Wugazi - 13 Chambers: Why do not more hip-hop albums use traditional instrumentation?

Saul Williams - Volcanic Sunlight: More tolerable than his past albums, but just barely.

George Watsky - A New Kind Of Sexy Mixtape: His poetry is still better, but the divide is getting narrower.

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto: No easy way to put this: it is garbage, maybe even more than X&Y.

Touche Amore - Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me: More vocal-heavy than past albums.

Thrice - Major/Minor: I just could not get into it. Certainly not a bad album, but felt a bit generic.

Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday: I am sure fans of their earlier work will love this.

System Of A Down - System Of A Down: So glad I listened to Toxicity, a stronger album, first.

Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer: Better than her brother's output, but no match for the Fiery Furnaces.

Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride: More melodic than I remember, but it is to their benefit.

Pentimento - Wrecked: I feel like this band would not exist with Hot Water Music.

Park - It Won't Snow Where You're Going: Fairly generic pop/punk from the mid-2000s.

Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne: Far exceeded my admittedly low expectations.

The Elected - Bury Me In My Ring: Disappointing.

The Drums - Portamento: No reason to choose this over their debut.

Death Grips - Exmilitary: I am completelY surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

"Dad" is another reason not to text and drive.

Das Racist - Relax: Still waiting for that elusively consistent album from them.

Dad

D.R.U.G.S - D.R.U.G.S.: For fans of TREOS and Chiodos.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien: Not as dense as I remember.

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall: I am no longer looking forward to the new album.

Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO: For when you do not want to take thing so seriously.

Bo Burnham - Words, Words, Words: What do you call a kid with one arm and an eye patch? Names.

Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing: Were I to be asked what kind of music this was, my response would be "the good kind."

Blacklisted - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God: Heavier is not always better. In this case, however, it is.

Blacklisted - We're Unstoppable: And yet it unfortunately stopped.

Beirut - The Rip Tide: Not as memorable as previous efforts.

At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command: Proto-Mars Volta and it is awesome.

All Pigs Must Die - All Pigs Must Die: Perfect blend of heavy and melodic. Glad it was only an EP.

Adele - 19: Beyond excellent, even if not a daily listener.

Wilco - The Whole Love: Always enjoyable, just never memorable enough.

Saves The Day - Daybreak: Best of the trilogy? Yes, and the others were good!

Against Me - Black Crosses: Surprising how many of the released versions I prefer.

U2 - Achtung Baby: Certainly enjoyable, but not revolutionary.

Street Dogs - Street Dogs: Their best album, even if the melodies are sometimes too familiar.

George Thorogood - 2120 South Michigan Avenue: Similar in style to modern Dylan albums.

Gill Scot-Heron - Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Title track steals the show from an otherwise solid collection.

REM - Life's Rich Pageant: I wasn't sold initially, but after listening to the demos I'm starting to believe in its greatness.

Noah And The Whale - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down: Just something so inviting about this band.

Sondre Lerche - Sondre Lerche: It's getting hard to pick a favorite album of his.

Robyn Hitchcock - I often dream of trains: So interesting that I need to listen again.

Test

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush To Relax: Reminiscent of Violent Femmes, so it's pretty awesome.

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome: Ironically, one of the better soundtracks.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver: Follow-ups are always hard.

Jello Biafra - Enhanced Methods Of Questioning: I'd have preferred a new spoken word album.

Bad Meets Evil - Hell The Sequel: To follow up a solid LP with something this good is rare.

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See: Don't like the evolution...

Against Me! - Total Clarity: Providing new, better perspective on my least-favorite Against Me! album.

Okkervil River - I Am Very Far: More energy wouldn't hurt.

My Morning Jacket - Circuital: Good, but not as good as past efforts.

Foundation - When The Smoke Clears: Beyond adequate heaviness, but offers little new and exciting.

New job keeps me in the car 3 hours a day. Taking that opportunity to catch up on some audio books.

Nas - It Was Written: Hip-hop used to be this good on a consistent basis. What happened?

Fucked Up - David's Town: Awesome concept, mixed results.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues: Proving, once again, the difficulty in following up a very strong debut.

TVOTR - Nine Types of Light: Possibly their catchiest album yet, but I would love more intensity.

Thursday - No Devolucion: Epitome of a headphones-required album.

Jack Savoretti - Between The Minds: More John Legend than Bob Dylan.

Leon Russell - The Best Of: I'd never heard of him but definitely worthy of a hits collection.

Roll The Tanks - Suffer City: Really great Clash-inspired rock.

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light: Their best since Colour and Shape.

Foo Fighters - Medium Rare: Excellent all around.

Architecture In Helsinki - Moment Bends: While I do not see myself listening regularly, it is far more accessible.

Andrew WK - Party All The Goddamn Night: Showing glimpses as a true successor to I Get Wet. #fingerscrossed

Yeasayer - Odd Blood: A little too avant garde.

Surfer Blood - Astro Turf: Just enough good to keep me interested.

The Strokes - Angles: I've tried, but I think it's time to give up on them.

Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns: I'd have to be in a shoegaze kind of mood to listen again.

She And Him - Volume 2: To adequately follow up a surprisingly good debut is a remarkable feat.

Walter Schriefels - An Open Letter To The Scene: One of the most dependable singer-songwriters delivers again.

Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing: Third time's the charm for this always-promising band.

Rolling Stones - Forty Licks; Less-than-expected filler makes for a good compilation.

Rival Schools - Pedals: Very overdue. Almost worth it.

Lou Reed - Transformer: So many good New Wave albums, so little time.

Ratatat - LP4: Their least-compelling album yet.

Radiohead - King Of Limbs: Extremely passive and almost instantly forgettable.

REM - Collapse Into Now: Extremely solid, but not likely to enter rotation.

Tom Petty - Mojo: Glimpses of mojo.

Of Montreal - The Controlling Sphere: I'm becoming increasingly disinterested.

Noah And The Whale - Last Night On Earth: Another great summer time releaxing album.

Nightmares For a Week - Don't Die: I hope this band doesn't die before putting out the great album I think it's capable of.

Mumford And Sons - Sigh No More: One could do much, much worse if they are looking for a little poppy folk in their lives.

Mountain Man - Grief: More avant garde, but less compelling.

Mountain Man - One: Solid follow-up to an angry and loud demo.

Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck: My favorite since Sunset Tree, but not as captivating.

Most Serene Republic - Fantasick Impossibliss: Radiohead meets BSS in perfectly-long EP form.

Ella Mae Morse - Rocks: Simple and effective, but hardly rocks. Proto-rocks maybe.

Jimmy Eat World - Invented: I'm still a sucker for melody.

The Frames - Set List: Odd choice for a first album to listen to, but it sure whet my appetite for more.

Floorpunch - New Jersey: Great to have in one place for when that '90s hardcore nostalgia hits.

Flogging Molly - Swagger: I can see the allure, but I'd rather listen to The Pogues or Dropkick Murphys instead of something in between.

F-Minus - F-Minus: More like A-minus punk.

Explosions In The Sky - Take Care: Always get my attention for portions, but never an entire album.

Dropkick Murphys - Going Out In Style: If it ain't broke...

Dropkick Murphys - Live On Landsdowne: It's been 10 years since I've seen these guys live. This CD reminds me that's 10 years too many.

Destroyer - Kaputt: Destroyer always does better in EP(ish) form.

Deerhoof - Vs Evil: Count me amongst the detractors.

Death - Spiritual Mental Physical: Lacking passion and energy.

Cops And Robbers - Face To Face With Hate: Hardcore punk the way it was meant to be.

Vic Chesnutt - West Of Rome: Meh.

Vic Chesnutt - West Of Rome: Meh.

Cheap Girls - My Roaring 20s: Not as dynamic but equally as enjoyable.

Cheap Girls - Find Me A Drink Home: I loved this, but am unable to justify it.

Johnny Cash - Folsom: Amazing.

Campaign - Likes To Party/Beetle Juice!: Hot Water Music reimagined as a melodic punk band. And it's awesome.

The Byrds - Essential: 2 discs is a bit much.

David Bowie - Singles 69-93: Sometimes you don't realize how talented someone is until it's laid out over 2 discs.

Black Keys - Brothers: When you're in the mood for Blues, Black Keys have you covered.

Black Breath - Heavy Breathing: One of the best heavy albums in recent memory.

Bad Religion - Against The Grain: A little too slickly produced for a punk album from 1990.

Arcade Fire - Demo: This doesn't provide any advance warning of the band they were to become.

Reggie And The Full Effect - Songs Not To Get Married To: Depressed Reggie is no fun.

Get Up Kids - There Are Rules: A completely different band.

Reggie And The Full Effect - Promotional Copy: Tries too hard to be unconventional.

Ben Nichols - Last Pale Light: If not written beside it, the campfire is where these songs would be most enjoyed.

Matt McCarthy - Come Clean: Funny at times, but not enough to recommend.

Get Up Kids - Simple Science: Get Up Adults.

Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I: Anymore quirky and it wouldn't have worked. Instead it succeeds tremendously.

Das Racist - Shut Up, Dude: Wildly inconsistent.

Capstan Shafts - Revelation Skirts: More flourishes without compromising the essential brevity of the songs.

Hannibal Burress - My Name Is Hannibal: Takes a while to get into, but very rewarding.

The Anniversary - Your Majesty: One of "emo pop's" finest albums.

Myq Kaplan - Vegan Mind Meld: Fast paced, extremely witty and, above all else, funny.

Book time. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life

Amusement Parks On Fire - Road Eyes: Much better than sophomore release, but eons away from debut.

Walkmen - Lisbon: I was wondering why this flew under the radar and now I know. Certainly has its moments though.

Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes: An underrated classic.

Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History: Outstanding album that was over far too quickly.

Tapes 'n' Tapes - Outside: Same band, more meh.

Sufjan Stevens - Age Of Adz: I'm sure I will grow to love new Sufjan, but right now I miss old Sufjan.

Sleigh Bells - Treats: More engaging than some contemporaries but not enough to hold my attention despite a few great tracks.

River City Extension - ...And The Unmistakable Man: The best indie/folk/pop/rock/whatever you're not listening to.

The Riot Before - Rebellion: Yet another example of how much really good punk there is.

Portal. The Man - American Ghetto: Subversively enjoyable.

Off With Their Heads - In Desolation: Australia is very lucky to see these guys with Against Me!.

Of Montreal - False Priest: Lacking in charisma.

None More Black - Icons: Disappointing.

Nightmares For A Week - A Flood Tomorrow: Excellent EP reminiscent of Get Up Kids just after Something before Wire.

New Pornographers - Together: Solid album but I wish it was a little more energetic.

The National - High Violet: Keep waiting for that penultimate album to really grab me.

Menzingers - Chamberlain Waits: More catchy-without-being-poppy punk from what is an increasingly consistent band.

Make Do And Mend - End Measured Mile; What hard rock could, and should have been. #notNickelback

Hostage Calm - Hostage Calm: Not sure what type of band they want to be, but this wasn't it.

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach: Just not my cup of tea.

Fresh and Onlys - Play It Strange: Shoegazey with potential.

Fake Problems - Real Ghosts Caught On Tape: Great Songs Caught On CD.

Drake - Thank Me Later: Good but overhyped blend R&B and rap without coddling one for the other.

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest: Perfect soundtrack to a blizzard.

Dead Mechanical - Addict Rhythms: Fantastic working class punk that belongs on a Best Of list from last year.

Das Racist - Sit Down, Man: Avant garde hip-hop that requires repeat listens.

David Cross - Bigger And Blackerer: His funniest album yet.

Elvis Costello - National Ransom: A couple of slower tracks detract from an otherwise solid album.

Caribou - Swim: Gave up after 2 songs. I am not the right demographic as I just don't get it.

Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot: Almost passed on what is likely the best hip-hop album of last year.

Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo: Infectiously addictive or grating. Time will tell.

Ariel Pink - Before Today: Unsure of where to begin, but 5am is too early to listen to this album.

Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard: Sophomore slump indeed.

Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids: Is there a more consistent artist in hip-hop?

Fiya - Magic Words: Solid album of Hot Water-inspired punk rock.