There are pleasant moments, but by any measure Seeing Things as a whole is rather bland and featureless.

For however much this album is worth berating, there's no denying that Subtle are an extremely talented group of musicians, and ExitingARM is not so much a fuck-up as it is a trial in exploring limitations.

The album embodies the highlights of the band's past work, and is imbued with the progressiveness that has made each successive Ladytron release a step above its predecessor.

Wanderlust is instantly forgettable.

Real Close Ones will likely leave listeners dumbfounded, but the album should nonetheless be lauded for its break from convention.

Spiritualized have always possessed an impressive grandeur, but on this album it is grandeur with a purpose--Songs in A&E is the sound of healing.

The prospect of Midnight Juggernauts completely reviving the new wave scene is a long shot (perhaps thankfully so), but the trio has gone a long way toward proving that, when only the best parts are culled, the fairly dead genres of yore can, when bolstered by modern sounds, result in something beautiful and memorable.

While Johansson's debut is not as pleasant as Zooey Deschanel's work with M.Ward, Anywhere I Lay My Head will surely surprise Johansson's doubters; having grown to appreciate Scarlett Johansson for being more than a pretty face and mediocre actor, I can speak from experience.

Nine of Arm's Way's twelve songs start with legs, but ultimately suffer from an inability to respect their limits.

This maturation of lyrical character is the Bonnie "Prince" Billy we would hope for and expect at this juncture in his career. While there may always be a darkness, it's refreshing to bask in his newfound light.

Things get really sketchy, in the sense that most of the tunes are just that, sketches, with an arrangement or melodic idea worth pursuing that doesn't reach high enough.

Ben Gibbard has shown growth which each successive release, and made the jump to hooky pop-songsmith with the Postal Service's (apparently) one-off collaboration, but Narrow Stairs feels stagnant, devoid of even the superficial pleasures present on Plans.

Twelve Angry Months is Lucas' best album in a decade, and arguably his catchiest. Not his most powerful.

This is the kind of record you'll spend days rocking out to. You'll get lost walking around listening to it (I know I did), think about quitting your job to relive the days when a record like this was all that was allowed to matter.

The Age of the Understatement is weirdly epic (Nick Cave), full of harmony (Mamas and the Papas), a little charming (Robbie Williams) and dead fucking sexy (any James Bond but Timothy Dalton).

You'll find yourself wondering if Nouns is really all that good or if you're just shocked to hear such songs on a No Age record.

Supreme Balloon's vintage synthesizers and basic drumbeats make for the least sonically varied of Matmos' recent albums.

While Ringer may not be his most towering achievement, his expert navigation of yet another new world of sound maintains the (hopefully) growing belief that for better or worse, a Four Tet release is always an interesting and rewarding listen (at the very least).

From the first song to the last, Speakers And Tweeters is an audio trip back in time, but not in the poignant sentimental way that one might hope.

Whether or not you choose to accept it, the FACT is that Scotland's own Hutchinson brothers have created a sweet and powerful collection of tunes with The Midnight Organ Fight.

Encapsulating everything that has come to pass since their debut with "Organix" in 1993, Rising Down is the best The Roots release to date, bar none.

The good news, evident from the very first listen, is a welcome diversity of songwriting and arrangements, on an otherwise basic pop rock record.... The bad news is that diversity alone cannot salvage the album from being their least spontaneous effort yet.

So here we are, with the record Shimura smartly did not title Same Shit, Five Years Later…, because that would've made it slightly easier to tell he's stuck in his own brain.

I can't say with conviction that Elephant Shell will stand the test of time--it could be forgotten within a year--but such is the peril of retreading well-worn musical ground. The album should, however, stay fresh for the summer.

The album does have its duds--like 'The Prince of Parties' and 'Boom'--but a cut like 'The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)' makes the album entirely worthwhile.

El Perro Del Mar will find a bigger following abroad with From The Valley To The Stars; the sound is more refined, the melodies stand out more, and Assbring's vocals are much more accomplished than on her earlier digital releases and the eponymous freshman release.

Like it or not, the 1980s are part of who we are and Gonzales' homage to the decade is the closest thing to perfect he's achieved.

Although the vast majority of the record stays consistent, as on just about every Brian Jonestown Massacre record Newcombe always finds a way (or must resort to, depending on how you see it) to throw in a few buckets of filler.