DAMN. isn’t the same kind of masterpiece that To Pimp a Butterfly is, but it’s a masterpiece nonetheless.

From the first note to the last, you’re transported back to a time you lost someone close to you and then retrace the path you traveled as you dealt with it. I doubt this album inspires anyone to pick up a guitar or start a band and the experience it details is too personal to inspire other bands to make a similar album. But, if this isn’t a masterpiece... I don’t know what it is.

It's wildly accessible and I think what works the most is you just wouldn't be able to tell what kind of band they really are and what's their definitive sound -- which is a beautiful chaos that works in Turnstile's favor.

This album, musically, feels like a return to Cohen’s work in the 1960’s and 1970’s. While all the songs are brilliant, they’re not pop songs.

There are no gimmicks. There’s nothing screaming for acceptance. Melodrama is a raw, real album under its sparkly clean production. One written for the masses but able to resonate with each individual listener.

This album is arguably their strongest music to date and they manage to shoot the most cathartic of bullets at you.

It’s a perfect album in every sense of the word, this album is timeless.

Another cerebral and emotionally compelling trip. It's haunting, moody and contemplative.

What I think makes this album stand out just a bit more, edgier and whatnot, from her debut three years ago in Stranger in the Alps is there's a fearlessness to embrace the mainstream aesthetic just a bit more. Not something like Lana del Rey's style or that kind of thing, but a more contemporary, alternative and dare I say poppy sound.

They had a pop-punk grit and an edgier take on their 2012 release but The Finer Things just falls short of the potential that State Champs should be exploiting by now.

Apex Predator - Easy Meat arrives at a time of uncertainty in the Napalm Death camp, with longtime guitarist Mitch Harris taking an indefinite hiatus due to family illness, but it stands on its own as a fine piece of extreme metal.

This behemoth (double album or double CD) is an intriguing release which really requires the listener to get involved.

You can tell these are songs that could come straight from the minds of Davey Havok and Jade Puget. I would admit sometimes they kill momentum of the album and one or two tracks do blend in and feel repetitive but the lyrics, messages and overall political edge compensate for these shortcomings.

This isn’t simply a rap album. It’s a political album. It’s an educated album. It’s a creative hodgepodge of beats, ideas, and idealisms. And most of all, right now, it’s an important album.

As long as their attention spans can accommodate the extremely lengthy tunes, any fan of heavy music would do well to pick up Foundations of Burden. Highly recommended.

Joy as an Act of Resistance is a cohesive banner proving IDLES practice what they preach.

She’s self aware and independent. She proves pop doesn’t have to be drab and, instead, can be thoughtful and boundary pushing. Art Angels exists for those who love pop but even more so for those who actively avoid it.

At first glance, it may seem more controlled, pacified and constrained a sound, but if you know the band, they never make music with restraint and as the album plays out, Dreyer's experience becomes your own.

Science Fiction is one of their most real and most effective pieces of art. Mike Sapone's production was spot on again and the cover of those girls jumping from a balcony more or less sums up what you need to do with this. Close your eyes and jump right in.

While not holding up to Pile's highly-regarded past, still hits hard and reminds you why Pile deserves much more time in the limelight.

Hum hasn't missed a step, giving light to why bands like Quicksand and Slowdive resonate with their loud/soft dynamic.

Recorded by a New York jazz quartet, the entire record sounds superb and oddly intimate.

Against all odds, My Bloody Valentine managed to put together an album that keeps enough of the elements that made us cherish Loveless, while stretching their sonic palette just enough to keep things interesting.

With Delusion Moon, Meat Wave have created a batch of punk rock songs both uniquely suspenseful and crawling with creepy energy. It is also one of the year’s most engaging punk rock albums.

This album has a cultural and stylistic appeal that has enormous identity, living up to Alcest's most sublime work.

It is just such a cut above everything they’ve done that it warrants a listen from anyone into fearless and challenging, yet still melodic, experimental rock. It's their finest work, and probably this year's best rock album.

Painted Shut is a phenomenal follow-up to 2012 and one that'll be creepin' on you so hard. No longer is Hop Along the world's best-kept secret.

Despite a shift-up in sound, the new roads dug out by Weatherbox are littered with elements of the old trails.