Essential Full-Length Releases
 Alex Bleeker & The Freaks - Country Agenda This seems to be the year that the members of Real Estate all decided to release solo work. Matt Mondanile has long been working solo as Ducktails, but Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker have solo projects of their own. Bleeker's side project started in 2009 with Mondanile and Courtney, as well as a few other musicians. This is the third album from the folk-focused band. Watch: "Sealong Hair" Watch: "The Rest" |
 Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars It seems like just a few months ago that Beach House released their last album...oh wait. Not even two months after releasing an incredible fifth album, Depression Cherry, Beach House are already back with the follow-up. Adamantly not a collection of b-sides or a companion to that last record, the album continues their focus on a simpler sound, but with darker results. Listen: "Majorette" Listen: "One Thing" |
 Deerhunter - Fading Frontier While there are a lot of artists whose work I love, there are very few both with a substantial body of work and no real missteps. Deerhunter is one of those bands for me. Fading Frontier the seventh album from the band, and they continue their mix of ambient and experimental styles, and their mastery of pop elements. Already, I have been playing this album on repeat. Watch: "Living My Life" Watch: "Snakeskin" |
Other Full-Length Releases
 !!! - As If Watch: "Freedom at ‘15" Watch: "Bam City" |  Alela Diane & Ryan Francesconi - Cold Moon Listen: "The Sun Today" Listen: "No Thought of Leaving" |
 Børns - Dopamine Watch: "Electric Love" Listen: "The Emotion" |  Chris Walla - Tape Loops Listen: "Kanta’s Theme" Listen: "I Believe in the Night" |
 Christine and the Queens - Christine and the Queens Watch: "Paradis Perdus" Watch: "Jonathan" (featuring Perfume Genius) |  Daniel Martin Moore - Golden Age Listen: "Golden Age" Listen: "Our Hearts Will Hover" |
 The Game - The Documentary 2.5 Listen: "El Chapo" (featuring Skrillex) Listen: "Gang Bang Anyway" (featuring Jay Rock & ScHoolboy Q) |  Here We Go Magic - Be Small Watch: "Falling" Watch: "Tokyo London U.S. Korea" |
 Jean-Michel Jarre - Electronic 1: The Time Machine Watch: "Glory" (featuring M83) Watch: "If…!" (featuring Little Boots) |  Majical Cloudz - Are You Alone? Watch: "Downtown" Watch: "Silver Car Crash" |
 Neon Indian - VEGA INTL. Night School Watch: "Slumlord" Listen: "The Glitzy Hive" |  Peter Buck - Warzone Earth Listen: "It Ain’t Killing Me" |
 Raury - All We Need Watch: "Friends" (featuring Tom Morello) Watch: "Devil’s Whisper" |  Small Black - Best Blues Watch: "Boy’s Life" Watch: "No One Wants It to Happen to You" |
 Sweet Spirit - Cokomo Watch: "Baby Doll" Listen: "Baby When I Close My Eyes" |  YACHT - I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler Watch: "L.A. Plays Itself" Watch: "I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler" |
Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.
 Annie - Endless Vacation Listen: "Cara Mia" Listen: "WorkX2" |  Arcade Fire - The Reflektor Tapes Watch: "Porno" Listen: "Crucified Again" |
 Courtney Barnett - "Boxing Day Blues Revisited" Listen: "Boxing Day Blues (Revisited)" Listen: "Shivers" |  Decorations - Girls EP Listen: "Girls" |
 Django Django - "Shake & Tremble" Watch: "Shake and Tremble" Listen: "Hold the Line" |  Gazing with Tranquility: A Tribute to Donovan Listen: Hamilton Leithauser - "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting" Listen: Sharon van Etten - "Teen Angel" |
 Iron & Wine - Archive Series No. 2 7” Listen: "Albuquerque" |  Jeezy - Politically Correct EP Watch: "Streetz" Watch: "Change the World" |
 John Carpenter - Lost Themes Remixed Listen: "Purgatory" (Prurient Remix) Listen: "Night" (Zola Jesus & Dean Hurley Remix) |  Kill J - "You’re Good but I’m Better" Listen: "You’re Good but I’m Better" |
 M83 - Saturdays=Youth Remixes & B-Sides |  Olga Bell - Incitation EP Watch: "Goalie" Watch: "Incitation" |
 Sam Sparro - Quantum Physical, Vol. 2 EP Listen: "In Your Heaven" Listen: "On My Mind" |  The Twilight Sad - Òran Mór Session Watch: "It Never Was the Same" Watch: "Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave" |
 White Sea - "Never a Woman" Listen: "Never a Woman" |
