Mix about two parts stadium-era Simple Minds with one part Big Chair-era Tears for Fears and you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect here. Singer and main songwriter Gustavo Cerati even sounds like the perfect cross between Jim Kerr and Roland Orzabal. It doesn't get much more '1986' than this. And I mean all of that in a good way. "Prófugos" and the title track are highlights, but the whole album is excellent. Fans of the above-mentioned bands will not be disappointed.

Ah, yes. This is just what the doctor ordered. A lovely, meditative set of timeless, ethereal chamber folk. My musical migraine cure for 2018. And with the drummer from Sonic Youth, of all people. Why the hell isn't this on any of the critic's lists for the year? It's damn near perfect music.

Though I hung up my metalhead ways years ago, I can still appreciate the simple check-your-brain-at-the-door joys of this hilariously over-the-top pop-evil masterpiece. You know the hits. But everything here is great. "The Price" is a cool moody ballad. "Burn In hell" is my favorite. Not a month goes by when I don't hear it in my head: 'You're gonna burn in hell!" Great 80's nostalgia.

I'm not the biggest fan of J-Pop. Most of it just sounds gimmicky and annoyingly childish to me. But if more of it sounded like this, I'd be down! Haru Nemuri fills her album with a refreshingly diverse set of tunes. Equal parts catchy and creative, these richly layered songs jump out at you and hold your interest, without ever devolving into the contrived cutesiness that mars most J-Pop. With a knack for melody and a spirit of musical adventure, Nemuri is an artist to keep your eye on. I anticipate great things from her.

In the last couple of years I've begun to appreciate this song much more than my pre-adolescent self did when it was topping US charts in 1980. I keep playing it over and over, as if against my own will, blissfully enveloped in it's warm, hypnotic glow. Hmm, this is what must be playing while floating on a cloud in some heavenly afterlife. Or perhaps this was the mythical siren song that lured all those hapless sailors to their deaths. (and oddly, the lyrics work in either context) Credit for "Magic"'s magic is mostly due to writer and producer John Farrar. But Livvy brings her A-game to the vocals, and has never sounded more angelic, at moments even reminding me of Liz Fraser. In fact, if you squint a little bit this could almost pass as a Cocteau Twins track. This is that very special piece of pop fluff that transcends it's intended purpose as disposable radio product and ends up hitting something deep and timeless.