For this edition of the CD Review, James Boyle reviews "Fear of God II: Let Us Pray," by Pusha T, "Under The Mistletoe," by Justin Bieber, "Lulu" by Metallica and Lou Reed, and "Parallax" by Atlas Sound.

After a five-year recording hiatus, The Red Hot Chili Peppers are back with a new guitarist and their tenth studio album, I'm With You. While the album is low-quality overall, marked especially by the loss of guitarist John Frusciante and his style, there are several songs that make I'm With You worthwhile.

After the Taylor Swift debacle of 2009, Kanye West has been seen as an incredibly negative character. That was until the release of his newest album, My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy, that redefines hip-hop. Gargoyle writer Will Fernandez delves into Kanye's newest piece of work.

Sufjan Stevens is a weird guy. From his two hour Christmas album to an orchestral suite based on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, he's always been known for his innovation and creative approach, but Katy Metcalf thinks his new album "Age of Adz" falls a little short.

The National's new album, "High Violet," is one of the most highly anticipated musical releases of 2010. Melancholy and sweet, the tone is subdued and salient in a way never before heard from the Brooklyn rockers. Check inside to see what Katy Metcalf has to say about it.

Broken Bells may well be Katy Metcalf's favorite new act of the year — poppy but not annoying, sweet in ways too sincere to relate. James Mercer, main brain of folk-rock legends The Shins, has here courted famed indie/everything producer Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) in a way that is incredibly pleasing to the ear.

The Texas band has been releasing slick rock since 2000, and "Transference" continues the tradition of sparse romantic melodies written under the single principle of less is more. There is no flashy synth or tricky guitar; rather, every note is incredibly important to the whole — plunky piano, grinding bass, and all. Music critic Katy Metcalf is just fine with that.

The Swimmers, an indie rock band from Philadelphia, released their new album "People Are Soft" earlier this month. Katy Metcalf describes it as "incredibly cohesive in its sound and production … a fantastically solid listen." Check inside to see why.

Sufjan Stevens has already turned out some of the most interesting music of the decade, but he has outdone himself with his most recent release, a mixed-media work about the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. An unusual choice of subject matter, to be sure, but Stevens manages to produce an orchestral suite of genuine brilliance. The result is critic Katy Metcalf's favorite album of the year.

Jay-Z arrives in town this week to perform at the Assembly Hall in support of his latest album, "The Blueprint 3." Critic Will Fernandez says this third and final installment of "The Blueprint" series turns out to be a good album but not on par with classic works such as "Reasonable Doubt" and "The Black Album," which gave Jay-Z his legendary status in today's hip-hop world.

With spacey vocals and ominous synthesizers throughout, Kid Cudi's debut album evokes feelings of a modern-day Pink Floyd, able to take listeners on a journey through sound and time. Very futuristic and very cool. This is hip-hop taken to the next level, and fans of both rap and indie rock will find much to like about it, according to Will Fernandez.

Though synthpop is on the rise, it's rare to find a band that mixes real musical talent with technological innovation. Not so with British duo La Roux. Their self-titled debut album dances from snarky to biting to lovelorn to icy and back again. "In short, I love this album," writes Katy Metcalf. "I absolutely adore it." Read on to find out why.

On their latest album, the alternative band They Might Be Giants continue their foray into children's educational music. But not to worry — you don't have to be a kid to enjoy TMBG's musical science lessons about shooting stars and other topics. Reviewer Katy Metcalf was skeptical at first, but now she's a fan of "Here Comes Science."

Without listening closely, it's all too easy to confuse Muse and Queen. On Muse's latest release, "The Resistance," the resemblance becomes more than reviewer Katy Metcalf can bear: "For a band with so much songwriting talent and originality as Muse, it's just hard to listen to such a blatant imitation. I don't want to buy a Muse album to listen to Queen. I have Queen albums for that."

Generally, music critic Katy Metcalf would start a CD review with some witty and innovative twist on the album's title or a lyrical something or other. But after listening to Modest Mouse's new EP, only one reaction came to mind: She's floored. All in all, she writes, it's a fantastic album, with marvelous range and depth for such a short piece.