One of the most charming and complete songs in her catalog.

Mitski's heart-breaking balladry coupled with her studied musicianship delivers one of the year's best pop records.

Goes down smoother than water albeit unmemorable. The highlight and rhw title track is perhaps one of the best queer anthems of the past decade.

Music has never felt as new and exciting as M.I.A's 2005 debut. From the fleeting trumpets of Bucky Done Gun to the squelching electronics of Galang, this is the sound of a pop star that the world didn't know it needed.

Fresh, messy pop album. Always a joy to hear the screams in "SCREAM" and the cheerleader-ish chant in "Kill vs Maim"

Pop machine churning out hits left right and center. Kind of immature. Kind of compelling.

The an album that gave us bisexual lighting, pussy riots, vagina pants, Prince vibes, juice, the queer black narrative, dirty computers with human emotions, and added "pansexual" to our everyday vocabulary. Janelle Monaé doesn't strive redefine the genre, instead redefines pop culture. It's slick, sexy, queer, carefree, protestant and unabashedly feminist. A milestone. An absolute essential.

Is this the most Sufjanian thing Sufjan has ever put out? Most definitely. From the wall of sound he constructs off of a simple guitar chord, to the lyrical mysteries--queer themes and god mentioned in the same album? His near-angelic voice shuddering in the best bits of the aptly named songs ("They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Com Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!") and of course, the album cover controversy nobody saw coming... he captures Illinois, but more ... read more

How do you top a Grammy-winning album? Tackle it with Jack Antonoff and a curious pop sensibility -- and that's exactly what Annie Clark did with this record.

Her signature guitar is up front, pulsing yet fractured akin to her previous record, but this time around, it doesn't feel as stark and alien. Perhaps it's because she gets intimate with her lyrics -- not the "futuristic-cult-dominatrix" she previously portrayed. All that glitter is great, and genuinely dance-able ... read more

Kings of Leon delivers southern grit to arena rock in Only By The Night- the album that scored them multiple Grammy wins. The album opens solid with a stunner "Closer", then drops slowly into a lukewarm territory towards the end- but Caleb Followill's stark, somewhat sexy voice never tires. This is a great record- boasting one of the most progressive rock tracks in years, "Sex On Fire".

Rufus Wainwright delivers a traditional pop record- complete with theatrical productions such as "I Don't Know What It Is" and subtler tracks like "Vibrate". Whether it's ballads or memoirs, his personality shines through- making up for the few album downers.

Bruno Mars joins a string of high-profile comeback fails this year with his latest release. The retro throwback is boring, feels like he's done all this before with "Unorthodox Jukebox"- even his cocky confidence doesn't stop this record from going down the drain. It is no surprise he garnered one or two hits here, after all he is one of the most influential male artists in the world. Yet he fails to live up to the title this time. Unimpressive.

Lana Del Rey takes on a more mature sound in her latest LP- it's dreamy, slow, somewhat lyrically improved. But of course, it wouldn't be a LDR album without melancholy and the word "blue" every now and then- and she pours plenty of that like a sadness-machine. The tracks get a little sleepy along the course, but the album packs face-numbing punches in the more ambitious tracks such as "Salvatore", "24" and "Terrence Loves You". I've had this album in ... read more

It's not often you see a rapid rap, a pop anthem and a near modern jazz standard all wrapped in one album- Janelle Monae's The ArchAndroid is one of those rare gems that knock it out of the park. Monae continues the journey she left off on her EP, in this grand, blissfully sci-fi production that, in theory shouldn't work. Yet her ambition & charisma propels this "space-ship" forward. Underneath the story of Cindy Mayweather painfully lie themes and issues of our times- making this ... read more

Right off winning a Grammy for Best New Artist, Meghan Trainor rolls out a sophomore album ironically named "Thank You". It has the nineties pop vibes- backed with considerably big producers, yet still gives in to the unnecessary raggae-trend sweeping the pop scene. The sexiest thing one can expect from these tracks is her voice...but shamefully her vocal delivery is bland and uninspiring- which is a shame, since we all know she has more to offer with her voice. And the lyrics are ... read more

Blonde is abstract, toned down with airy productions and vocal mixes. Frank Ocean delivers some of the best music year, which surprisingly is an easy listen. The cuts fade into each other, even on shuffle- making it a bit hard to distinguish one from another. Cohesive, yes. But not brash enough to remember.

Neon Bible is one of the smartest follow-ups by a band after a solid debut which was dubbed as a "modern classic". Neon Bible is grander, darker contradicting the predecessor- yet still undoubtedly Arcade Fire. Standouts include "Ocean of Noise", "Windowsill" and "Antichrist Television Blues"

Troye Sivan soars in his massive debut Blue Neighbourhoods- unleashing pure pop anthems "Youth" & "Wild (feat. Alesia Cara)" and standout "Talk Me Down". The production and synth-instrumentation is impressive, working with the likes of Alex Hope (Broods, Wrabel) and Emile Haynie (Lana Del Rey, Eminem). Sivan's vocals are prim and polished, and his lyrics are exceptional. This record is pleasurable, but still faces the fear of fading into the plethora of pop.

A stunner this year, Sturgill Simpson returns to craft a smart set of tracks, personally for his son- and relatable to all. In all country-spirit, he is a story-teller with honest lyricism showcased beginning to end- there is a Nirvana cover though, that one doesn't too bad either.The more orchestrated tracks are breathtaking, while his voice absorbs you in on his more-or-less stripped back tracks. What's truly amazing is the way he bends and breaks the genre, resulting in great sounds rare ... read more

"But still you stumble, feet give way. Outside the world seems a violent place. But you had to have him, and so you did. Somethings you let go in order to live..." Florence croons in "Various Storms and Saints" off the band's latest LP. The band goes more rock- less pop with barely a twinkle of the harp anywhere on the standard record. The orchestra is gone to give way to more "real" sounds, and it pays off greatly- especially with Welch's emotional delivery. The ... read more