It's hard to believe it's been five years since Broken Social Scene dropped their last album, but within minutes of listening to their new release, Forgiveness Rock Record, it's obvious that no one has even come close to challenging them as the indie-rock collective of the aughts.

I'm pretty sure I read once that fairies use music to lure humans into a fatal sleep. Not wanting to take any chances after my first listen of CocoRosie's Grey Oceans, I brewed black tea and kept a vigilant eye.

When you make an electronic album as critically acclaimed as James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem did in 2007 with Sound of Silver, it's hard not to expect a letdown.

A boy/girl garage-rock duo from the U.K., Little Fish somehow found themselves recording their debut in Los Angeles with Linda Perry, who made her fortune writing songs for the likes of Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani.

Listening to the debut full-length by London threesome Male Bonding is like trying to have a conversation with someone who's running a marathon–they're huffing along at warp speed and you're all, "Wait! Wait!"