Like everything else Pharmakon does, this is almost unbearably intense, but in a way that resonates deeply and is almost soothing, as if the only way to justify the horrors of living is to elevate one's self into the most chaotic state possible.

Full of insight and inspiration, The Return is an impressive, powerful work.

It might take some time for Flying Dream 1 to fully grab you, but when it does, the album's measured, artful introspection is hard to shake.

Stunning playing, unexpected turns, and precisely detailed sonic architecture are all commonplace elements of Kikagaku Moyo's sound and the stylistic tangents and world-building atmospheres of Kumoyo Island feel more even more like a statement than any of the band's already seriously crafted previous albums.

Guided by Voices has never had so long a streak of consistently fine albums as they've had since this edition came to be, and Welshpool Frillies shows this band (and their indefatigable leader) aren't about to let us down now.

Cascade is yet another marvelous Floating Points album, and easily the most successful work he's made as a dance producer.

The resulting Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me finds Porridge Radio still recognizably visceral and volatile but also a little wearier and occasionally resigned, as on the eerie, semi-rambling "In a Dream I'm a Painting" and on penultimate track "Pieces of Heaven."

Kacirek and Müller are credited, but it's difficult to discern their contributions to the piece. The title All Melody seems to refer to the singularity of the sounds combining together. It also suggests that while empty space is often a major element to the album, what is present is entirely melodic, and purely based in emotions.

If PAINLESS is less ambitious and attention-grabbing than her debut, it sees Yanya makes strides in being more affecting.

Despite that plethora of knowing musical allusions, this is by no means a stale, cut-and-dried retro affair.

Compared to the majority of the material on the parent releases, they're placid, ambient pieces that are not nearly as disturbed but recall the quiet menace of 23 Skidoo's Urban Gamelan and The Culling Is Coming, as well as the drum-less ambient dub side of Basic Channel.

He may have traveled a long way from the glory days of Felt, or the almost-success of Denim, but even when his life has turned dicey, his gift for cracking amazing jokes in one line, then dropping devastating emotional bombs in the next, has never deserted him. It's out in full force on Mozart's Mini-Mart, and the record is nothing short of a rollicking joyride of eccentric brilliance.

Odyssey isn't a next step for the artist, but a giant leap into unbridled inspiration, focus, and creativity. Like Source before it, this arrives at a captivating juncture in Great Britain's wildly diverse jazz scene, and will no doubt influence it.

Fear Fun's deft mix of folly and grandeur strikes a nice balance between the over the top hippie shenanigans of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and the vapid, calculated debauchery of Lana Del Ray.

Fast-forward a few years and that mid-fi, highly melodic sound [on 2018's Parallel Universe Blues] is fully intact on Past Life Regression. It's a little clearer, sharper around the edges, and less bathed in a kind of third-album VU haze.

They may not be the hippest band around in 2010 but they sound as fresh and important as they did in 1990, 1995, or 2001, and Majesty Shredding is the kind of album that'll make you glad to be a fan of indie rock.

Easily one of 2000's most accomplished albums, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out may not be as immediately appealing as some of the group's more upbeat albums, but it's just as enduring, proving that Yo La Tengo is the perfect band to grow old with.

On Compass, Redman has finally learned the greatest trick from his mentor--to walk out on the wire with his horn more, trust the fluid abilities of his incredible rhythm section(s), and let his inner sense of song and freedom take precedence over his already well-established sense of discipline.

While it's highlighted by evocative tracks like "Fuck Me Eyes" and its mix of smooth synths and dissonant fuzz, and the more intimate "Dust Bowl" ("I knew it was love/When I rode home crying"), like any concept album worth its salt, Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You is best heard in its (73-minute) entirety.

Ultimately, while Lewis himself remains an enigma, the music on L'Amour offers us a fascinating glimpse of a long-forgotten Canadian pop auteur.

The resulting album has a fuller sound, though it's still distinctly intimate. Lyrically, Placeholder explores various relationships--good and bad--which is reflected in a musical demeanor that's both melancholy and sweet.

The performances are universally lively, often with dramatic shifts inside each piece.

Grim and exultant at once, this is low-profile hustling on wax at its finest.

Significant Changes is a superb album which balances a concern for the planet with a shameless urge to have fun, all representing a sincere, unconquerable love of life.

Since 2000, every record she's released has been at least as good as the one that preceded it, and this is no exception.

So overthink it if you must, or accept Burning Love's emphatic kick in the head for what it is and let your ears do the rest.

They're still blazingly idiosyncratic, but in taming the sprawling improvisations of the past, they've discovered their pop acumen.

There's no filler to be found on another accomplished and quietly haunted release from a group celebrating a decade together as a unit.

There's too much life and imagination in the Handsome Family's work to not find some sort of joy in it, and they're far too good at writing songs and working them up to not earn your admiration. If being bummed out allows someone to make an album as good as Hollow, maybe there's some upside to it after all.

Be isn't likely to be referred to by anyone as groundbreaking, but it's one of Common's best, and it's also one of the most tightly constructed albums of any form within recent memory.

For their third studio album...Megafaun dial back the more progressive elements of their sound in favor of a languid, Laurel Canyon-inspired foundation that treads the middle ground between Blitzen Trapper's experimental, neo-Southern rock romancing, and Will Oldham's post-Palace Music infatuation with American Beauty-era Grateful Dead.

The resulting Blue Water Road is undeniably lighter and less fraught than the singer's previous LP -- and not without grief and tension -- and also has a continuity justifying the decision to stay on a forward course.

Anyone expecting a courageous game changer will be disappointed by all the swaggering, sexual bragging, and irresponsible pimping the duo frontload onto the effort, but coming to terms with the overall weekend attitude is quick and easy, thanks to rock-solid hooks and Quik's production.

Though a couple cuts aren't as quick to stick to memory as the sweet and sour soul displayed throughout the stunning 2011 album, this less novel but engrossing sequel is another worthy addition to the Younge discography.

It's clear that Working Men's Club are talented and there are a couple songs here that work as singles, but in the future they need to discover their own sound and let go of their tight grip on the past, both distant and recent.

A career highlight filled with well-earned warmth, Night Network is exactly the kind of album the Cribs should be making as they near their 20th anniversary.

The band's confluence of rough-edged workingman's rock and unique melodic character was arguably never stronger than in 1970, and At the Royal Albert Hall offers a snapshot of just how strong that combination could be on-stage.

Much like the best of Eno's ambient work, Centralia is captivating without demanding attention, instead letting the listener wander into its web on their own.

A bit of a slow builder with an almost cinematic trajectory.

With this album, the Octopus Project sound as jubilant and ecstatic as peers like Deerhoof or Dirty Projectors and channel the same optimism and weird charm as the Flaming Lips, while pushing their own unique sound into warmer, more accessible places than expected.

["Sparrow" and "Stone"] are melancholy grace notes on an album that's otherwise strikingly open-hearted and resilient, proof that McBryde is broadening her horizons while deepening her core humanistic strengths as a writer and performer.

Voir Dire pushes the bounds of both Alchemist's old school warmth and Earl's heady verses, landing someplace new that neither would have gotten to on their own.

Less than three weeks into 2008 it's hard not to escape the feeling that with this disc we may already have the best album of the year.

It's an album that doesn't really need to peak, as it never promises a thing it can't back up, boldly and loudly.

In a word, Scandalous most certainly is; it's a party record that bleeds Saturday night into Sunday morning and beyond.

Given that the core members are composer Dustin O'Halloran and Stars of the Lid veteran Adam Wiltzie, it's little surprise that both those conventions, and how to work well beyond them, are within their grasp on this debut release.

The album plays like a greatest-hits collection, and since it doesn't seem to cater to a musical or emotional middle ground, it makes for a guilt-free pleasure.

Poetic symmetry drives much of Across the River of Stars and speaks to how our personal memories get intertwined with the music and movies we love, bridging us to the past. It's a poignant, desert-campfire texture they return to on songs like "Falling Forever," "Faded Glory," and "High Noon."

Hearing him sing is always a richly enjoyable experience, but The Narrows delivers as both form and content. It's recommended to anyone who has ever found pleasure in his work.

Peculiar and ultimately charming, Pangs is another high caliber entry in Roberts' dependably creative catalog.

Surrounded by Time is magnificent -- it's redolent with wisdom and a raging lust for life that is free of camp. It offers abundant proof that despite the passing of years, Jones has lost none his power or swagger.

While it's not always as easy to listen to as yeule's previous recordings, softscars contains some of their strongest songwriting and most daring sound design, and feels like the most honest expression of their vision to date.

This is one of the most assaultive, addictive albums around, a rip-roaring journey through sonic violence that will leave most quivering in the corner and others (a special few) totally enraptured.

If you want to know why Snider has a loyal and growing following as a live act, Live: The Storyteller will tell you all you need to know about his rapport with a crowd and his way of making his songs and stories come to life.

Wild Flag isn't just an exciting debut and one of 2011's most dynamic rock records, it proves that a group is truly super when the personalities involved work together and have fun.

So even though you could call this move toward the dancefloor a surprise, Swim retains all the qualities that make Snaith and Caribou so impressive. It just dresses them up for a night out at the club; no, make that a great night out at the club.

Without a doubt the most moving, ambitious, and elegant album of her career thus far.

Luckily her sixth full release has some true charm, with some fine blue-eyed soul and slickly produced rock. But the production tries too hard to align her with Sheryl Crow's growling sound.

Musically, Midnite Vultures is filled with wonderful little quirks, but these are undercut by the sneaking suspicion that for all the ingenuity, it's just a hipster joke.

Oldham concentrates on crafting unremittingly introspective and confessional material in a spare, old-timey format. As sometimes happens on the recordings of his kindred spirit Cat Power, such unstinting uniformity can be a curse as well as a blessing.

A tautly crafted, thoughtful album, Shine a Light more than follows through on the promise of their debut, and proves that the Constantines have the ability to be both down to earth and dramatic within their grasp.

Sure, it might be easier to accept if it was called a Damon Albarn solo album, but that's splitting hairs. A lousy album is a lousy album, no matter who gets credit.

Harlem River Blues is utterly balanced, skillfully crafted, and exquisitely written and produced. Earle proves that he is a force to be reckoned with; in these grooves he embodies the history, mystery, and promise of American roots music.

Arguably Megadeth's strongest effort and a classic of early thrash, Peace Sells combines punkish political awareness with a dark, threatening, typically heavy metal world-view, preoccupied with evil, the occult, and the like.

Don't go into this expecting casual listening (a notion Fucked Up's fans got used to years ago), but if you're willing to meet this music on its own terms, it's impossible not to be dazzled by it.

Only Love From Now On is a beautiful and satisfying culmination of everything she's done so far.

Ultimately, Immutable delivers the very essence of Meshuggah. While comfortable in their collective skin, they continue expanding their reach by obliterating -- hell, nearly swallowing -- metal's genre boundaries in their long, relentless search for the undiscovered.

Bird's Eye is more of a grower than Hypnos, but it gradually reveals itself to be another marvelous, multifaceted record.

Fujita clearly listens to nature as intently as he listens to music, and Migratory is a wondrous reflection of our environment.

Though it runs out of steam slightly (at least in comparison to the pop art brilliance of the band's best songs) on its second half, Bang Bang Rock & Roll is a terrific debut, and Art Brut is smart, catchy, and fun.

While the sound of pure snarl and glee is what melts the speaker cabinets the most, the overdriven menace of most these songs doesn't undermine their worth as songs.

Ultimately, Love vs Money is Love/Hate's equal, stuffed with hooks, ceaselessly absorptive productions, and clever and often funny wordplay.

That said, try as you might, you can listen a hundred times and not catch all the utterly magical, deeply moving, and beautifully arresting aural majesty to be found on Choral.

Anohni's targets deserve all the fury she unleashes upon them, but that doesn't make this any easier to engage with, even if you agree with what Anohni has to say.

How Ill Thy World Is Ordered would feel like a grift in lesser hands, but there's no chicanery to be found here, only solid, smart songwriting with a little bit of rock & roll peacocking tossed in for good measure.

Here, the duo still sounds like the mortal threat they represented in younger days, but integrates refinement, spirituality, and reflection on hard-learned lessons under that lens, communicating from a place of wisdom without losing any of their time-tested fury.

This music is taut and soulful, but also a document of one woman baring her spirit and mind to the world, which has always been the case with her best music, and if this isn't a masterpiece, it's as pure, straightforward, and compelling as anything she's done since Essence.

Russell's powerhouse voice is not used to best advantage on the lightly dancing Latin-soul grooves that are Quantic's strength, and so on a number of tracks it sounds as if she's a racehorse being kept to a trot. That's not enough to keep this from being a very good album, but it prevents it from being a great one.

Blackbirds may be dark and unsettling, but it's far from depressing. It is a profound, poetic, career-defining album from a singer and songwriter of the highest order.

harmony. Sundur's delicate poignancy is certainly darker than on prior albums ("Nothing ever stays the same"), but it's just as fascinating, and has the potential to be deeply affecting.

While some of those who got on board Team Temple with Good Mood Fool may be put off by the more rustic turn, many longtime fans will find A Hand Through the Cellar Door to be his most mesmerizing yet.

Wasteland is another example of Uncle Acid's genius, and more evidence that they are the best metal band (apart from Black Sabbath) of the early '70s.

For the most part, it forgoes the gentle, acoustic side of his approach in favor of the kind of blown-out power pop he made his name on. ... Add in a couple very short acoustic interludes, and SONGS FROM SAN MATEO COUNTY gives an almost full account of Molina's particular and impressive talents.

As with her two previous records, Cobb's production is warm and sympathetic with arrangements robust enough to add some weight without getting in the way of another reliably strong collection.

It's an absolute must for fans, but also a great starting point for anyone who's a little more than just a casual listener, but not quite ready to venture too deep into the vaults.

Oyster Cuts is a softly triumphant album, one that replaces the noncommittal vagueness that plagues so much indie rock with songs that tackle difficult feelings directly. It's a sound as beautiful as it is weary, and one that gets better the more involved you become with it.

The youthful presence of Romany's (as well as his son Gabriel's) vocals are a boon, lending to the largely collaborative feel. Still, it's undeniably a Gilmour album, woven through with the elegant, lyrical guitar playing and haunted vocals that are his signature.

The invigorated No Obligation is a breath of fresh air, a reminder that punk can be fun and pure without losing its impact or message. The Linda Lindas give us all hope that the kids will be alright.

They may be leaving their early twenties behind, but with Maybe Not Tonight, they arrive as a musical force to be reckoned with.

Cut during the same sessions as Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, it's not a collection of outtakes or even a sequel, but a holistic mirror image that comes from the same sphere of aesthetic investigation and font of inspiration.

He's in a league of his own when it comes to making the most of music's time-traveling, spell-casting powers, and like Drift Code before it, Clockdust proves that Rustin Man's music has only grown richer and more rewarding over the years.

The album also delivers on vulnerable, rock-solid songs, a juxtaposition the Beths continue to master.

While some fans may prefer the more escapist dancefloor jams that introduced them, Regresa showcases Buscabulla as a band who can work in virtually any situation and deliver a truly original sound that inspires the listener. We need more records like this.

Jazz Codes is one of Ayewa's most ambitious works yet.

Wistful R&B vocal samples and elements of woozy hip-hop became more present in later releases like 2022's Cash Romantic, and Good Lies continues in this sort of melancholic pop-influenced direction, while also including several surefire floor-fillers.

Black Noise can't help but feel ever so slightly like a letdown after the consistently mesmerizing rapture of its predecessor. But make no mistake: Weber is still making some of the most enchanting electronica out there, and if this album brings him the increased exposure for which he seems well-poised, there are few producers more deserving.

You Could Have It So Much Better probably would've been better if Franz Ferdinand had waited until they had a batch of songs as consistent as their first album, but as it stands, it's still pretty good.

This blend of driving riffage and suffocating relentlessness allows the band to strike a fine balance between freewheeling guitar worship and oppressive gloom.