When Paramore canceled six shows in Europe due to personal strife back in 2008, fans feared a possible breakup. If the gap between 2007’s Riot! and its follow-up brand new eyes is any indication, the band has taken its time to craft its internal anger into a mean, solid record.

Album cuts such as “Ignorance” and “Careful,” featuring slamming guitars and hard-hitting lyrics, retain and amplify Paramore’s aggressive sound.

Caution: While listening to Mika’s new album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, you may feel that you are permanently stuck in some sort of intense cartoon musical performance. While British pop sensation Mika may have extremely odd taste, in the case of his new album, he pulls it off for the most part. Sounding a bit like a modern Freddy Mercury, Mika sings about his past struggles with his sexuality and his newly-found zest for life. Although the subject matter may be intense, the extremely catchy, theatrical-pop beats make you want to get up and dance for the majority of the CD.

The (sometimes excessively) verbose brothers are back with their newest album I and Love and You. Well produced and containing a few of the band’s strongest songs, the Avett Brothers’ newest album is not a disappointment. The title track “I and Love and You” manages to avoid the curse of overproduction with just the right amount of strings in just the right places, and Scott Avett’s (the gruffer sounding of the two) voice is well chosen.

Raekwon, a.k.a. “The Chef”, still has a gift for graphic poetic narration. The Wu-Tang legend’s new album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. 2, released on Sept. 18, is not a far shot off from the 1995 original classic. The two albums share similar characteristics — aggressive lyrical storytelling, punctuated with guest appearances from some other clan members: Ghostface Killah, Inspecta Deck, GZA and Method Man.

Man, when did the Dodos get so uncool?

Last year’s Visiter, an hour of propulsive folk-rock and tender ballads, made this San Francisco-based duo the toast of Williamsburg. But now, a year and an album later, the indie death knell is sounding — the hipsters are backing off, the corporate sponsors are moving in.

“This is a business / Come on make a difference / Show us your instinct / Money-making engine,” sings Meric Long, lead singer and songwriter, on “This Is A Business,” one of the better tracks off of Time to Die, the band’s middling new album.

Stephen Wilkinson’s one-man project Bibio has been quietly making waves with his electro-acoustic guitar musings over the last few years, but was in danger of being labeled what Pitchfork called a “pleasant one-trick pony.”

Blame it on T-Pain. The irritating Auto-Tune you hear on rap songs these days likely seems to stay — though Jay-Z begs to differ. Through the creation of his new album The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z has declared war against its use in the music industry. Featuring only his classic verses with the untainted vocals of guest artists, he has created a refreshing, organic rap experience.

The band Phish is mainly known for two things: their diehard loyal fans and the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor, Phish Food. Similar to the eternally delicious Phish Food ice cream, Phish has been able to outlast the test of time while continuing to supply their loyal fans with the same flav of music they love to hear. After breaking up in 2004, the group decided to get back together this summer and produce the new album Joy, which came out just last week. Joy is exactly what the Phish fans have been craving during the band’s extended break. Long tracks that are easy to listen to are packed with the many instrumental “jam breaks” that made them so famous in the first place.

On his latest effort, The Broad Street Bully, Philly lyricist Beanie Sigel doesn’t show up until halfway through the album. The first track, “Beanie,” is a simple intro with an unentertaining beat and a few shouts from Sigel. The following song, “Why Wouldn’t I,” is not much more exciting. Beanie rap-talks, out of tempo at times, over unoriginal instrumental work.

“I’m not bi, I’m tri … I’ll try anything.” With this bold pronouncement, guest artist Ke$ha announces her flirtatious nature on a track from Pitbull’s fourth studio effort, Rebelution. The album is in the same vein as the rapper’s previous efforts — while Pitbull stays true to his Latin hip-hop roots, he also experiments with different modes of dance, which results in an album that is always surprising and entertaining.