Ten very good to great songs, stamped with the signature of a musician who knows what he is about. That, kids, is what we used to call an “album”, and this is a very fine one indeed.

Lynne has crafted a disc that--while not exactly transcendent--still manages to go to emotional places that remain unattainable to your run-of-the-mill pop vocalists.

Bell X1 has set its aim high, the sky’s the limit, and Flock is right on target.

While the LP is smart and funky as hell, it distinguishes itself because it's part of a series.

Cynics and those who just don’t feel it may claim instead that this is, at best, just a collection of good songs, with witty lyrics, without much dynamic variation; but I tell you today, five or ten or 20 years from now, the only way we won’t be speaking of Hold on Now, Youngster… as a classic will be if Los Campesinos! have already topped it.

There is a dedication and an ardor in play that cannot be denied.

The Odd Couple is an emotionally and musically provocative album. Despite its weighty subject matter, it’s also one hell of a fun listen.

The lyrics are blunt and relatable, and their song construction is arguably on par with some of the greatest names rock music has ever known

Third is a complete work of art to fully immerse yourself in, listened to start to finish.

Really, the most impressive thing about Robyn is just how timeless it is proving to be.

This album is a place to crash, boots to wear, pepper spray to fight back with and charcoal to dirty your hands. If the struggles of urban artists sound like this, these 12 anthems ensure that starving will never go out of style.

As the 12 songs pass by in 31 minutes, the overall effect is nothing short of exhilarating. While their musical antecedents are clearly apparent, at no stage does Nouns feel in any way derivative or familiar.

Married improves even on Wainwright’s excellent 2005 debut. It’s a more subtle, diverse, self-assured affair.

Familiar yet fresh, Lay It Down presents Satin Soul at its finest.

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.

It’s their most crucial album since 1999’s stunning "Still Life," and its title could not be more appropriate.

Music this rich and evocative should be heard by everyone, and one can only hope that more and more people will hear as Escovedo continues to write his own story.

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.

Wire is a great band who have often been daunting to approach, so the really dazzling thing about Object 47 is just how approachable and digestible it is.

"Illmatic" was stylistically brilliant and incalculably influential, but Untitled is a more mature, emotionally-driven, and philosophically-complex piece of work. It’s also a masterpiece.

It’s a grim journey, and often creepy as hell, but it’s by no means depressing. Mediocre music is depressing. This stuff is exhilarating.

Harps and Angels belongs up there with "12 Songs" and "Sail Away" as one of Newman’s greatest works, regardless if he took 20 years to get it out into the public.

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.

It is fresh, original, and points the way.

What Ode to Sunshine really boils down to is excellent songwriting. And it only helps that the album’s pacing is fantastic and hardly ever drags.

All of Sheff’s characters once again come to life on The Stand Ins. More stories are told from the first person than on "The Stage Names," but the theme shines through.

There’s a sense of purpose here, of direction and clarity, shafts of accessibility that relegate the din to the background without ever compromising the potentially hostile underbelly of the band’s core sound.

Tokumaru’s music, it’s now well established, is quirky but profound, foreign but still universal.