Hot Chip – In Our Heads
Over the years, Hot Chip retained their sense of humor, largely in the visual sense (funhouse torture devices, boy bands getting attacked by laser beams), but something not-so-funny also started to take place: As they perfected a savvy alchemy of dance and modern pop, their music became more serious. Amidst the big, beating heaters, dancefloor deconstructions, and “Simpsons”-soundtracking anthems, there emerged sincere ruminations on love, protection, and the pleasure that one derives from simply experiencing life, all of which were fully realized on 2010’s excellent One Life Stand. The band’s most concise and uniformly gorgeous album to date, One Life Stand also represented Hot Chip’s most clear-eyed material yet, suggesting that the group was, somewhat soberly, growing up. Read the Full Review on Pitchfork

Rush – Clockwork Angels
“Clockwork Angels” has 12 tracks and is approximately one hour and six minutes long – a respectable length considering we are talking about a band that is simultaneously considered one of the best classic rock and progressive rock bands still active today. While I’ve read online that Alex Lifeson strongly denies that “Clockwork Angels” is a concept album it does come across like a concept album to me, and it seems it also does to novelist Kevin J. Anderson (a friend of Neil Peart), who has stated that he will be writing a sci fi novelization of the album. I’m certain this will be an interesting novel, with Kevin J. Anderson describing the plot as follows: “In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy, with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.” Read the full review on Absolute Guitar

Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
Matsson functions differently. He’s more autonomous — secluded somewhere in his home country of Sweden with each album consisting of little more than his nasal drawl, dextrous finger picking on an acoustic guitar, and sparse accompaniment. Compared to Dylan’s eight LP’s, Matsson now has three, bolstered by two strong EPs of hyper-consistent songwriting. On There’s No Leaving Now, Matsson lolls on down the same path he’s been a-walkin’, careless of the destination or the speed of life around him. The sound is more dampened than his previous recordings, even though it sometimes features more studio arrangements than any of his previous works, almost (but not quite) making good use of an eight-track recorder. Read the full review on Consequence of Sound