As if the Lips' perfect mix of pop and psychedelia wasn't enough, they write songs that are not only excellent but distinct as well.

Almost everything that YLT can do - and largely do so well - is here, alongside a sizeable smattering of new tricks and treats.

While most of the songs on Crimes stand out as being extremely well written musically and lyrically, the production needs an extra mention for being flawless.

Minus the instrumentals (eight), tracks featuring guest stars (three), and songs whose only redeeming quality is their cool title (at least five, including "Son of a Bitch," "I’m Going to Stop Pretending I Didn’t Break Your Heart," and "Whatever Happened to Soy Bomb"), you’re really only left with a handful of bonafide Eels tunes.

The Meadowlands is absolutely essential.

The songs are catchy, well written, anthemic, and fun.

So much of the music here — stripped-down mixtures of pop and punk, with a Big Star emphasis on the pop side — merits a listen or two, its forgiveable that you’d get some redundancy in this completists’ collection.

Whilst a few more Bert Jansch classics like “Needle Of Death” and his own rendition of Davy Graham’s “Angie” might have defined Live At The 12 Bar as a more complete go-to on-stage snapshot, its intimacy and strength still marks it out as an essential fan-friendly re-addition to his labyrinthine catalogue, which is due for further exploration via Earth Recordings in the near-future.

It's exceptionally crafted, it's gorgeously composed and it's remarkably rendered by a band that might just be the very best we have today.

Before Today is another fun Ariel Pink pop/rock record, more solidly constructed than any of his past efforts. Even more importantly, it’s also more joyously musical than most full-lengths that have been coming out in recent years, aware not of self and scene but only of the fact that music is fun and feels good.

They've got enough going for them that they're likely to remain steadfast favorites of true music fans even after the hype has died down and the scenesters have moved on to something else.

This record is a composite of everything that is good about modern music.

Kaputt is filled with light, sprightly textures, all pleasant and groovy, but the album still seems to lumber along with breezy but basic sequencer rhythms, indistinct melodies, and sax blowing similarly all the way through.

They’ve placed everything that’s superb about them and have delivered it ten-fold with Yonder is the Clock.

An excellent album, perhaps not eclipsing the band's previous work, but at least firmly holding its ground.

The way the EP grows from song to song--with a seamless flow inherently added midway through creation--Silent Hour/Golden Mile never ceases to impress.

Blue Cathedral's shifting textures and long, sub-orbital freak-outs signify no lull in purpose for the Comets on Fire. It does signify a step towards a maturation of sound for a band now with three releases under its belt - specifically, a perfect place to be.

This record is so far beyond anything that she has done in the past that it is absolutely certain to alienate the majority of the listening public and more than a few of her fans.

The ghosts of some of the greats are there for sure, but in the end, This Is Happening sounds like no one except LCD Soundsystem.

Chesnutt has finally made an album that utilizes the full range offered by lush, fully adorned production to his advantage, accenting the strengths of his songwriting but never jockeying for position with his most distinctive traits.

Simply put, you need to own this record.

This may be the kind of album that turns on a new generation of fans to the beauty of folk music, while approaching it from a modern perspective.

The National are such a powerfully gifted band, they need no theatrics to deliver an absolutely stone-cold beast of an album. With the music that is on here there is yet another thirteen songs to savor and salivate over until the next batch of songs comes about.

Surely the power of Spoon’s miraculous songwriting skills are enough to keep the listener captivated, but the fact remains that the only surprise the album contains is the apparent lack of innovation.

Feels further confirms that not only does Animal Collective make music different from anything else that’s out there – these folks are also quite good at it.

Yeezus is the complete affirmation of an artist willing to try new endeavors and wholeheartedly nail it.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is painfully short; a lean, black-tie rock album, and one of the year's best in a year full of great records.