On the Fly

Devin wears his New York influences proudly without shunning music’s current landscape, which makes for an engaging full-length.

Of Monsters and Men’s debut carves out a middle ground between Arcade Fire’s bombast and the folky pastures of Mumford and Sons.

Vintage Trouble put forth an intriguing blend of R&B and hard rock on their debut, capturing the sweat and sizzle of a great night out.

There seems to be a greater disconnect than ever between lyrics and music on this Magnetic Fields LP, and thus many of its tracks fall flat.

This effort marks a disappointing turn for Nicki Minaj, pushing her much closer to bland pop and further from her idiosyncratic hip hop.

Uk outfit Sharks follow up two strong EPs with an equally strong LP that, while a tad uniform, brims with passion and rock ‘n’ roll chops.

Indie-pop duo Memoryhouse presents an interesting and dreamy (at times, too much so) record that evokes influences and images alike.

Ambient/drone guitarist and ceaseless collaborator Oren Ambarchi presents his most accessible tapestry to date on Audience of One.

Indie-pop/folk songwriter Ben Johnson aka Superstar Runner presents a solid second album that’s at times charming in its simplicity.

Vegas band Imagine Dragons seem on the precipice of something big, melding a number of different influences on this solid effort.

Singular folk singer Karen Dalton exhibits the joys of off-the-cuff sessions on this demo album predating any of her proper LPs.

Indie-folk act Winterpills offer up a record that’s occasionally a bit safe, but by that same token, it’s also warm and familiar.

The Big Pink fail to deliver on the promise of their 2009 effort by penning compelling intros and never developing them into anything.

Even this far into its catalog, Guided By Voices hasn’t lost its knack for short, stellar rock ‘n’ roll songs on its latest LP.

Ambient soundscaper Jacaszek strikes an ominous yet wondrous chord on his latest full-length, moody and mellifluous all at once.