown, but also as menacing and impenetrable as his city is. Ultimately, it is this duality that makes Atrocity Exhibition the masterpiece it is.

This is the Congotronics series at its most invigorating and collaborative, and it’s just plain phenomenal.

All bets aren’t necessarily off in terms of whether or not Grizzly Bear have hit their plateau--recall that we did this with "Yellow House" in 2006; oops--but it’s hard to imagine them giving us more to enjoy in one sweeping statement than they have here.

Something Dirty roams over the terrain of the past 45 years, rooted in the mid-1960s avant-garde, the late 1960s/early 1970s progressive and acid-rock movements, and the reactions of punk and its aftermath.

Signal Morning is not only a vital part of that continued excellence; it’s one of the best damn albums of the year.

Flood Network, in its ability to be adaptable to any season, to any emotion, to any element of the human experience, has rightfully earned its place in this conversation [of best-of]. And at just over 30 minutes, there’s no excuse for not giving it a listen.

While past projects painted bleak landscapes, the latest opus pours copious amounts of over-saturated colors to swatch luscious scenes.

This album gets better with successive listens.

The shrewdly crafted Random Spirit Lover is the most satisfying batch of songs Krug has ever released.

Short Movie pines, appropriately, but it also finds ways to blast through emotional stasis. The eclectic guitar thus becomes a tool that complements Marling’s lyrics on this pivotal album, at times articulating visceral anger and, at others, obliterating psychic barriers and clearing space for something new.

That's the trick he managed to successfully pull throughout his career--making music that covered an enormous amount of stylistic range yet still sounded coherent and instantly enjoyable.

This is a classic Costello record... arguably his most cohesive, magnetic collection of songs since Blood & Chocolate and the highlight of his middle-age years.

The most striking aspect of Gold Medal is the band's remarkable maturation process over the past two years.

Everything that made her eponymous 2004 debut so instantly charming is on dazzling display once again.

Never indulgent, impeccably crafted, but also free as a long-long day in early July, Revelator is a joy.

The performances are spellbinding.

These five discs show Hooker's talents in all their glory.

Only about two hairs-breadth away from being a masterpiece.

Built to Spill's latest album is mellower, dreamier, and more laidback than their previous recordings.... Yet the album is as much of a rock-guitar masterpiece as anything they've done.

I Got Heaven has a little bit for everyone. If you enjoy a sugar pop song, they have it. If you like songs that move fast and vicious, they have that too. Mannequin Pussy can move seamlessly between extremes, but they don’t usually mix the two entirely. Songs either lie in the power pop or punk hardcore categories. Their ability to switch between the two is impressive.

It is a fantastic album, no less so than the one before it.

Every track on the album is there on merit as fully formed pieces with developed hooks and melodies rather than failed experiments or abandoned jams. The result is a stunning artistic statement from musicians, not only deeply immersed in the creative process but also liberated by the mad challenge they initially set themselves just over a year ago.

Ra Ra Riot is still speaking a language everyone can understand: Love. And on The Orchard, Ra Ra Riot has never spoken so clearly.

More than any other electronic producer of the past decade, Amon Tobin's music goes places. From start to finish, ISAM is an adventure through sound and actuated potential.

Simultaneously adventurous, beautiful, and full of depth.

Plainly stated, Turn on the Bright Lights is the album modern followers of post-punk have been waiting for.

The album is full of bright, poppy hooks as well as interesting, brainy sounds that make for a thrilling and engrossing listen.

<A HREF="http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/d/deathcabforcutie-transatlanticism.shtml" TARGET="_blank">This album is a beautiful trek through time that pays tribute to the human condition with simple melodies and honest storytelling, a nearly perfect pop record.</A> [Review 1, Score: 100] <A HREF="http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/d/deathcabforcutie-transatlanticism2.shtml" TARGET="_blank">For old-school Death Cab supporters, it's gut-check time: Did you like these guys for their "rock" or their "indie"? While the secret is out, the music is still too emotionally honest and infectiously witty to hold at a distance.</A> [Review 2, Score: 80]

Spread out across three continents, the Amatssou team has nonetheless created a tight and exciting package of assouf (the term Tinariwen often uses for their music, translating to “nostalgia”). Tinariwen link Nashville and North Africa in ways well suited to a definition of outlaw country that includes their rebellious rock.

You will be hard pressed to find another album that is as essential and equal parts human and inhuman as The Satanist, a world-beating return from near death for Behemoth’s enigmatic emperor.

Over the course of five albums, Goldfrapp have proved themselves one of the most imaginative, artistic and entertaining bands of this new century... [Singles] offers an intriguing introduction to one of Britain's premier pop art bands.

Completists may want everything and not be satisfied until that happens, but in the meantime The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings is a remarkably healthy--and even at its mammoth length (ten-plus hours) still not exhaustive account--of a time when the magic of a traveling carnival show, under the aegis of Dylan and theatrical director and co-conspirator/writing partner Jacques Levy, could accomplish anything.

Undeniably one of my favorite albums of the year, METZ shines brightly, like a Molotov cocktail at the moment of impact.