Daniel Sylvester

For the most part, Based on the Best Seller feels like a revitalized bunch of friends cutting loose and having a blast. The wheel hasn't been reinvented, but you get all the inside jokes because they're your friends — and you're just happy to have been invited along for the ride.

Although they've unfairly become a footnote in early-2000s rock revival lore, Franz Ferdinand always deserved credit for keeping a level of class throughout their career. The cheque has finally bounced with The Human Fear.

While the majority of Harmonics was written solely by Goddard himself, he allows his songwriting to be elastic, bending and shaping around these guest vocalists, resulting in one of the most personality-filled albums of the year.

Strut of Kings requires more than just a first go-through, as much of the album could have benefitted from moving past the "first thought, best thought" rubric. Although it seems crazy to say, this is an actual Guided by Voices album that could have benefitted from an editor.

Longtime fans should recognize Lady on the Cusp as a strong late-career addition to Of Montreal's vast discography, mainly due to Barnes's larger-than-life persona. But you can only be the horniest freak at the party for so long before it starts to get old.

Hackney Diamonds may not go down as an iconic Stones LP, but this late in the game it's basically a triumph by nearly every measure. But anyone who knows what Mick and Keith are capable of should have seen this coming. After all, they're the bloody Stones.

There's rarely a moment on Jonny that feels regressive — for the first time since the Drums' debut 13 years ago, Pierce has mastered a way to bare both his chops and his emotions.

To call Land of Talk's latest LP a left turn would suggest that Lizzie Powell was steering their songs a certain way to begin with. But once the listener is able to fully absorb the unconscious emotions, heart and instincts that went into these quaint recordings, there's no doubt that Performances is Powell's pinnacle… so far.

On the surface, But Here We Are may not be the tragic and mournful epitaph fans were hoping for. But then again, Foo Fighters never carried themselves as a memorial to Nirvana either.

On Amatssou, Tinariwen adds to their amazing range and melodic flexibilities through collaboration, allowing some of their biggest admirers into their majestic, fully realized world.

On The Love Invention, Alison Goldfrapp shows that she's more than just the face of Goldfrapp.

On Memento Mori, Depeche Mode turn this philosophical reminder into a beautiful, raw, and passionate rebirth.

With Blue Skies, the production is crisper, the melodies are sharper, the moods hit deeper and Dehd seem ready to conquer the indie rock world — from Glasgow to Chicago, and everywhere in between.

Although Regards / Ukłony dla Bogusław Schaeffer won't stand as their most approachable LP, nor will it be remembered as their most audacious (it's most likely in between the two), Matmos have cemented their rightful place within the annals of some of the most resourceful and inventive multimedia artists of their generation.

On their fifth LP, Talk Memory, BADBADNOTGOOD reconnect with their early jazz-fused influences for an album that shows the trio impressively finding the groove in the most intricate and intensive manner.

With Black Encyclopedia of the Air, Moor Mother uses her genre-agnostic style to tackle to world's most popular genre and make it undoubtedly her own.

Lingua Ignota comes off much more sombre and reflective, and Sinner Get Ready is nothing short of a strikingly effective album, sounding more like an incantation than a mere collection of songs.

Phair is at her best when she confidently picks a lane. Soberish is uneven because of her indecision, but it's still her best album since 1998's Whitechocolatespaceegg.

Throughout Sparkles & Debris, Lydia Ainsworth clearly attempts to move her craft forward. And although she howls on the title track, "I've got nothing to prove," the tracks that fail to connect with the listener tell a completely different story.

A recording that is more of a transcending mind meld than it is a collaboration.

While the album understandably contains some filler within its bottom third, POWER UP nonetheless falls securely within AC/DC's great B-level albums; just as solid and memorable as Let There Be Rock or For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).