St. Louis locals Middle Class Fashion deliver upbeat, piano-driven pop with their first full-length album, "Girl Talk."

Guided by Voices
"Let's Go Eat the Factory"
Matador

There's a fair amount of context to the new Guided by Voices record, "Let's Go Eat the Factory," so let's recap.

The Black Keys
"El Camino"
Nonesuch

In a recent interview with Pitchfork, the Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney pissed off half of Canada when he posited that while the band would most certainly want to be remembered as more "awesome" like Led Zeppelin, it was also possible that they were more "annoying" like Rush.

Like many other things in life that I still haven't figured out, finding a methodology for creating year-end lists is something that I struggle with.

Greg Ward draws on various musical styles with his individual approach to the saxophone, offering an innovative take on modern jazz with "Phonic Juggernaut."

Noam Pikelny
"Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail"
Compass

In "Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail," his latest solo release, Noam Pikelny has created a moving, playful collection that features so much top-flight playing it can make your head spin.

On "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming," M83 combines its usual ambient, shoegaze-inspired sound with catchier, pop melodies to create a diverse double album.

St. Louis locals the Civil Tones infuse their funky brand of soul with Latin, jazz, blues and rock influences on "City Stoopin."

Nearly four decades after the release of his debut record, Tom Waits has created "Bad As Me," arguably one of the most accessible and enjoyable albums of his career.

Ryan Adams
"Ashes & Fire"
PAX-AM / Capitol

The first track on the new Ryan Adams record opens quietly as Adams sings, "Last time I was here it was raining/It ain't raining anymore."