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• Survival: Survival -

  A Liturgy’s divisive frontman ditches the metal and shoots for the heavens.

• Chance The Rapper: Acid Rap -

  A- The jazzy Chicago rapper sparkles on his breakthrough mixtape.

• The Handsome Family: Wilderness -

  B+ The veteran Americana-gothic duo spins tales of mystery and imagination on its ninth album.

• Dungeonesse: Dungeonesse -

  B+ Baltimore indie rockers from Wye Oak and White Life try jubilant R&B on for size.

• Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires Of The City -

  A Vampire Weekend ages gracefully into its best album yet. 

• She & Him: Volume 3 -

  B The saccharine duo finally produces a record that grabs—and mostly keeps—the listener’s attention.

• Deerhunter: Monomania -

  B+ Constantly shifting Atlanta art rockers remain consistently weird, great.

• Savages: Silence Yourself -

  B Post-punk newcomers successfully capture the danger and doomsday vibe of the genre’s past.

• Mikal Cronin: MCII -

  A- Young punk rocker gets poppier while battling self-doubt and pondering self-betterment on his Merge debut.

• Fitz And The Tantrums: More Than Just A Dream -

  B- The retro-soul stars continue back in time, although now, not as far.

• Iggy And The Stooges: Ready To Die -

  C A legendary band makes another stab at a comeback.

• !!!: Thr!!!er -

  B !!! throws a disco dance party on its fifth album.

• Guided By Voices: English Little League -

  B GBV as God intended.

• Neon Neon: Praxis Makes Perfect -

  C+ Super Furry Animals frontman and Boom Bip go back to the future, ’80s-style.

• Coliseum: Sister Faith -

  B+ Guests from Boris, Jawbox, and Sebadoh don’t add much to a solid post-hardcore showing.

• Frank Turner: Tape Deck Heart -

  B Veteran folk-punk finds his commercial comfort zone on his fifth album.

• Kid Cudi: Indicud -

  B- Kid Cudi’s stab at a party record finds him in unusual company.

• Phoenix: Bankrupt! -

  B- Great expectations can lead to big disappointments.

• Fall Out Boy: Save Rock And Roll -

  B+ The reunited Chicago group returns to the arenas, but misses punk clubs.

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Mosquito -

  B+ The venerable art-punks enter their second decade with playful spirit intact.

• The Flaming Lips: The Terror -

  A- The thrilling sound of the band going from a group experience to an internal monologue.

• Iron And Wine: Ghost On Ghost -

  B+ Iron And Wine continues pushing its sonic palette.

• The Thermals: Desperate Ground -

  C Portland punk-pop vets come up short.

• Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge: Twelve Reasons To Die -

  A- Composer Adrian Younge scores Ghostface’s awesome revenge fantasy.

• Paramore: Paramore -

  B+ Emo-pop leaders successfully grow up.

• James Blake: Overgrown -

  A- The prodigious British producer earns his sophomore stripes.

• The Knife: Shaking The Habitual -

  A- Swedish siblings rewire Timbaland, channel Cli-N-Tel.

• Tyler, The Creator: Wolf -

  C+ Tyler tones it down, but only a little.

• Rival Schools: Found -

  B- A long-shelved release sheds some light on the New York band’s past, but offers only scattered glimpses of the present.

• Alkaline Trio: My Shame Is True -

  C A pop-punk workhorse lies down on the job.

• Mudhoney: Vanishing Point -

  B- Grunge’s slack-master general keeps it messy.

• Rilo Kiley: RKives -

  B+ Sixteen unearthed midlife-crisis-type things.

• Telekinesis: Dormarion -

  B- An indie-rocker arrives a little late to the electronica party.

• Lil Wayne: I Am Not A Human Being II -

  C Lil Wayne’s new record is a sex-soaked tribute to the rapper’s bad taste.

• Depeche Mode: Delta Machine -

  B- Synthpop icons stay awake at the wheel on their 13th album.