Tastefully fashionable, Saunier's truly grandiose drumming bits serve to keep the listener well entertained while never flagging as the band's backbone; Dieterich, now bolstered by Rodriguez, sharpens the material with catchy guitar riffs; and Matsuzaki's well-timed and particularly soft voice provides plenty of flavor. Never conventional, bordering on the impractical, the formula nevertheless works.

The good news is that the album is downright delightful. The bad news is that if you've followed Holland since her first release, you're probably not looking for an album that's merely consistent singer/songwriter fare: no, you want the highs and the lows.

Far removed from the desolation I feel surrounded by, Land of Talk's first full-length album's sense of hope, grounded in realism, is at once reassuring and encouraging.

Without a heavy-handed disposition, Department of Eagles manages to convey the sentiment of another time while reaching a modern audience.

The whole of the album is stunning and unique, and if the thematic gender-bending core of the album makes a few people ideologically shy away, then it's truly a shame.

While indie purists might resent Bianchi's one-eighty, it shouldn't be regarded as a betrayal, but rather as escapist fun.

It's fun and light, and even though for all I know he could be singing about the destruction of mankind, it is bursting with joy and happiness.

With his soundbombing past set aside for the moment, DJ/Rupture proves he's just as capable of providing a different kind of head trip, one that sufficiently aids the comedown from whatever your nocturnal activity.

Overall, Black Forest (tra la la) is one of those albums which grows in likeability the more you listen to it, as the charming sounds of many subtle instruments appear with more spins.

Ultimately there's so many ideas vying for attention on this album that there is not enough room for its songs to breathe. And the discordant styles, some of them on their own of much merit, never truly mesh together.

At a time when Internet buzz can make the latest bands seem like old news, listening to Vivian Girls is still exciting even after many times through; the band do not create something new so much as something now.

Despite its lack of youthful anarchy, The Hawk Is Howling is an impressive record. Mogwai are among the world's most gifted musical collectives; perhaps they have just been making music too long to want or need to reinvent the game again.

Acid Tongue has more hits than misses. However, Lewis doesn't realize her full potential on this LP.

With hooked beaks and mighty talons, Brightblack Morning Light rip and gut the carcass of psychedelic rock, leaving it exposed and decomposing on the side of the road.

The music is jovial and upbeat, yet utterly simplistic.

Packed with emotion and feeling, in Eyes At Half Mast Talkdemonic have issued a powerful statement of beauty.

Just shy of a dozen songs, the ensemble of tracks on The Stand Ins is as rich and musically textured as any previous Okkervil River album

It goes without saying that The New Year is an album that will draw comparisons to the Kidane brothers' previous group. The good news is that in the face of such unavoidable observations, the album easily stands up on its own.

Whereas the last album came across like the more muddled and aimless moments of Fiery Furnaces or Frog Eyes/Wolf Parade songs (all bluster, arrangement - nothing memorable even if expertly played), this record comes across like the more finely tuned pop songs from any of the aforementioned groups.

The only thing the tracks have in common is the uncommon musicianship on display and the high-flying atmospherics that keep most of the album's mood adrift in the stratosphere.

The '59 Sound delivers just about everything you could hope for in a well-written rock album.

That Fasciinatiion isn't a revelatory departure is not to say that it is completely without merit. It is, however, undeniably lacking an air of excitement.

This haunting collection of songs is yet another gem in Jagjaguwar's growing canon.

Consciousness is fleeting and I fall asleep knowing that tomorrow will be tough, but that the dreams to follow will be as soothing as the music that preceded them.

As presented on LP3, it appears Ratatat's music works best as a fleeting burst rather than a long player.

The album is a classic from start to finish, and only adds to the already monumentally impressive discography the band has produced in the past decade.

Viva La Vida does find Martin and his bandmates willing to extend their musical boundaries, making for an occasionally brilliant album that's exponentially more vibrant and engaging than 2005's generally stale "X&Y."

At Mount Zoomer is interesting and focused, but safe.