How’s this for a compliment? Rolling Stone recently deemed St. Vincent “the most thrilling solo artist in indie rock right now.” It’s no small feat to receive this level of respect from one of the best-established cultural publications of all time, even though hyperbole is inevitable in any sort of art criticism. Yet praise for St. Vincent, real name Annie Clark, simply cannot be overdone; over the course of three albums, Clark has proven herself to be arguably the most unique, exciting, passionate, and genuinely incredible musician to break out in the twenty-first century. Her fourth album St. Vincent, possibly her best yet, continues in its predecessors’ unparalleled excellence, expanding on past motifs in just the right ways. It combines the best qualities of her solo output, as well as those of the disappointingly tepid Love This Giant, her collaborative album with personal idol and musical legend David Byrne, into a robust, fiery, emotionally heavy package with no filler to find anywhere and only genuine ideas explored.

Of course, outside influences can be identified as well: Byrne in the funk rhythm of jolting opener “Rattlesnake”, the percussive stutter of the great “Every Tear Disappears”, and especially the brass section of “Digital Witness”; Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin in the overpowering, monstrous last two minutes of “Huey Newton”; Pink Floyd in the background ambience of the devastating, downright gorgeous “I Prefer Your Love.” But, more than anything, Clark’s own catalog informs St. Vincent without dictating it. The wonderful third track “Prince Johnny” employs the same sort of grey, uneasy haze of Strange Mercy gems like “Surgeon” and “Dilletante”, yet aches even more earnestly than much of that album’s thoroughly yearning tunes; the shell-shock dynamic shift of “Huey Newton” is an improved take on Actor highlight “Marrow”; the acoustic guitars surrounding album highlights “Regret” and “Psychopath” recall the early days of Marry Me. Really, St. Vincent is a distillation of Annie Clark’s musical past, simultaneously a reminder of where she came from and where her music is heading.

Musically, St. Vincent succeeds by expanding upon previous instrumental tendencies; its lyrics also stem from the same seeds as on older albums. As with Actor and especially Strange Mercy, the lyrics here are deeply personal despite the frequent cloud of metaphors and imagery surrounding them. The figurative language is often so thick that, although it’s clearly sincere and close to Clark’s heart, its true meaning can be hard to interpret. For instance, when Clark sings “Summer is as faded as a long sicada call/memories so bright I gotta squint just to recall” on “Regret”, it can be difficult to establish whether she looks back upon this time with shame or positivity, although the song title very blatantly suggests the former. Elsewhere, the words of “Huey Newton” simply sound like an assortment of disparate images tossed together, seemingly unrelated turns of phrase that only coexist to sound eerie, a job they do perfectly.

Of course, when lyricism is this personal, true feelings inevitably shine through. Clark’s words on “Severed Crossed Fingers” and “I Prefer Your Love” make no effort to conceal their woe and desperation, imbuing these tracks with a heartache unmatched in her catalog to date. “The truth is ugly, well/I feel ugly too” and “Spitting out guts from their gears/draining our spleen over years” pierce the former track, ensuring that its melancholy and poignancy don’t go missed; “I prefer your love/to Jesus” is actually quite straightforward coming from Clark on the latter track. “I Prefer Your Love” is indeed deeply personal — it’s about her mother’s battle with disease — and its somber strings emphasize just how heartfelt this slow-burner is.

However, despite the blatant feelings of these two tracks, there is a moment on St. Vincent when the lyrics bring the music down just a tad. The sarcastic, preachy lyrics of “Digital Witness”, albeit humorous in their irony, aren’t quite up to par with the rest of Clark’s poetry, and the out-of-place brass section dominating the song sounds like the stronger side of the still weak Love This Giant. Released as the second single from the album, “Digital Witness” marks the first instance of Clark’s output feeling like a mild letdown. Yet, despite its somewhat silly, yet well-intentioned and socially relevant lyrics, and its borderline camp instrumentation, the song’s a grower; it might be this album’s weak point (or maybe that’s “Bring Me Your Loves”, a tune so jarring that it takes some time to accept, yet, naturally, it too grows into greatness), yet it’s still a fantastic, invigorating scorcher of a tune, and it shines even more brightly in the context of the album.

It’s interesting that “Digital Witness” benefits so greatly from its placement within the album, because it follows the best song present, the overwhelming, no-looking-back “Huey Newton.” Although the lyrics on this track sound meaningless in sequence, Clark delivers them in a manner as spooky as the underlying instrumental, a minimal mesh of muted OK Computer synths, distant digitalism, and straightforward percussion. As if this weren’t menacing enough, Clark completely reverses the song with two minutes remaining, converting it from a relatively tranquil meditation into a stomping, larger-than-life, so-heavy-it-could-be-metal anthem in what feels like a millisecond. The transformation is so quick it can make hearts skip beats and incite listeners to jump out of their seats in shock, and it may damn well be the single most rewarding moment in the St. Vincent canon to date.

Clark seems to be fully aware of just how special “Huey Newton” is: the disgustingly distorted guitar part guiding its metallic second half is none other than the fierce, unidentified-until-now riff used way back in November 2013 to initiate the St. Vincent promotional campaign. It’s that menacing, dirty jam that played under the European tour announcement on her website, a placement that might imply that it would be the intro to the first single released from the album. Yet on “Birth in Reverse”, no such riff was to be found, although equally funky and distorted guitars form its excellent instrumentation; furthermore, no other singles contained the riff, and the ninety-second previews that iTunes offered for each song showed no evidence of its presence on the album. It’s as though Clark did all she could to preserve the sheer joy of the surprise 2:38 into “Huey Newton”, the moment when she proves herself a master of unexpected, cathartic shifts in mood and sound, and an artist unrivaled in innovation and individuality.

The majority of, if not all, St. Vincent fans will cherish St. Vincent. It demonstrates Clark reimagining everything she’s done in the past in its best possible form, resulting in not only some of the most dynamic, exciting pieces of her career, but of all twenty-first century music. On St. Vincent, Clark sounds thoroughly modern and of her own kind while she picks delicately from the past for influences. That she sounds this new while still wearing old colors completely justifies anything and everything good anyone, whether fan or fledgling critic, casual listener or Rolling Stone writer, has ever said about her.

In the world where hipsters are the new frat boys and indie rock has gone mainstream, Walk the Moon is in their true niche. It could even be fair to say that this band is the conclusive link between the two. Maybe it’s harsh, but some bands just make you want to pump that fist while wearing clear lens wayfarers and neon tanks.

The group is native to Cincinnati, which could be considered to be the metaphorical roots of present day American cultural sinkhole. There is nothing edgy, individual, or interesting of Middle America with its suburban wasteland and the same could be said about Walk the Moon’s self titled album. It is a scanty mixture of power pop riff, with a dash of synth rock, topped off with a meager splash of some funky beats, and sprinkled with lead singer Nicholas Petricca’s overdone falsettos. All is this is piled on each other in a heap of digitalized music clutter that is relentlessly bombarding you with its ostentation. After a decade of groups such as Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Fall Out Boy, the Killers, Panic! at the Disco, Empire of the Sun, Fun., etc. this album hardly cuts it as original, let alone qualifies as indie music.

As it is uninteresting musically, lyrically this album leaves much to be desired. I will be the first to admit that music often services as the language of romance. All of us, at some point in our lives, have wanted to break out in song in an effort to express our current infatuation with life and/or one of its inhabitants. But delivery is key, and once again, Walk the Moon falls short in that regard. Each track seems to be an ode to the weekend’s latest hook up, with little discernment and resolve. There is little romance in a ballad that starts out “my eyes are on the road / but my mind is on your body,” only to implore “won’t you stay shotgun until the day I die,” such as the track “Next in Line”.

There is a reason, however, that the music industry has made millions on pop rock groups and why we all secretly smile when the party mix cuts to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”. Music that is danceable and catchy, regardless of how kitschy it may be, feels good to listen to. Call it a cheap thrill or a guilty pleasure, it will always be hard to resist the urge to groove along to songs such as “Shiver Shiver” or “Anna Sun” when they come up on your hipster buddy’s road trip playlist. But hey, that’s why we keep hanging out with them, right?

Only In Dreams drifts the mind to a time where the listener feels like they are relaxing on a beach somewhere without a care in the world (which is convenient for a land-locked soul like me.) Dum Dum Girls are a California based band and their musical quality is very representative of their home state. Their seemingly lazy and relaxed vocals coupled with equally relaxed guitar and drums make it the ultimate beach bum record. Now there are times when the tempo and vocals break from their relaxed state which is what I personally find to be the most interesting aspect about the Dum Dum Girls music because it breaks them from the stereotypical “surfer music.”

That being said the Dum Dum Girls are totally a surfer pop band. A listener can gather that from any of their songs on their 2011 album Only In Dreams. I think my main beef with Only In Dreams is that as much as I appreciate them sticking to a specific genre, I feel like a lot of the songs tend to sound way too much a like. As in a lot of the songs sound almost identical from each other. Of course, there are outliers to this. Take a listen to “Heartbeat,” “Just a Creep,” or “Caught in One” for a little variety on the album.

What saves the rating of this album is the way that the tracks are arranged and the tracks that seem to sound eerily a lot a like are broken up with a slightly different sounding song. Due to this the listener does not become extremely bored with Only In Dreams. Personally, I keep listening to the album for the non-mundane tracks like I listed above.

If anyone is located in the central United States I would suggest coming out to the Omaha, Nebraska musical festival, MAHA on August 11th that runs from noon to midnight, 12 straight hours of musical magic. Dum Dum Girls will be playing with the likes of Delta Sprirt, Icky Blossoms, Garbage, and Desaparecidos to just name a few of the bands that will rock the passing 12 hours. Check out their MAHA Music Festival website for the full line-up and to purchase your tickets on-line.

Folk music without the stereotypical vocal twang is what Fencewalker brings to the plate with her EP Mourning the Whale. Her vocals may lack the overall classic folk twang but her musical backing is true blue folk (AKA there is some banjo goodness in a good number of the 8 songs on the album). Fencewalker reigns from Philadelphia, PA and claims on her Facebook page that the album was created with “me, fruity loops, and a cat in a basement with a resonator, and a piano, and whatever else I can accumulate.”

Mourning the Whale has a certain rawness to it that is prominent and honestly what makes live shows the creative and exhilarating experience that they are. Fencewalker’s vocals are soothing and smooth which relaxes the listener into a lull of peacefulness that would be perfect for a rainy day and a hot cup of tea. That being said, there are some times during certain songs (“Shoulders” and “Colors” for example) where the guitar and other instrumental backing seem to get off kilter and begin to feel jumbled and confused in comparison to the dreaminess that preceded the musical error.

The most interesting track on the album would have to be “Deceived”. “Deceived” is not only the lone semi-upbeat song, contrasting with the general calm of the rest of the EP, but it also has the most vocal range (“Hold” also shows some vocal experimentation).

In general, the Mourning the Whale is a good start for indie folk musician Fencewalker. The EP gives the listener an idea of what Fencewalker is capable of creating as an artist, but as a listener myself; I wish the album had more exploration in vocals. Don’t get me wrong, Fencewalker has a wonderfully sultry voice, but it seems like she could do so much more with her voice.

Listen to the stream of Fencewalker – Mourning the Whale:

Sexy, provocative, and soulful the pipes on Lana Del Rey will feel like a blast from the past with a modern twist. Del Rey’s music is heavily influenced from her interest in Cuba that any listener can pick up on when listening to her music. Born to Die is actually Del Rey’s second album, but the first album released under her stage name Lana Del Rey.

Her first album, Lana Del Rey aka Lizzy Grant, was released in 2010 under her birth name Lizzy Grant and has a very different feel and sound to it than Born to Die. Lizzy Grant had a more hopeful, love filled lyrics and is more acoustic which is a harsh contrast to the dark and almost depressing lyrics blended with hip hop beats that spans Born to Die. Whatever spawned the change in Del Rey’s lyrics was clearly life changing in more ways than one.

In terms of the track list on Born to Die (Deluxe) every song has a different feel and slightly different attitude while all still falling under the umbrella category of heartbreak. It is rumored that Del Rey and her boyfriend of the time had broken it off sometime after the release of her first album thus leading to the heart crushing lyrics on Born to Die. With the lyrics being so personal and honest they compliment perfectly with her deep and soulful vocals. Take a listen to the title track “Born to Die” to get a good idea on what I am talking about. I have never heard such control and experimental capability out of any modern woman vocal artist. Del Rey’s vocal talent is outstanding to the point that certain songs almost had me convinced that there must be multiple singers on the album (Off to the Races is a prime example). Personal favorites for me from Born to Die are: “Dark Paradise,” “Summertime Sadness,” This is What Makes Us Girls” and “Off to the Races” (even though I must emphasize again that the whole album is mind blowing).

I picked to review the Deluxe version over the regular version mostly to expose the 3 songs that unique to the album. Two of the three, I enjoy just as much as the rest of the album (which is my favorite of the year so far). The song “Lucky Ones” just doesn’t seem to belong with the rest of the album. It is more of a traditional almost love song and just falls completely flat on its face in my opinion. However, “Lolita” and “Without You” still resemble the rest of Born to Die while still being unique. “Lolita” in particular should really have been featured on the non-deluxe version of the album. The song bleeds sex with its deep beats that are clearly based in Latin roots and lyrics that are dark and sinister like the rest of Born to Die and pairs up nicely with “Carmen” which is on the album.

Dubbed the “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra” Del Rey is certainly a unique woman who may possibly be the most classy sex infused artist out there. Her appearance is classic 50’s turned up a notch or two on the sexified scale and so far in 2 out of 3 music videos has died at the end. Granted, I am concerned that the 25 year old may be a bit mentally unstable but that only makes her more fascinating and entertaining to watch grow as an artist. All that being said, Lana Del Rey is not just another pretty face who sings nice, she is a serious artist that has a distinct voice and has something to say and has no qualms about singing about what’s on her mind.

The whole album can be listened to on repeat without boring of it (trust me, I have been listening to it for a month straight and haven’t lost interest in it yet). Del Rey’s breakout hit “Video Games” is a lusciously sultry song that is a great introduction for the listener that has never heard Lana Del Rey and should (hopefully) get the listener pumped for what the listener will hear on the rest of Born to Die.

Sing-to-your-soul kind of women empowering, gospel church music is Florence + the Machine’s follow-up album to their 2009 mega hit Lungs; Ceremonials displays the vocal superiority of lead singer Florence Welch and creative instrumentals of her band mates Robert Ackroyd, Christopher Lloyd Hayden, Isabella Summers, Tom Monger, and Mark Saunders. Welch’s vocals never ceases to amaze my ears with her soulful alto that makes one think of Southern gospel choirs. There is no arguing that Welch has got mad soul as a vocal artist and immensely creative and motivational lyrics.

Ceremonials, however, fell flat for me. It lacked the experimental qualities that Lungs embraced and exploited that shot Florence Welch into stardom.  The whole album held a very churchy vibe with many tracks holding choir-like background vocals.  Granted, Welch’s vocals hold true to the church choir realm, I felt like in Lungs she took many more risks with her vocals and instrumentals (listen to “Kiss with a Fist” or her hit song “Dog Days are Over” for a couple examples on what I mean).  Although I must say certain songs do display the fantastic quality of musical performance I know of Florence + the Machine to display. Take “Spectrum” for instance that demands the listener to dance like a fool and shout along to the powerful lyrics.

Lungs also held a kind of angst that I feel like Ceremonials is greatly missing from it. Granted there are some fabulously spiritually pleasing and motivating songs like the second single from the album, Shake it Out. Overall, I felt like this album was trying too hard to be something it was not. Perhaps, it is also partly my fault for expecting magic from Florence + the Machine being that I am such a huge fan of Florence Welch’s majestic voice and her inspiring instrumentals that generally force the listener into a blind dancing craze.

Indie pop group fun. has done it again in their newly released second album entitled Some Nights. A follow up to their first album Aim and Ignite; Some Nights does not disappoint with it’s catchy ballads and foot tapping melodies. In the “Some Nights Intro”, the first track on the album, fun. delivers the theatrical performance and amazing vocals that only Nate Ruess can deliver with such ease and comfort. His amazingly smooth melodic voice, mixed with the guitar, synthesizers, trumpets, flugelhorn, percussion, glockenspiel, and a little auto tune here and there make for an interesting treat for one’s ears.

Fun. has most recently become known for their hit “We are Young” featuring Janelle Monae which hit number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The viral hit also topped the Billboard Digital Songs chart and the iTunes singles charts for over two weeks. The song is featured on a Chevy commercial which aired during the Superbowl; and was also featured on the cult hit Glee. A number of songs on the album also feature some extremely well done auto tuning. Think “Auto tuned Finn” on the hit cartoon Adventure Time mixed with Freddy Mercury of Queen.

The ballad “Carry On” moves the listener with it’s uplifting lyrics and head bobbling melody. Lyrics like “If you’re lost and alone; Or you’re sinking like a stone, Carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. Songs like these seem to be the anthem of our generation right now. With all the teen suicides, school shootings, and bullying issues it is great to hear those types of songs now and again. Actually the entire album is full of clever lyrics and hooks that leave you craving the next song.

Overall fun. has come up with a astounding follow up to a stellar first album. They have placed themselves in the front of their format and genre and are reaping the benefits of staying true to their sounds, yet taking it to the next level with hip hop undertones. Their passion for creating unique, interesting music shines through brilliantly.