Selected Recordings from Grapefruit is heady and highly conceptual, but the Great Learning Orchestra does a good job of understanding the spirit of Ono's texts and honoring all of the loving kindness, curiosity, sprightliness, and righteous resistance of the book.

A standout amid his own catalog, Te Whare Tīwekaweka is a unique and emotional piece of work that is quite affecting even without knowing the language.

With What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, Giddens and Robinson dig deep into the core Black Southern folk traditions that originally inspired them, and the joy is palpable; you can almost imagine them sitting around with Joe Thompson, smiling, and intently learning these songs.

After over four decades, the Melvins still sound utterly uncompromised and full of swampy vigor, and Thunderball confirms they haven't finished challenging themselves or their audience, not by a long shot.

Given Adebimpe's legacy with TV on the Radio and his lengthy break from music, expectations for his debut album were high, but Thee Black Boltz' passionate, imaginative songs more than meet them.

As they reclaim the sounds of their roots on Send a Prayer My Way, Baker and Torres bring out the best in each others' music.

Smith was only getting started on Anxious, and its poignant, eloquent peek into teenage girlhood is something to be cherished.

$ome $exy $ongs 4 U is business as usual for Drake (mostly in R&B mode this time) and PartyNextDoor. In Drake's case, he tries to sound romantic but comes off as bitter and jealous, PartyNextDoor merely seems like a supportive friend who doesn't want to cause any more trouble.

The band touch on virtually every stylistic and production nuance they've explored over 30 years in a startlingly focused collection.

The album sees Cench find new collaborations with rising Puerto Rican star Young Miko and grime pioneer Skepta, alongside another link-up with Dave following the pair's number one-charting "Sprinter" in 2023.

If you already know where you stand on this guy's music, then you already know whether or not it's worth your time.

The LP includes the singles "Malibu," "Caroline," and the propulsive, boot-stomping title cut.

A little refinement in the writing room might be appreciated in the long term, but it's clear that JENNIE has the vision to deliver something spectacular.

Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation stands with Edwyn's best work.

As a whole, only one of the 18 tracks here crosses the four-minute mark, so A Study of Losses' hour-long playing time seems to go by quickly, and its unceasing sweetness and longing linger after Condon is "Left to be/A sea of tranquility" ("Mare Tranquillitatis") to close a lovely theater project.

The entire album is yet another exciting evolution of Barker's innovative approach to techno.

In an unexpected way, this is also June's most overtly pop record; despite its genre-hopping nature, her melodies are insistent and memorable with strong hooks and relatively short runtimes. Although the tempos wane during the album's second half, its quality persists.

Too much of this record sounds like it could have been made by almost anyone and that's not good, and neither in the end is SABLE, fABLE.

The result exists in a middle ground between the band's artful indie rock and a contemporary classical suite. If you like Dirty Projectors, chances are you'll enjoy Song of the Earth, but this music lacks the immediacy and insistent pulse of the band's best work.

There's not much to latch onto here by way of hooks, but the atmosphere is thick and immaculate.

There are still some hilarious bon mots to be found throughout, but now there's a sense of maturity and creative evolution that's starting to creep over Justin Hawkins and the gang, adding depth to their catalog whether they intended it or not.

Like Hopper's grand film maudit The Last Movie, Life, Death and Dennis Hopper doesn't quite manage a satisfying ending, but what it delivers along the way is impassioned, literate, and daring, and it's more than worthy of repeated listening.

What makes Jellywish so often profound and not just sad or mindful is a combination of candid simplicity and hints of the supernatural.

These two songs ["The Rose of Laura Nyro" and "Never Too Late"] don't ruin the album, though, and no doubt fans of both artists will embrace this project as a great idea that, for the most part, works really well. A little more restraint and a little more Elton taking the lead vocals, and the "most part" could have been stricken from that sentence.

Her most fully realized album yet and a highlight in a career dotted with really good pop records.

Rathlin from a Distance/The Liquid Hour is comforting, inventive, and affecting -- sometimes alternately and sometimes all at once -- and feels strangely personal considering its multifaceted approach.

With The Crux, Keery doesn't just prove he more than owns his space in the pop world as Djo, he's found a home.

By giving equal time to headbanging and heartbreak, they've made an immensely satisfying album that's among their finest.

Black Country, New Road remain one of the most intriguing indie bands of the 2020s, and their flair for reinvention makes every release a thrill.

They tweak their sound in ways that seem to reflect emotional complexity while strengthening hooks and riffs, at least on the more memorable tunes.

The Velveteers are getting better at what they do, and A Million Knives captures that well, but they still sound best when they let their swaggering rock attitude do the talking.

Bateh's voice sounds a bit more worn and weary, not unlike latter-day Nick Cave, and it feels like there's an increase in electronic textures, but otherwise the band is sticking to their stock-in-trade, down to writing melodies which sound familiar to their body of work. That said, there is more of a conceptual storyline to this album, involving a character named Elena and the man who murdered her boyfriend.

Ultimately, Belonging feels like a full-circle moment for Marsalis, bringing both his group's history and his long-gestating passion for Jarrett's music into his quartet's vibrant present.

At least lyrically, Flür is trying to glance forward at the future on Times more than he did on his previous albums, which nostalgically referenced his past. Like his other albums, however, the songs themselves aren't always exciting, as well-produced as they are.

The whole thing might seem too darn cheerful -- maybe to a fault to the more hard-hearted -- but the duo rescue themselves from overload thanks to the muscular energy they impart to the rhythm section, the whipping bite of Aggs' guitar lines, and the overall forward drive the duo employ on every song.

The album, with its loungey, brushed shuffle grooves and sparkling guitar riffs, has its own intoxicating pull borne of the magical, decades-old chemistry between Wareham and Kramer. That's the Price of Loving Me might pull you into a golden vortex of their shared reverie, but it's a small price to pay.

There isn't much on is that My Morning Jacket couldn't have done on their own, but having a neutral observer on board certainly appears to have helped them up their game as a recording act, and it's one of the most purely satisfying albums they've delivered since they changed their game with Z.

With Glory, Hadreas discovers a rare balance between approachable songwriting and musical ambition that reinvigorates his music.

Akpro sounds like he's still finding himself, but his first album is an evocative mixture of nocturnal city scenes and youthful expression, and there's no telling where he'll go from here.

In addition to Earthstar Mountain's consistently warm soundscape, Cohen is at her most accomplished yet songwriting-wise, even offering up an ode to a "Rag" that strips things down to notice the small comforts all around.

Hard Times Furious Dancing is as much a mission statement here as an album title, and the band deliver unfiltered reports on the challenges of the modern world, as well as an invitation to the dancefloor as a place to shake loose some of the stress of those challenges.

Portrait of My Heart is Spellling's most accessible work, but it's still unconventional and unpredictable, reflecting her uniquely magical vision.

The album as a whole is tender and affectionate, seeming to accept and appreciate even the awkward and unrequited as part of her embrace of complexity and queerness.

Arcadia is a long-awaited return for Krauss and Union Station; here they reframe American traditional music in a context informed by modern production aesthetics, yet still sound kinetic and completely organic.

Moneyball sounds both auspicious and like the 11th album from an unearthed Stephen Malkmus project at the same time, and it's hard to imagine they won't have more music on the way.

There is a certain haunting quality of moving into a transitional space from this music. However, there is also a sense of hearing musical traditions combined in a way unique to a single performer, and this is indeed something well worth experiencing.

Some tracks are easier to digest than others, and the frenzied energy of much of the album might make Dan's Boogie a less-than-ideal starting point for new fans. Paradoxically, some moments here (in particular "Cataract Time") rank among the best work in his catalog.

Assured 11-song set.

Though most of the album doesn't feature the manipulated field recordings and found sounds often used in both artists' music, it still feels very localized and personal, as if they're interpreting various environments and locations through their instruments rather than direct sampling.

Can't Lose My (Soul) is a shining addition to the Caldwells' legacy and fits beside gospel-soul comps like Overdose of the Holy Ghost, Divine Disco, and Divine Funk.

"Protest with Love" sounds like his attempt at a radio-ready R&B song, as he sings a simple message of love and perseverance over a sensuous groove. He sings of making the world a better place and turning nothing into something on "The Burden," and he praises the uplifting powers of music on "Strength of a Song." Still, there are moments of harshness.

For Zauner and Japanese Breakfast, the answer is always something in between and more complex and creatively assured than what has come before. With For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), Zauner invites us into the magic mirror of her life and pulls us through to the other side.

Lewis remains a vividly funny observer and masterful storyteller, and his work remains relatable and relevant.

Bursting with ideas and near symbiotic ensemble play, Cline's Consentrik Quartet is a bracing statement by this wonderful group and a future-forward approach to jazz.

Whatever the Weather clearly feels more "outdoors" than the music James makes under her own name, but it's just as introspective and personal, and the project's second album is another powerfully expressive work.

It’s been said that one can’t go back home again, but as the return of the Loft and this excellent debut album prove, sometimes a trip back to an adjacent neighborhood can be nearly as fulfilling.

Lust for Life is weirdly joyous and joyously weird, and it's marvelously entertaining either way; it's the band's strongest and most cohesive work yet.

If Moonlight Concessions doesn't quite hit the heights of Clear Pond Road, Sun Racket, and Black Pearl, it's still a worthwhile listen -- and reaffirms just how high the bar is when it comes to Hersh's music.

There's a lot going on here in composition, performance, and production, but it's always focused, never excessive, and always accessible; in some places, it actually approaches the profound.

Both introspective and commanding, Halo on the Inside charts a path between the club and the cosmos.

Dead Channel Sky is clipping. at their most techno-shocked, reconnecting with the nexus of hip-hop and sci-fi fused by pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa in the early '80s.

Seamless yet challenging, All Worlds should appeal to Lust for Youth's more open-minded fans, but the new vistas it opens for the band are what make it exciting.

It’s a different way to experience some familiar tunes, and yet another window into one of the more vibrant periods of Young’s ever-shifting creativity.

This is a life-affirming triumph of an album that dares to be uplifting during difficult times.

It may not be an instant classic, but it's still clear that no one can do it like Gaga.

Consisting of skillful (mostly) first-person character sketches, the songs seem like intimate Stratton remembrances until the settings crystallize.

It's a shame that a majority of the album suffers from this cookie cutter sameness when at other times SASAMI can craft music that does have some personality and excitement. Just not enough to make Blood on the Silver Screen feel like anything other than a huge misstep.

Jason Isbell is a singer and songwriter who is never afraid to do the work to make his music something special, and even when he's performing in stripped-down fashion, he delivers great songs and the commitment to make them special. Anyone who questions that hasn't heard Foxes in the Snow.

The craft of Here We Go Crazy is superb, and Bob Mould is one of the very, very few musicians who came up in the 1980s hardcore scene and is still making powerful, relevant music in the 2020s. However, if he wanted to make an album that reflects the chaos of the culture that witnessed its creation, he may have hit the bullseye just a bit too close to the center.

A Blade Because a Blade Is Whole stands in a direct line behind the rest of DePlume's catalog and brings his spiritual and creative worlds together. It's a brave record that confronts pain while embraces it with humility, acceptance, and yes, vulnerability.

The steps forward on Cotton Crown are subtle but undeniable, with the Tubs' vision growing clearer through these increasingly enjoyable and well-crafted songs.

Parasomnia is solid. It channels the band's storied past as well as their current more complex, forward-thinking compositional style with only a few rough edges.

A Paradise in the Hold is a masterpiece, a work of tremendous sensitivity and creative insight brought to life by a musical visionary capable of advancing and remaking 21st century jazz.

New Dawn is a powerful work from a celebrated artist who has never stopped exploring new territory.

A bit more low-key than Hecker's other albums, Shards is nevertheless representative of his signature sound, encapsulating the emotional depth and innovative sonic weaving listeners have come to associate with his work.

Channeling technological paranoia, City of Clowns contains some of Davidson's most futuristic work yet, as well as some of her most commanding and personality-driven.

By the time Luminescent Creatures closes on the wind-sampling "惑星の泪 (Wakusei no Namida)" ("Tears of the Planet") -- a fingerpicked guitar song that refers to dreams, the birth of a story, and "a melody of a million light years" -- listeners will likely have felt transported to another world.

Russell converts extemporaneous dialogue from the participants into collage-like pieces across the LP. Other thematically relevant choices for samples and interpolations -- including songs by Shawn Smith, Jackson C. Frank, and Molly Drake, all of whom are deceased -- add even more emotional resonance. Melody is foregrounded by a cross-generational ensemble of 18 featured voices and winds players.

The songs on Microtonic simply aren't as memorable as the highlights of their debut. It sounds impressive, but it exists in a sort of netherworld between expansive sonic exploration and fully engaging songwriting.

The sleek, dramatic title track sets the stage with a lush, grooving indie rock bolstered by shimmery synths, textured guitar effects, and a somewhat oversaturated sound that permeates and distinguishes the album.

Sinister Grift is a significant chapter in the Panda Bear story if only for how it finds Lennox shedding some of the stubborn uneasiness that’s so long been part of his music. While still mainly the product of a solitary mind, the album is perhaps the least lonely Panda Bear has sounded to date.

These may be the same songs in the same sequence as Funeral for Justice, but they have the character of an entirely different album, and that's a tough feat to pull off.

The essence that Bell distills on Pinball Wanderer is one of happy exploration, indeed wandering from one creative idea to the next with very little second guessing or restraint. If there are any unfinished thoughts or untidy loose ends in that approach, they’re easily outshined by the feeling of radiant joy that carries the album.

List of Demands is both archival and of the present -- engrossing and energizing, to be blasted from every boombox.

Far from drab or sentimental, the results are often bright, robust, and admiring.

McRae delivers on the promise of Think Later, levelling up with this set of addictive pop gems and heartfelt confessionals.

It isn't quite the unexpected triumph that Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance was, but it confirms Patterson Hood is capable of more than he's created with the Drive-By Truckers, great as they are, and it's a pleasure to hear him challenge himself with such impressive results.

The Afrobeats-tinged "Happy People" and "We All Win" spread joy to a communal level. A couple other songs, while inviting, are over-sugared, and certain production choices, mainly with regard to vocal effects, don't play to Nao's strengths. Hearing her so assured and exultant is no small consolation.

The 12-song set ends with the dialogue-heavy "Home Movies (1989-1993)," which, like much of the rest of the album, is full of affection. If there's a knock on Rarely Do I Dream (and it's a light rap), it's that Rarely Do I Dream sometimes seems like an album for an audience of one, like a personal collage of photographs and cards on a pinboard behind the laptop monitor in the den.

If Delaware wasn't shoegaze enough for purists, 1991 certainly is. Far from being rough sketches, these demos are full-fledged songs with all the hallmarks of shoegaze 1.0, albeit with an endearingly hissy sound quality that only enhances their nostalgia.

Was anyone asking Lilly Hiatt to make a 1990s alternative album? No, and that's part of why Forever works so well -- here, she's just doing what feels right in the moment, and it sounds every bit as right to the listener.

This is special, timeless music that speaks equally to the heart and the brain and it positions Horsegirl as the keepers of the indie rock flame.

Those willing to meet End of the Middle on its own terms will find a powerfully moving work that turns kitchen-sink realism into something uniquely profound. There's no one who does what Richard Dawson does quite the way he does it, and we should all be glad he shares this gift with us.

As with FACS' previous incarnations, how their songs come together -- or fall apart -- is still enthralling, and Wish Defense only enhances their reputation for crafting some of the most exciting experimental rock of their time.

Apple Cores is a stellar tribute to Lewis' inspirations; his band pulls it off without seams or dead ends. This music is a signpost in jazz's evolution; it intersects past, present, and future.

Squid are still in the early part of their career, but with each record, they've shown a remarkable adaptability and willingness to change, without losing what makes them special.

Enter Now Brightness is not only a title but a philosophy on an elegant set of songs that find Reid adapting just fine, thanks, at least with the help of treasured loved ones and music itself.

With Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, the singer/songwriter fully embraces an icy, mechanical post-punk palette, one that still incorporates elements of guitar rock (and is part analog) but is distinguished by drum machines, eerie synths, and prevailing electronics. It's a sound that's well-suited to the album's anxious and alienated songs.