I'll be honest: I though Blackstar was excellent when it first came out, but it has become a whole new album with the recent news. Granted, that was exactly what Bowie expected. Blackstar is the great swan song that passed straight under the radar of the world's collective consciousness until tragedy brought it new light.

This is a difficult album to get through. However, OPN provides rewarding glitch soundscapes and some semblance of song structure - hell, even some weirdly funny parts.

Sticky Drama, Child of Rage, I Bite Through It

There's no doubt there's an element of asking fans to politely piss off in this EP. Many of the ideas are infantile and could have been more, but Monastic Living is promising for the future of Parquet Courts.

Monastic Living I, Frog Pond Plop

Ugly, brutal post-punk that reaches new heights in texture. Some of the most prime songwriting of this year.

The Devil In His Youth, Cowards Starve, I Forgive You, Boyce or Boice, Clandestine Time, Why Does It Shake?

Grimes' latest is a decent pop record but fails to dazzle with darkness like Visions. Evidently, Boucher is undoubtedly brighter on Art Angels and refuses to compromise.

California, SCREAM, Kill V. Maim, Realiti

Fading Frontier somehow sounds like a last album, even though common judgment would say otherwise. Deerhunter is emotionally exhausted and sonically departed in the direction of substance over style. Their most radio-ready songs yet.

Living My Life, Breaker, Leather and Wood, Ad Astra, Carrion

Depression Cherry is some weird space opera presented in dream pop. Beach House, you have me hooked.

Levitation, Sparks, Space Song, Beyond Love, 10:37, PPP, Days of Candy

Viet Cong presents a formidable, dense collection of songs that are rough and raw, but still possess huge depth of emotion.

Newspaper Spoons, March of Progress, Continental Shelf, Silhouettes, Death

Baio fails to capture attention on this record. A truly missed opportunity that justifiably flew under the radar.

Sister of Pearl

Is it that bad? No. Is it that good? Also no. (And one more "no" for posterity.) It's admittedly different than past Beirut albums, but in very minute ways, not enough to differentiate it from the slew of chamber pop available today.

Gibraltar, No No No

La Di Da Di differs from Gloss Drop and Mirrored in possibly the most unexpected of ways--it's somehow more jittery and anxious that their previous releases. It sinks in the middle due to over-repetition and a somewhat soulless quality about it. The excellent closer brings it back to a peak, however. Per usual, Battles has created one of the most unique listens of the year.

The Yabba, Dot Net, Dot Com, Luu Le

Even though it's got its fair share of influences--tinges of psychedelia, funk, soul--Multi-Love could use a little more bang-and-crash. In other words, it needs a little livening up, but still has very unique ideas and great song writing.

Multi-Love, Can't Keep Checking My Phone

Admittedly a different approach to shoegaze than most, but fails to capture attention.

Wish We Were

Dead Petz wins an award for being the rare album that is not bad because it is boring, but is actually just overall mediocre. There are a few shine out tracks though, but the album is: 1. Insanely long, 2. More than often cringey, and 3. Unintelligible

Karen Don't Be Sad, Evil is But a Shadow

Is it better than The 2nd Law? Yes. Does that mean anything? No. Muse is in a weird grey area of pretending that they're serious and not taking themselves seriously at all. There actually are some okay ideas on this album, but they're lost in melodrama and Bellamy's complete zealousness.

Reapers

The Beach House record for those who are tiring of Beach House. Thank Your Lucky Stars cuts back on the layered reverb and noise of their previous albums for a more intimate, crafted sound that retains the lushness that made those same albums great.

Majorette, One Thing, The Traveller, Elegy to the Void, Somewhere Tonight

McMurtry has created an absolutely unforgettable musical journey through Americana. His storytelling is top notch and the music doesn't hide away either. Complicated Game tackles some heavy, existential themes without drooping or becoming pretentious. And most important of all, McMurtry retains his undying spirit throughout the whole album.

Copper Canteen, You Got to Me, She Loves Me, How'm I Gonna Find You Know, These Things I've Come to Know, Deaver's Crossing, Carlisle's Haul, Long Island ... read more

Sundfør is still maturing in her sound but the ideas she puts out on this album are stunning. Greatly varied, very ambitious songwriting.

Accelerate, Fade Away, Kamikaze, Memorial, Trust Me

The strongest release from Neon Indian yet, it seems he has found his niche. While some may find it repetitive and hackneyed, Palomo really ups his uneasy dance tendencies on this release.

Annie, Street Level, The Glitzy Hive, Dear Skorpio Magazine, Slumlord, Slumlord's Re-lease, News from the Sun

On the surface, every song seems too similar. However, each holds its own and has something to bring to the table.

Chorus, Locker Leak, An Exit, Lonely at the Top