A crisp, clean, and undeniably beautiful work.

Heron King Blues, for all its successes, is not an album for Califone rookies.

Educated Guess is an absolutely stunning creation, although it did take a few listens for me to begin to fully appreciate what I was hearing.

Pyramid, while not being a step back, isn’t a step forward.

The group's strength and distinguishing characteristics rest in its superior sense of melody.

It’s a glorious low-frequency hootenanny that slurs soul, punk, psych-rock, and pop until you’re not sure what language you’re hearing anymore.

The net result is a crisp, sometimes crunchy, and often lush collection of songs that show Kozelek at his best since... Songs for a Blue Guitar.

With some guitar plucks and stuttering drums, the group is able to be more emotionally resonant and inspired than most other bands’ yelping front men can.

The fuzz and drone of Today is the Day is a refreshing look back at the band’s mid-90s, Painful/Electropura era.

This is one of the most unique, inviting, and ultimately thrilling song cycles released this year.

Those without a stomach for a little humor in their music will surely thumb their noses, but for everyone else, this is essential listening: a whip-smart band of originals, living with death, throwing coconuts at the rest of us from greener pastures.

An incredible record.

A record of truly original and moving songwriting.

It’s symphonic, seductive, resolute, yearning.

Heard once, the record is breathtaking for its emotional qualities. Heard twice, it begins to sound more and more like a brilliantly crafted classical chamber piece, with themes holding each of the hymns up to the same illuminating light.

Beet, Maize & Corn is a pleasant album of calm, beautiful pop with a touch of class that’s rare.

Never before has Bianchi put so much focus on the lyrics and been so open, so vulnerable.

It is far too lengthy to function as a coherent hip-hop record.

A melancholy masterpiece.

I know the whole ‘retro-rock’ thing is en vogue in about a bazillion different ways, but Stellastarr*’s take just seems a bit more energetic and vibrant than most. Considering the genre, this disc is a frighteningly solid listen.

Too much of the edge is gone, too much emphasis is placed on guitar solos, and the guitars sound, at times, rather flat and listless.

It's often a bit silly, always fun, and surprisingly inspired.

The best Swell album since 1997’s Too Many Days Without Thinking.

Given the potency of their debut, British Sea Power’s Decline can safely be interpreted as a marvelous exercise in self-deprecation.

Byrne fans will probably already own this, and probably should, if for no other reason than the final two tracks. Casual fans who haven’t seen the movie will probably be put off by 13 mostly homogeneous tracks of soundtrack fare. Without an emotional attachment to either Byrne or the movie, that’s simply too much for even a solid album like this to overcome.

While they still manage to skronk out with the best of ‘em, Hocus Pocus is still a little too mixed up, eclectic, unfocused, and, at some points, a little boring.

The Decemberists are stuck in the past while innovating with an eye on the future.

The Meadowlands is absolutely essential.