A Rush of Blood to the Head might not instantly grab listeners, but it's not tailored that way. It pushes you to look beyond dreamy vocals for a musical inner core.

A dark, turbulent, and welcome entry in Walker's catalog.

Without drawing undo attention to himself, Darnielle has been moving from strength to strength as one of indie rock's most vital and original talents, and Dark in Here demonstrates he's working at the top of his game and it's a joy to hear.

Warp & Weft displays Veirs' sophisticated songcraft (though "America" falls short for its obviousness) is adorned by diverse textures, expert musicianship, and a generous use of space; it's almost almost perfectly balanced.

Mystery Glue isn't an album about aging gracefully so much as aging right, and this is just about perfect for a 64-year-old Graham Parker, a proud survivor who lives to gripe another day, putting him far ahead of plenty of his peers.

While Carry the Ghost is a sullen work, with lyrics that deal head-on with reality, and processing rather than wallowing, Gundersen hits a beautifully wistful sweet spot in tone both lyrically and musically.

In its own way, Thank Your Lucky Stars is just as rewarding as Depression Cherry, and arguably more immediate. Instead of releasing another mammoth effort like Bloom, they've delivered two smaller-scale triumphs that can be appreciated separately or together.

On the whole, while its more serious tone may disappoint some fans of Half the City, Sea of Noise's performances are just as tight and as passionate, and even more impressive in their maturity and scope.

This band is still crazy after all these years, and on Sixth House, they make their special madness signify, and it's a genuine achievement.

This is a collection of songs that focus on his introspective side, and he can ponder a dark night of the soul or the mistakes he made long enough ago to make the failings obvious with a literacy and unflinching honesty that makes this one of the most affecting albums of his career.

On Stay Gold, Walker falls into the latter camp, but if these songs lack a certain spontaneity, the craft is strong and Walker seems so eager to sound like a rock star that you just might mistake him for the real thing.

There's nothing bad about taking such a big swing; it's definitely better than pulling your punches at this point in your career. As with much of Never Not Together, it's beautifully thoughtful and fantastically ambitious.

Van Etten isn't wallowing in melancholy, she's accepting the sadness along with the joy, using both emotions to push into a new stage of life. That sense of optimism, no matter how muted it may sometimes be, gives We've Been Going About This All Wrong an air of unguarded hope.

Lana Del Rey has honed a style so unique she’s almost a genre unto herself. Full of brilliant strides forward, Ocean Blvd. is a crucial chapter in Del Rey’s ongoing saga of heartbreak and enchantment.

There are moments of pop pleasure here, surrounded by spare, languid electronica sections, vaguely reminiscent of the High Llamas.

The band is making the finest music in the history of its collective.

Where The Great Eastern was a fairly gentle and tentative record in a lot of ways, this one is bigger and demands your attention. The good news is that it's one of those rare records that actually deserves all of the attention it demands.

Carl Newman deserves every last bit of praise thrown his way. In a better world, he would be our Elton, our Todd, our McCartney, and Slow Wonder would be on everyone's iPod, rotating on M2 hourly, and his name would be on the lips of everyone from aged Royalty to teen-aged girls.

Endless Falls' mix of old and new maintains Morgan's reputation as one of the most consistent, and consistently interesting, producers out there.

Cruise Your Illusion holds enough of the band's personality to keep them from being a '90s cover band, but at times, the weight of their ragged influences sits heavy enough on the songs to obscure their most original aspects.

The release does an excellent job of touching on several facets of Moss' personality, and will most certainly encourage newcomers to seek out as many of his other recordings as possible.

From the fiery punk of standout "Lower Worlds" to the haunted "Ornaments of Empty," Rainer Maria sound confident and on point, putting their changed selves into the task of deepening their already rich catalog with this comeback gem

It's an impressive formula for a debut, and one that succeeds whether listeners are tuning in more for the soundscape or more for the sentiment.

Wet Will Always Dry is yet more proof that he's one of the decade's greatest techno producers. Undoubtedly one of the best techno albums of 2018.

Songs from the Bardo adds immeasurably to the body of art inspired by The Bardo Thodol; it is presented without sensation, artificial drama, or tension. It is not only lovely and moving, but profoundly instructive, as only the best art can be.

The Unraveling is a dire yet vivid depiction of the American zeitgeist at a crucial time in the nation's history, and a decisive collection of songs these musicians clearly wish they didn't have to write.

It's simply fresh, exciting, beautiful music.

It's just a short but compelling set of songs from a singular artist, and however it made its way to a public hearing, listeners can only be grateful it has emerged at last.

Each of the tracks took a while to prepare, as Frusciante would fine-tune synth patches and arrange breakbeats, but the actual recordings were bashed out pretty quickly, and they all maintain that sense of elaborately designed spontaneity, making it easily the artist's most successful electronic work.

It all works well together sonically and conceptually, resulting in an album that is Itasca's most cohesive and mystical yet -- and that's saying something.

The band leans into their music's humanity with a strong folk influence that feels cozy and encouraging, whether on the lonely campfire songs "Projectors" or the lullaby-like cover of Neil Young's "Red Sun" that showcases Markus Acher's yearning vocals.

The gravity and changing tides of this engaging self-titled effort help David Pajo warm up, if not transcend the post-rock tag.

There's a disarming emotional directness to The Bones of What You Believe that makes it a unique, fully realized take on a style that seemed close to being played out.

Super Taranta! is the culmination of superb musicianship, endless energy, and an inborn sense of fun and a dedication to progression and innovation, and if that's not something to celebrate and dance to, it's hard to know what is.

Call it Sigur Rós meets Supertramp in the end, perhaps most especially on the penultimate number, "Light Up the Night," with its keyboard-led opening moving into a slow sweet-sounding swagger of an arrangement thanks again to a big beat and guitar chug, but the signs of that kind of sonic grandness, if not full on grandiosity, abound.

The Libertines is an accurate, sometimes uncomfortable reflection of the band at this point: more scattered and unstable than they were on Up the Bracket, but also more ambitious and more interesting.

It's up to the label's high standard, a riveting composite of grief and filth like no other.

Produced and recorded with a skill that's all the more effective for its unwillingness to intrude on the band, Atlas Vending is a dazzling display of form and content that shows listeners how math rock can be effectively weaponized.

Ignore the clunky lyrics... and Gulag Orkestar is an infinitely more appealing album.

Taken all together, the set is a fascinating document of a band you see change from the kind of band who'd release a cassette in weird packaging to a band making a grab for the brass ring of success. Along the way, there were considerably more hits than misses, though, and any fan of Flying Nun will find much to love here.

It's easy to hear why Good Time won an award before the film was even in wide release: The way Oneohtrix Point Never's score bridges character, setting, and mood offers much more than a passive backdrop.

While these songs offer resistance to a particular reference point, as a whole the work is transcendent. Some of Ribot's own songs are fine enough to warrant inclusion next to the classics he adapts.

Muncie Girls have foiled the sophomore slump with Fixed Ideals, and if they sound a bit less D.I.Y. this time out, they still sound like a smart and forceful rock band that can deliver great music while offering plenty of food for thought.

There's plenty of great, satisfying twangy rock on Twelfth, which is what we've come to expect from the Old 97's. There's also a level of self-awareness and maturity that's new to them, and that makes Twelfth a brave and valuable release from this great band.

Belong is full of lyrics about being on the outside looking in, a perspective that gives context to its skillful mix of angsty and dreamy textures.

Barnes' accordion playing has grown leaps and bounds since Noon.

Despite its brief runtime, Be is an expert snapshot of time and place, a document of a worldwide event that manages to strengthen their connection to their listeners and push their songcraft forward with focus, heart, and humanity.

Nootropics is so mired in restraint it will fail to grab many ears on the first go-round. However, once listeners get their heads around the sound, it's a definite on-repeat player.

Think of 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' delivered by an inspired rapper in a post-Nicki Minaj world and you're close to the thrill of this inspired debut.

While there's a sense that both artists went a bit too heavy on dark atmosphere, given that both usually inject more whimsy into their creations, 13 & God is still a consistently intriguing, frequently beautiful experiment that offers ample rewards with each new listen.

An excellent debut that flows perfectly and offers something new with every return.

Mareridt is a work of atavistic mystery, unflinching honesty, and balance. It embraces everything from horror and beauty to the sacred and profane; its creator has encountered them all within, faced and accepted them, and ultimately woven them into the fabric of her being as music.

It's also a sonic master class in marital counseling and commitment, wherein Beyoncé emerges with the upper hand and a contrite Jay is lucky she's so gracious. Vocally, it's a similar story: Beyoncé shines here, balancing light rap verses ("Apeshit" and "Nice") with some of the prettiest vocals she's recorded in years ("Friends"), while Jay offers his standard braggadocious bars that nonetheless make an impact for their occasional honesty and humility.

Chaotic yet tightly controlled, Eternal Home is boundlessly creative, and up there with Skinless X-1 as Marcloid's best work.

It's an album of longing and disquiet. To call any of the songs wistful seems inadequate; they are engulfed in saudade.

Be Small is loaded with simply good, interesting songs.

Still a teenager at the time of the album's release, Aurora proves to be an already skilled fashioner of dynamic, affecting pop.

These 12 songs represent artistic development and a strike at emotional vulnerability from a talent who could have tread well-known territory indefinitely. At times, the changes feel experimental and uneven, but when they connect, the shifting perspectives of Assume Form are refreshing.

It's not so much that Throw It to the Universe is a bad album; but it is quite inconsistent when compared to their best work.

The songwriting is strong enough and the arrangements appealing enough that We the Vehicles has a quiet pop charm all its own.

Amon Amarth sticks closely to the same sound and approach that got them this far in the first place.

Mute Math sound most natural when they let loose as a funk rock/alt-rock hybrid that closely resembles a heavy version of Tahiti 80. As rough as that translates on paper, this form of music totally works for them and pops up in more than a few of their best songs, including "Cavalries," "One More," and "Walking Paranoia."

The lack of physical force (though there is plenty of fire) is more than compensated for, in the thought-provoking concept and complexity with a resonant yet unconventional lyricism.

With such careful attention to detail, The Eldritch Dark isn't just an homage to the sounds of the past, it's also a gateway to another era in metal history that, with any luck, more bands will go into and explore.

His 2006 debut may still be the one to pick, since it's leaner and more instant, but Tetsuo & Youth strolls its way into greatness after a couple listens and wipes out all the bitter aftertaste of Lasers as if that misstep never happened.

With a sound so luscious, Fresh Blood is hard to resist and if it doesn't quite offer the lasting sustenance it presumes, it nevertheless tastes mighty fine.

From the wounded psychedelic swirl of "Hunter's Gun" to the hazy tribute "Turning 21," her ruminations are at once personal and relatable, getting to the gut of the matter with her own brand of poeticism.

Instead of going big, the way he did on 2014's burly Outsiders, he's keeping things small, a decision that highlights the many savvy ways he expands American musical traditions even as he adheres to them. Perhaps these variations on themes are subtle but this confident sense of sonic adventure when combined with Church's expert craft results in a satisfying album.

Essentially, Side Effects showcases White Denim's knack for making '60s- and '70s-style psychedelic garage rock that feels authentic but retains the modern punk energy that made their early albums so engaging.

Hinting at more to come with a little more experience and practice, Growing Up is a heartwarming opening salvo that recharges the punk spirit for a new generation while recognizing, as they sing on the endearing title track, that "there's still a little more growing up" to do.

A Dream Is All We Know mixes up its subjects of study but chooses obsessively detailed replication over the hints of originality and vulnerable emotions that start emerging when the Lemon Twigs let their guard down.

While it doesn't quite live up to their early hype, it's still an encouraging first offering, suggesting that they might do with album number two.

Fuse is nowhere near as club-friendly or single-driven as the stacked-with-hits Walking Wounded and Temperamental, but it contains the most adventurous production EBTG have ever attempted, showing that the duo haven't lost their touch for pairing up-to-date music with relevant, affecting subject matter.

It would be disingenuous to say the Besnards had been on a downswing prior to this, but in wrestling with mortality they tap into a well of vital energy that makes the group appear revitalized and full of vigor.

The songs on the album complement each other, play off the other's strengths, and make the record very much an entity, instead of simply a collection of tracks, setting it off as an impressive step forward in their already commendable discography.

Performance may be lacking in progress, but the effortlessness of their experiments is still very much present, and nine albums in, White Denim remain as playful as ever. Overall, longtime fans of the band are likely to be satisfied, if not dazzled, by their latest effort.

Maxïmo Park remain unabashedly heartfelt, and by staying true to this on Nature Always Wins, they deliver some of their finest songs in a while.

Hogan's style is refreshingly simple, honest, and strikes its target on every track; whether she's tackling country, pop, supper-club blues, or uptempo R&B, she can sing it right and make you a believer, and I Like to Keep Myself in Pain is the triumphant showcase her talent has deserved for far too long.

I've Been to Many Places sounds like the record Shipp had to make for his own edification, one that chronicles his expansive, fearless push toward the spirit of the unknown with purpose, one that deepens and widens the already expansive reach of his language.

This is an exceptional addition to Goatsnake's catalog; it's a doomsday boogie album for the ages.

At times wistful and contemplative, frequently explosive, and pleasantly damaged, Worry. holds true to its creator's D.I.Y. aesthetic and pop-punk/ska roots while continuing to emphasize his new power pop direction.

While certainly one of the most robustly guitar-centric albums Angels & Airwaves have made, there is still plenty of synthy, otherworldly shimmer glowing at the edges of Lifeforms, and cuts like "Rebel Girl," "Euphoria," and "Spellbound" bristle with a vibrant blend of punk and dance-rock energies.

The music presented with such care here is lovely, soothing, and seductively beguiling; taken in enough times, it becomes utterly magical.

Goat Girl's wealth of ideas is one of their biggest strengths, but Below the Waste lacks the focus that united their music into a cohesive whole on On All Fours.

Citrus is as good a shoegaze record you will ever hear, regardless of release date.

Toth's gift for songwriting gives emotional resonance to the album's softly lit, somewhat dazed ambience, and the result is one of the more interesting chapters of Wooden Wand's always twisting oeuvre.

Manic showcases Halsey at her nerviest and at her best.

It's clear after four albums that the best Bon Iver is the one that manages to keep the arrangements in check and doesn't swing for the fences. I,I takes many mighty swings and at best knocks out a few infield hits, while striking out far too often.

Overall, Roots Manuva may have a lot to say during the verses, but when his choruses consist of little more than a repeated line shouted over and over ("Awfully Deep," "Too Cold"), listeners won't be hanging around long enough to decipher his rhymes.

He is writing and recording music that is profound, funny, topical, worldly, and ultimately, necessary.

Hollandaze is an impressive debut.

Filled end to end with grindcore insanity and covered in a sheen of sonic grime (thanks to Converge guitarist and engineer extraordinaire Kurt Ballou), the album is an exercise in relentlessness, offering no quarter and asking for none in return as it stampedes from track to track on a merciless metal rampage.

Toxic City Music is a truly daring, captivating release, and possibly Caminiti's best solo work yet.

The Hard Quartet reject no idea on their debut, and the results are usually familiar, strange, and fun, and at its strongest, the album reframes the individualized sounds of all four powerhouses as something new.

Capturing the intensity and raw emotion of her captivating live shows, Anna Calvi is an ambitious and always intriguing debut which heralds the arrival of a unique and inventive addition to the plethora of U.K. female singer/songwriters.

Unlike Dunger's previous albums, which tended to have a specific musical theme, there's a kind of scattered, everywhere at once quality to Here's My Song.

Anathema's trademark emotional resonance and musical adventurousness purposefully re-engage earlier electronic forms to make this album a compelling--if controversial--undertaking.

This album does find the fine band reaching for something different, and they hit their target with skill, assurance, and clarity.