Swanlights is seemingly effortless - the mark of a master at work.

Despite the scattered feel of the album, its individual components are undeniably solid and easy to listen to.

It might be difficult to differentiate after nine full-lengths, but Mixed Race may be the least engaging album we've heard from Tricky to date.

No Age might be what you've been seeking this whole time. If you're just a music snob and pride yourself on some peculiar yet ostensibly good sounds, this is definitely for you's as well. If you're looking for something else, something that utilizes more traditional instruments toward a particular and thought-provoking sonic texture, I sincerely recommend mathematical rockers No Age as a band altogether and thus unreservedly their work on Everything in Between as well!

Although Abe Vigoda was fun and games when they first started, they show true courage in their new music.

Modest protest songs, lack of money and painful love is the platform on Good Things. He deals with hardship in an uplifting manner and with smart lyrics.

Upon first listen, the crew miss the mark with the unfortunate single, "If You Want It," a trainwreck attempt at a new audience. However, there is nary another song on the album so reprehensible. In fact, there are at least 5 cuts that will have many of you reaching for your disco biscuits and hoping for a Skytel page with the coordinates of an epic warehouse sweatfest.

At the end of the day Maximum Balloon is not a great departure from the TV on the Radio sound. And it's hard to say that's a bad thing.

Albums such as Wake Up! – best intentions aside – run the risk of coming across as entirely cheesy and contrived. Unfortunately, John Legend and The Roots are no exception to the rule.

Their precise work is only weakened by 2 anemic post-punk tracks, but 9 out of 11 ain't bad. You should expect to hear a lot more from the duo in the instant future.

From the Cradle to the Rave has a high cool factor, almost too cool; perfect for any semi-ironic hipster party.

The defining thread running through Chromeo's body of work is earnestness: you might scoff at the Lothario-obsession, the legs on display in the artwork, the almost-religious adherence to '80s stylistics, but in the end you either have to a) give it up for their studiousness, or b) just dance.

Even though love and religion may be his False Priest, Barnes can't escape their torrid ties, and despite the struggle being a lost cause, there is much cause to rejoice on of Montreal's tenth album.

While many of Cave and Co.'s albums celebrate redemption and salvation after an emotional battering, Grinderman 2 is about release, musically and otherwise – what else would you expect from a photo of a rabid wolf about to piss on then or tear a hole in someone in an opulent house?!

Thirty years into their collaboration, Underworld's Rick Smith and Karl Hyde continue to sit at the forefront of dance music innovation. Barking is just further proof that Underworld isn't going anywhere.

His sixth record fuses together the best of his ability, the remarkable piano compositions and absurd lyricism, with production outsourced to Berlin electronic producer Boys Noize.

Despite not being as mesmerizingly immense as some of his earlier output, the record is still a far-out journey of dramatics ("Restart" and "Levels"), hooky winners ("Robots" and "Think It Over") and real-world lament ("Flying" and "Think It Over"). In short, the wait paid off.

Banks leads his dark orchestra with aplomb on Interpol's most cohesive effort since Turn On The Bright Lights.

Berlin's long-running tendency toward grit-glitz, which musicians from Bowie to Peaches have channeled in their work, is the inspiration for this fourth record of functional fun.

Surfing The Void unfortunately isn't a break-through or even a repeat of the past success.

The cumulative results of his efforts are a masterpiece both dark and striking. Dear is putting forth an open invitation to tour these shadowed places of his imagination, and this is one offer too good to miss.

Overall, this is an interesting departure from their work in the past, but hopefully, Darker My Love won't continue to drift further from the sound for which they are known.

Sadly, Camu Tao passed on before he had the chance to fully craft his magnum opus and one has to applaud the decision to let the world hear what is and what could have been.

The Budos Band III is a remarkably cohesive album, and despite the lack of surprises, it's one tremendously enjoyable listen.

It seems semi-impossible for Montreal's held-in-holy-regard Arcade Fire to top their previous two albums, but with The Suburbs they seem to have at least met their own standard.

Though adhering to this formula/non-formula, this self-produced long-time-comin' sophomore release relies on an even more augmented eclecticism than their 2004 guitar-driven Future Perfect (not better or worse, just OK Computer to The Bends differences).

Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 is El-P at his weirdest and finest, a dystopian symphony of other-worldly drums, funk horns, and brilliantly-culled samples.

Too often, bands are promenaded across the web, heralded in a way that makes everyone a name-dropping music connosieur, only to fade too fast....hopefully the same won't happen to the latest interwebs It Chick, Bethany Cosentino b.k.a. Best Coast.