Like many of Kanye's brainstorms, it's a crazy idea -- and like many of Kanye's crazy ideas, it works.

Waits is fearless in generating atmosphere and relentless in avoiding polish.

"Hell Hath No Fury" has nearly redefined its genre; it takes the coke trade's dead eyes and empty hearts, found from penthouse to pavement, and turns them into music.

Dear Science finds the band pushing still further, using its big beats and graffiti textures in service of its most accessible songs to date.

In Rainbows, the band's seventh studio album and first since 2003's "Hail to the Thief," is dense and thorny, complex and beautiful.

His double-tracked voice makes these songs truly mesmerizing.

Pacific Ocean Blue makes a strong case for Wilson's skill as a songwriter and arranger.

Pecknold and guitarist Skyler Skjelset have been writing teenage symphonies to God since they were actual teenagers, and that transcendent love of music shines through in their own songs.

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is even more entertainingly disturbing, a rocking psycho-carnival ride (complete with swirling organ) that clearly nods to Cave's roots.

The breadth of new realms both singers explore is one of many highlights of a collection that is nothing short of remarkable.

These 11 songs comprise an ambitious song cycle, and the songwriting on "Neon Bible" is stronger and more focused than it was on "Funeral."

The tunes are among the most musically diverse the band has recorded so far, with buoyant piano pop undercut by an air of melancholy on the opening title track, glittering beds of synthesizers on "Sprawl II," churning, punk simplicity in the guitars on "Month of May" and a propulsive rhythm driving "Half Light II (No Celebration)," layers of vocal harmonies and moaning strings floating atop the relentless beat.

She has blossomed into one of contemporary folk's most enchanting voices.

Kala is pop music without the vapidity, and political music without the condescension.

It's a straight-up masterpiece, blending indie-rock attitude and clattering dance beats with lethal sardonic humor.

The wistful tunes are the big draw here. They're masterworks of pop production, with Robyn's wispy voice weaving through spinning swirls of sugary synthesizers and hip-twitching beats that make it all but impossible to sit still.

A savvy storyteller with an acid-tipped language, Newman packages yarns in a voice that is the sonic equivalent of an Emmett Kelly clown face, naturally hangdog while subtly playful as he reminisces about life's rough patches.

The National hews too closely to established formula on "Boxer," content to revisit previously explored territory without expanding its sound.

The result is a wealth of different musical imaginings, which provides a fascinating glimpse of his creative process on Tell Tale Signs.

Stay Positive is an optimistic record that continues Finn's search for a sense of place.

Even the songs that seem simple have greater depth than is at first apparent, and the band's skill at crafting complex music in an increasingly accessible way makes Veckatimest a rich listen.

Although she finds some niches to distinguish her wild side from the likes of Gretchen Wilson - the romp "Down," for example - Lambert's abandon is never quite reckless.

Ire Works is one of the best metal records released this year, full of brutal math-metal freakouts such as 'Fix Your Face' and 'Nong Eye Gong' and beautifully crafted, more melodic songs, including 'Black Bubblegum' and 'Dead as History.'

There's plenty for everyone to love here, actually, and despite the silly title, Spoon's latest is worth going ga-ga over.

It makes for compelling listening, even if you're not always sure what, exactly, is going on.

This rethink has by no means robbed the band of its tunefulness, as the snappy 'Inaugural Trams' readily proves. But the dozen minutes of 'Pric,' which meanders charmingly around the musical map, are more representative of an outfit which is at its best wild and weird.

A freewheeling stylistic brew.

Beauty & Crime, an artful array distinguished by classy sonic design and lyrical charm.