After her third lineup shuffle in as many albums, Wennerstrom has finally found a perfect counterpoint to her own remarkable voice.

A truly compelling example of what a real collaborative hip-hop album can be.

The production on the album is a very wide spectrum that still manages to feel cohesive.

Band of Skulls' clean tone and unabashed take on rock positively scorches at every point on the album.

Her debut album has been a long time coming, but the two-year wait has yielded an end product that's been caringly crafted well beyond what you'll hear on most first albums.

It is something of a feat in 2012 to take ingredients from decades ago and serve them up impressively (and non-ironically), but without being in on the joke, the Club gets swallowed up in a wall of pet sounds.

As it stands today, they're just another band doing a very familiar thing--at least they're doing it really well.

Despite the occasional sonic overload, Planet High School is a solid album and clearly a step in the right direction for Mux Mool.

It's incredibly beautiful and soothing--perfect music for laid-back late-night hours.

The "cute" songs on this album are still the strongest, but the songs that show them stretching their wings are still worthwhile.

Kisses on the Bottom is a respectable collection from a pop mastermind.

In all its abrasive, atonal, and grotesquely depraved glory, The Horror brings some overdue edge and mayhem to the scene.

This kind of tribute doesn't come about often enough, and they've nailed it, letting the lyricism and emotionality ring out.

It's their tightest and simultaneously most experimental release.

A creative and fitting nudge out of the comfortable shadows and back into the harsh spotlight-where Lanegan belongs, at least some of the time.

Largely wordless vocals are fractured and spliced amid some things catchy, some things creepy, but all things great.

Despite all of the weirdness, this is a band that deserved to have their story told, to receive mass attention rather than merely cult status, and this box set should achieve that.

K'Naan more than makes up for it [occasionally cheesy, pop choruses] with intelligent and innovative verses, not to mention excellent guest spots.

What makes Bahamas worth a listen is the soulful pairing of glowing, slow-building melodies and sun-kissed songs.

Paralytic Stalks is a fascinating listen, for both old fans and new.

Despite more of the foul-mouthed impish fun, Ten$ion doesn't offer much punch or cohesive power.

[A] superficial lack of organization and purpose.

Some of the finer details might be lost on the live presentation, but it's nothing to cry about when you consider that you're hearing Wire in their natural habitat.

Kweller does what he does best-mesh all the influences we've all heard a thousand times (The Beatles, Dylan, Beach Boys, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Etc.) into a bunch of three to four minute easy-listening pop songs.

Van Etten has all the right tools to make a great album.

For a young band with only three records under its belt, the exactitude and evolution that The Twilight Sad shows on No One is impressive.

Blondes need to hone themselves-become harder, better, faster, stronger-if they wish to become memorable, to stand out in listeners' minds as something tangible and unique.

Over 13 tracks, A Different Kind of Truth offers the same youthful escape that sold the band to millions worldwide over 30 years ago.

With moments of breathing room and stripped melodies, APTBS continue subtle explorations of their strengths and the conflict between cacophony and harmony.

What Happened to the La Las is their 10th studio album and continues their trend of solid studio efforts.

Have Some Faith in Magic will not be spawning the next crossover hit, but it's still a pop record in the feeling and influence it evokes.

Victory isn't going to blow your mind by any means, but it's the first time in a long time a Wu-Tang brother has stumbled.

Yeah, it's garish, but it's also gaudy, loud, and primarily fun.

Where they strive to pioneer a new sound stemming from everything from 80s hair metal to industrial to funk, they ultimately come off sounding confused and even a touch pretentious.

Though the spirit of Always Want is dark, Woodroofe adds an element of irresistible intrigue, turning her secrets into an unforgettable debut.

Their sophomore effort, Out Of Frequency, is an otherworldly fantasy where disco isn't dead, chipmunks evolved from Adele or the Dee-Lites, and an iPod Touch is your gateway drug to euphoria.

Rich Forever doesn't boast any potential mega-hits. But that's actually a good reason to give this a spin; the songs here are strong without shooting for the stars.

Simply feel inspired, because you can't help but be taken on a journey upon listening.

Each song is a lively, clever meditation on layering and adding electric flavor, bit by bit, in both the buildups and comedowns, and the freakier, funkier ideas are what Terje should focus on.

Vol. 3 isn't as intimate as previous installments, instead relying on a metaphorical outward exertion of sweat, blood, and terror; the alt-rock blues numbers are on a long leash with a short time to bask.

The success of the album is ultimately dependent on the listener's familiarity with the original songs.

Imperial Teen have regularly delighted fans with their recorded material's impish tendencies, and Feel the Sound is no exception.

Garden Window is, by and large, a successful 11-track record that scrapes a wide palette to enhance each nuance tastefully, movingly, manically well.

Exudes sheer fun as it embraces an honest love of classic House.

Her vocal abilities are as strong as ever.

Tightly wound, little post-punk tunes.

Her debut is mediocre at best. At worst, it's as uninspired and repetitive as her internet commentators.

Old Ideas, however, succeeds in largely keeping the music subservient, buoyant enough to keep things moving but not distracting any attention from the lyrics, the true star of the show.

The album's understated bleakness could be less uniform and more dynamic, but it's still a pleasant listening experience.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band return with its sophomore release, Form & Control, which feels more centered, yet as retro as ever.

The legacy of Remiddi's latest LP, Strange Weekend, is the eerily beautiful atmosphere it creates, just like the work of older artists such as Angelo Badalamenti, and more recent work by Ariel Pink, Perfume Genius, and John Maus, who invest a huge amount of emotion and cerebral conceit into their work, which pads out their music with shambolic, poetic insulation.

Bandleader Adrian Pillado and the rest of the group work their way through their retro surf-influenced blasts of pop with ease.

The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy could be the comeback for a band who deserves to be recognized as something much more than a mid-'90s punchline.

Wonderland may have worked better as a series of EPs, but as is the album fails to be more than the sum of its parts, possibly even hindered by poor arrangement of tracks and the odd inclusion of "The Kids Will Have Their Say."

Equal parts good time and fresh, original takes on these classic tracks, the band offers a medley of styles that color these standards in a new light.

It took me more than a few listens to pick up on this subtle understanding of baroque rock.

The entire album is driving, clever, and bombastic.

Take Vodka and Ayahuasca as a testament to these guys' long-acquired mastery of their craft, even as the rhymes are generally less than striking.

As an Afro-Cuban record, it's solid.

It weaves a pleasingly expanded set of instruments and styles, all under the watchful eye of producer Mike Mogis.

Underwood and Costelloe have explored their broken hearts in a way that strikes at the core of all of us.

Props are in order for Green stepping out of his comfort zone. However, subsequent LPs are going to need to be more refined before they're ready to be deemed truly beautiful.

On Clear Heart Full Eyes, Finn brings the stories (he always brings the stories), but as a whole, the album sounds atypically half-hearted.

There are no concepts, no gimmicks, no frills: just straightforward metal, period.

While a sense of nostalgia runs through the record--from archaic instrumental sounds and gramophone crackle to Gibson's own pure vocal distilled through multi-tracking--the sheer craft she brings to blending the old with the new makes listening an altogether rewarding experience.

With Attack on Memory, Baldi's never felt more alive or more authentic.

Something is exactly what Chairlift fans asked for.

Headcage begins where last year's Slowdance EP left off, sharing an inventiveness; creating driving, hazy, and atmospheric dance music.

Tragedy & Geometry is an emotional, slow-burning, hour-long journey that tests the limits of how captivating an exploration via ambient repetition can be.

Le Bon maintains a careful balance with her scattered ideas, presenting an album rich in curious charm.

Keyboard effects aside, it's the same-old same-old, and whether you love Snow Patrol or hate 'em, Fallen Empires will do little to change your mind.

The Big Pink's insistence on keeping their amplifiers and ambition turned all the way up to 11 for the length of Future This makes for a decidedly dull listen and one that'll leave many fans hoping that the band will scale things back for album number three.

A deluge of whining that's lyrically incomprehensible and becomes sonically dull after one song.

Despite the record's ups and down, it's hard to deny DiFranco's vision and passion for her craft.

The service Temporary Residence Limited have done in making these nearly lost classics available again is downright admirable, turning out a set that's a must-have for post-rock fans.

The album's a little too incoherent for even the most devout of electroheads.

It's a progression that largely works.

Provides more than enough reasons to keep Bosco Delrey's warm tunes on your playlist beyond the cold winter.

While it's clear that the album is a true labor of love for Kenniff, its 15 tracks are an exercise in patience despite lasting only 33 minutes.

The album doesn't really spark until you fold in a few of the harder tracks.

There's some genuine emotional sentiment displayed, but the swagger's too powerful and everything falls prey to blasé boasts.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is all about mood and atmosphere, and the duo have provided more than enough.

Thoroughly compelling and impeccably produced.

Factory may not be Guided by Voices at its very best, but it's certainly Guided by Voices at its, well, Guided-by-Voiciest.

Just another unnecessary, forgettable mixtape.

This album is, in a single word, comfortable.

Thanks to a dedication to old-school sounds and a timeless sense of songwriting, Gringo Star has established itself as a truly great act.

Even with such varied ideas, Tanton maintains a careful balance, resulting in a fully realized album.

When you boil it down, Purple Naked Ladies' biggest fault is that it's generic.

Had Nero not loitered on their cozy euphoric plateau, Welcome Reality may have given those Tron: Legacy co-conspirators a good fight.

They play compulsively listenable '60s garage rock draped in black lace and a sneer. Whatever they don't offer in originality, they make up for in commitment.

Truly, this is more of an extension than a sequel, with Blige showing once more that she can go from tripped-out, beat-heavy tracks to earnest love songs in a moment, and that "moment" is something she inhabits achingly well.

As toe-tapping or even eyebrow-raising as some of rEVOLVEr's 17 songs are (overlong at 66 minutes of no skits, just music), there's little to nothing here to put it over the top.

Daydream Repeater isn't a mind-blowing debut, but it's one that brings together working strategies to hit some solid notes.

LiveLoveA$AP is worth nearly all of the incredible amount of buzz it's accumulated in recent weeks.

It's too often a shell without a filling to serve as a ride from front to back, on drugs or otherwise.

It just plain feels good to hear the elder statesman of reggae stay this playful and open to inspiration.

Winehouse was an undeniably gifted singer and a unique talent. There are pieces of Lioness that reflect that clearly, and others that don't do as good a job.