Silver Wilkinson maintains Bibio’s affectionate posture toward everything retro.
Dungeonesse’s self-titled debut accomplishes something far more rewarding than its pastel parts indicate.
Monomania is frustratingly disheveled, its numerous coarse spots in need of some serious polishing.
Undoubtedly crafted to be an easy listen, the overstuffed, lumbering, and joyless #willpower is quite the opposite.
Ghost on Ghost completes Iron and Wine’s long-gestating transformation.
Diplo keeps his grungy dancehall rave running on all cylinders on Free the Universe.
Charli XCX’s debut studio album has a difficult time feeling like it’s trying too hard.
Wondrous Bughouse leaves the distinct impression that it was a lot more fun to make than it is to listen to.
Amok is a collection of agile, minimalist rock songs with a handful of interesting but ultimately superficial electronica flourishes.
No World boasts a moody set of tracks that possess a raw and beautiful power lurking behind the whispers.
The 2012 Record of the Year nominations seem to be transparently based largely on familiarity.
Darkstar’s News from Nowhere is a wonderfully lush but ultimately rudderless slice of droning electronica.
Hummingbird proves the band is much more intelligent and intuitive than its simple SoCal medleys once suggested.
The Flower Lane succeeds mostly because of Mondanile’s dedication to purity.
Interpol’s debut continues to evoke the once-invigorating aspects of the band’s darkly stylish sound.
Pale Fire is one of the most beguiling and unique offerings of the Swedish pack.
Grace/Confusion, Hawk’s third album in four years, is a benign collection of typically hazy dream pop.
Mellon Collie remains the Pumpkins’s greatest album, the soaring vision of a band clearly in its prime.
DJ-Kicks is a high-energy marathon of unadulterated club anthems that serves as pure musical rapture for house purists.
The Inner Mansions runs through its nostalgic musical cues like a mindless carousel slide projector.