Pitchfork

After the slight misstep of 2006's A Hundred Miles Off, the Walkmen enjoy a return to form on a consistently wonderful record marked by, for these guys anyway, relatively direct lyrics and simple pleasures.

Another manifestation of the way London has transformed the sounds of Jamaica to its own ends-- from 2-Tone to jungle to dubstep-- the Bug's London Zoo offers high-energy anger and ferocity, as opposed to outright bleakness, as he streamlines his sound, shaving away the distortion and letting most of the impact come from the rhythm itself. This makes Burial sound like Music for Airports.

After a left turn, a seven-year stretch away from the studio, and the addition of Joe Preston (Earth, Melvins, High on Fire) to their ranks, Harvey Milk complete an unlikely comeback, crafting one of the year's most accomplished metal records.