The entire compilation is an incredibly fun listen, reaching into a multitude of unexpected directions to find rough-edged, rule-breaking material.

Public Luxury is a howl of musical and verbal liberation that comes from the heart and the mind. America needs more music like this, and it's good to have Downtown Boys back.

On The Wow! Signal, they've harnessed that emotion and paired it with their most solid songs in ages, reaching for something more in that great beyond. It's a seamlessly executed and proudly over-the-top experience.

The title bitknot and its wired-matrix cover art were meant to represent memory storage as well as the idea of interdependence, a notion under threat in the era of hyper-individualism. This conflict is also reflected in the record's juxtaposition of catchiness and dissonance, although its artfulness lies in a balance that favors the former without neglecting the latter.

While his writing and some of his mannerisms might be a shade too familiar for die-hard fans of classic R&B, Wallace has a voice that leaps from the grooves with a particular grain that sometimes evokes a hybrid of Otis Redding, Johnnie Taylor, and Rance Allen.

Considering how good this music is, one can't help but wish there was more of it, but that's the only serious complaint that can be levied against New Self, which shows the Bobby Lees have come through a difficult time stronger than ever.

Staples is fearless and confident on Cry Baby, one of his absolute best -- and most important -- works.

While Rodrigo's emotions may be all over the place, she expresses them with some of her most cohesive songwriting.

All of Castle Park hangs together nicely, evoking a kind of celebration of the '60s mod rock that influenced him, and by extension Coxon's own British pop legacy.

Even on songs like these that have appeared in many versions over the years, the character of the Chrome Hearts -- the emphasis of the organ and keys, the drawn-out interplay between the guitars, the thoughtful and generous communication between the players -- makes even these well-worn tunes sound new.

The result is the most texturally detailed, sonically overwhelming BIG|BRAVE record to date. Nearly every moment is bristling with blown-out distortion, yet it's shaped so that there's enough space for all the elements to breathe instead of cancel each other out.

Songs of Personal Loss and Protest is one of his best-realized projects in some time, a bit more subdued than classic JSBX but a superb evocation of what he does best and a sonic second wind from one of indie rock's great wild-card talents.

While Ei8ht is less focused than some of the band's earlier rock-oriented work, it's interesting to hear them stretch out and experiment at this stage in their career.

BODY SOUND is an immersive effort that finds magic and wonder in common objects and situations.

There’s awe and sadness in certain passages, but the primary reflections Setting uncovers are ones of joy, contentment, and gratitude. Tuning in deeply to their music inspires similar feelings.

Horse Lords' music is both demanding and rewarding, and the group continues to innovate while remaining hopeful and celebrating life.

Snowdrop doesn't reveal much that is new about Mono; that said, it does portray them at their creative, committed, focused, best.

Throughout, Bingo!'s highly saturated live sensibility takes listeners into the dance club, and even on tracks with titles like "Power Snoozer" and "Chill Pill," its tempo never drops below 120 bpm.

Precreation Percolation is a welcome reminder that Super Furry Animals were one of the most interesting, consistently surprising, and always worth hearing bands of their era.

Unpredictable and gripping across its 13 tracks, Amba and their well-chosen collaborators have delivered an album that's bursting with authenticity and the emotion of things too-long gone unsaid and underrepresented.

Their discography is still remarkably consistent, but Roses might be the point where Widowspeak becomes a classic band instead of one inspired by them.

Results may vary on whether listeners find the lyrics cathartic, cringy, or neutral on the relatability scale, but it is Of Montreal's most consistently strong and musically accessible group of songs since at least the party album Ur Fun (2020) and arguably as far back as Lousy with Sylvianbriar (2013).

Not too many groups took this kind of dark trip during the trip hop era, maybe none of them and that was why they genre soon faded out. Tara Clerkin Trio bring it back here with a vengeance and give it the kind of imaginative, dark, moody, and meaningful reboot it desperately needed.

Of all of Perry's posthumous releases, Spatial, No Problem. is one of the truest, most joyous tributes to his endlessly imaginative spirit.

Fantasia might not register as a simplified reading of Slift's progressive heaviness, but at times it offers the clearest view yet of their intense vision and precision technical abilities.

"Anyone in Love" sets the tone for a first half where Ngonda dispenses a lot of wisdom and a little admonition. .... The second half is more personal, generally more impassioned and conflicted.

Offers some of the most emotionally poignant songs of the band’s career.

Their hardest-rocking and emotionally urgent set in a while, I Built You a Tower is a strong reminder of why Death Cab have touched so many hearts over the decades, still refusing to rest on their legacy with this liberated, creative flash that pays off in droves.