Thanks to [Lorde's] vision, and her grip on the series' most important thematic elements, the 50 minutes of music behind Mockingjay Part 1 ably function as both a glance at 2014's finest purveyors of complex, downcast pop and a complement to the start of the series' chaotic, brutal conclusion.

The stripped-down songs on Terrible World--guitar-driven variations on God-fearing gospel ("Carolina Low") and Laurel Canyon country ("Lake Song")--are its best. After years of extravagance, dressing down turns out to be The Decemberists' strong suit.

The music is digital and danceable but with emotional depth--much of it thanks to Mayberry.

The 12-track set plows some new ground for Little Big Town, from the way Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook's duet intertwines with the group harmonies on the title track to the traditional country flavor of "You Can't Have Everything" and the bluegrass tinge on "Little White Church."

The track "Water in Hell" is an anthemic rocker with a catchy, shout-along chorus ("From what I can tell/There's water in hell!"), and "Forced to Love" combines the band's usual grit and a hook that unexpectedly sticks, similar to "Cause = Time" from its 2002 breakthrough release, "You Forgot It in People." Strangely enough, the new album's less pop-driven songs are hit or miss.

Don't let ["Accidental Racist"] dissuade you. Paisley still knows how to have a good time and standout singles "Southern Comfort Zone" and "Beat This Summer" continue to showcase this.

I Never Learn is a brave album--it could very well alienate more fans than it brings in. But Li's songwriting is exquisite in its vulnerability; she has never sounded more sure of her aesthetic than she does in her most miserable moment. Like Beyonce's self-titled LP last year, this is a "grown-woman" album, but one focused on the sobering end of youth rather than the blissful beginnings of adulthood.

Food is just as tangy as the concoctions Kelis whips up every week on the Cooking Channel, in spite of the stylistic departure from her R&B albums like "Kaleidoscope" and "Tasty" as well as 2010's dance-focused "Flesh Tone."

The Truth About Love is a peerlessly witty, endlessly melodic tour de force.

A handful of tracks strewn with cheesy metaphors shows the impersonality that mars Cuomo's post-Pinkerton songwriting, despite some redeeming musical qualities that reaffirm Weezer as a purveyor of feedback and fuzz (particularly "Cleopatra," a great rock single if you ignore the lyrics).

El Pintor succeeds in besting 2010’s Interpol, whose reception was so deflating, it could have killed the band’s career. But against even 2007’s ho-hum Capitol Records excursion Our Love to Admire (let alone Turn On the Bright Lights or even Antics), El Pintor fails to do much more than tread water.

Mostly known for delivering folk-punk anthems, Against Me! delivers a no-fuss rock collection with its latest release.

With lyrical themes of global economic distress and romantic bliss, British pop-punk band the Futureheads bring a more refined sound to its fourth album.

A welcome, long-awaited return after a troubled hiatus, but it hums along comfortably without striking any innovative poses.

There's a musical and rhythmic uniformity among these 13 tracks that might lose ears beyond the album's brisk 29 minutes, but it reflects a consistent summer ambivalence to which most anyone can relate.

Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Ros may be on an indefinite hiatus, but the group's enigmatic singer Jon Thor Birgisson, better-known as Jonsi, is filling the void with his first solo album, "Go."

Austere and melancholy, dealing mostly with heartbreaks and farewells with a modicum of hope, new album "Paper Airplane" still conveys the rich and understated beauty that's always been the group's trademark.

Seven-inch obsessives probably could have seen the debut's tangy intensity coming, but for rock fans unaware of Reatard's history, Watch Me Fall is a welcome surprise.

Splicing sounds and rhythms that sometimes complement and often compete, "Oversteps" creates an evolving harmony built on its own continuous assembly and breakdown.

Not every track on Another Round may be a winner, but Jaheim remains a welcome oasis in a desert of Auto-Tuned voices-and a beacon for the next generation of soul.

Blitzen Trapper again channels a variety of sounds from the '60s through the '80s to meld its own genre on its latest release.

Crystal Castles aren't as cold as they appear to be, but they are calculating--(III) is an expertly produced album that, at just nearly 40 minutes, leaves fans wanting more.

Stuck on Nothing works well as a no-nonsense party album, but Free Energy shows tremendous promise on this debut.

On their second release No Mas, cousins George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk stake their claim in the world of electronica with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach, yielding infectious but often mind-boggling results.

On the impressive Sour Soul, the Canadian trio that built its profile through Odd Future and Gucci Mane covers bangs out rich blaxploitation-invoking live instrumentals, providing a perfect canvas for the Wu-Tang Clan vet's vivid rhymes about dodging police, jewelry and, oddly enough, yoga.

An exhilarating, life-affirming blast of no-bullshit rock'n'roll, Street Songs of Love features Escovedo reteaming with famed David Bowie/T. Rex producer Tony Visconti, who also manned the boards for his arresting 2008 album, "Real Animal."

It's 'party of one' music to overthink with and lines to quote when angry at a significant other--the soundtrack for hard times.

For all of the sonic pleasures, much of At.Long.Last.ASAP’s narrative is hard to swallow with a thinking mind--which makes it hip-hop at its finest, and its worst.