Certainly, Is This the Life We Really Want? lacks the straightforward narrative or melodic thrust of The Wall, but it isn't as somnolent as The Final Cut, and if the songs don't call attention to themselves, they nevertheless form a long suite that works as a sustained mood piece.

Minimal, yet brimming over with emotions both bright and dulled by pain and loss, the 15-track set is a marvel of restraint and refinement, with Rachel and Becky Unthank's otherworldly voices accompanied only by piano and violin.

If you've ever dug the cool but fiery retro sound of Los Straitjackets, What's So Funny... will once again remind you of their brilliant chops and sense of fun, while Nick Lowe fans will definitely want to give a listen to this homage to one of rock's best living songwriters.

The sheer size of The Bob's Burgers Music Album means that Gene Belcher might be the only one with the stamina to listen to the entire set more than once, but it's great for obsessive fans who can finally own the whole shebang.

This set is drenched in mystery; each track unfolds and transitions seamlessly as it builds and expands, enveloping the listener.

It's one of the best records of their long run, and if Stewart and company keep making them this good, this real and this emotionally fulfilling, one can only hope they keep doing it forever.

If you've been following him all along, The Song of Day and Night is something of a crowning achievement for a truly talented, truly idiosyncratic guy.

T the album feels like a coherent work rather than something assembled in different locations by a disparate cast of individuals. It also demonstrates that Péron and Diermaier remain fearless and vital, over 45 years after co-founding the band's original incarnation.

Play What They Want is a powerful, necessary expansion of Man Forever's vision, and easily their most engaging work.

Marika Hackman's latest evolution is a triumph that finds equilibrium amid both wit and heart.

Hayman's later solo work has relied more and more on this type of historically oriented conceptualism, with the Thankful Villages project being among the most unique offerings of his career. Like the first volume, this set is a warmly captured and richly envisioned endeavor that is unlike anything else in pop or folk music.

It may not be flashy like their early work, experimental like some of their mid-period albums, or punchy like Words and Music, but the album takes in elements of everything they've done along the way and repurposes it in a lovely, extremely satisfying fashion.

Nektyr would've been perfectly at home on 4AD or Projekt during the late '80s or early '90s, and might have been among their best releases, but its weightlessness and otherworldliness can't be attached to any specific time period.

Anyone who thought maybe the band's moment had passed will be pleasantly surprised to hear that Beach Fossils are back and better than ever.

Excellent work from both artists.

A balance of playful and earnest, Wild Imagination's warm melodies, affectionate tone, and quirky charm may provide needed respite even in good times.

Tonally, she counters urgency with some tenderness, and her voice only seems to be getting better with time. It's a compelling entry in her catalog, one with a solid base of songs that will stand up to any nonsense.

ChesnuTT did become a father and famously took several years away from performing to focus on his family. It's that kind of rooted sense of purpose and dedication to the process, whether raising a child or recording a pop album, that permeates and elevates all of My Love Divine Degree.

Throughout its shifting emotions and sounds, The Age of Anxiety is a consistently thoughtful, playful reflection of hyper-stimulating times.

Though it's hard to believe it's possible, Antonoff shares even more of himself on Gone Now than on Bleachers' debut, and it makes for some of his most immersive and satisfying music yet.

Easy on the ears, heartfelt, and subtly detailed, City of No Reply establishes Coffman as both an innovative and accessible artist.

If a touch weightier in tone, the album returns a distinctive palette and home-recorded finish to a heavy-heartedness firmly established on 2014's Picture You Staring, so fans and sentimentalists may take heart.

An excellent first effort from a budding pop star.

Orchestral, experimental, and more challenging than either of the band's previous releases, it's a natural fit for the Nonesuch label, whose heritage was built on such attributes. For Fleet Foxes, it represents a shift away from their more idyllic early days into a period of artistic growth and sophistication.

There's plenty more heavy material to uncover (including a song called "Coma"), though it's all wrapped in a captivating musicality that combines the power of folk storytelling, poetry, and rock angst. In the case of Capacity, it's a quiet power.

Hawkline's work up until now was strong, but this album is strong-plus. He's upped his already impressive game across the board, which makes I Romanticize his best album yet and some of the best guitar pop anyone is likely to hear in 2017.

Berry makes no attempt to chase trends or offer a final statement; he just gathers his ten best recent tunes and that's why Chuck is such a fitting epilogue to a legendary career. It captures the essence of Chuck Berry, how he could turn the everyday into something exciting.

No matter how unexpected the combinations, OUÏ is always utterly charming, and one of Camille's finest reinventions of tradition.

As with his debut, City Music feels very much like a postcard to New York, though this time Morby arrives with some accumulated miles to help support his wizened tone.

Folk Songs is a smart and emotionally effective exploration of the folk tradition that respects musical history without being chained to it, and it's an experiment the Kronos Quartet would do well to repeat in the future.

Fifth State generally feels easygoing yet energetic, and informed of the state of the world while trying to achieve inner peace and enjoy life to the fullest.

The Nashville Sound finds him growing from strength to strength, and it reaffirms his place as one of the best and most emotionally affecting artists working in roots music today.

Placed beside only Z, its three-year-old prelude, Ctrl is the work of a considerably less-inhibited songwriter. Rowe likewise truly fronts these frank songs that wield power as they lament lonesomeness, insecurity, and inertia.

Broadening the sonic palette helps sharpen the songs, and the result is a sophomore set that's ambitious and satisfying.

So You Wannabe an Outlaw is something plenty of Steve Earle fans have been wanting for years, a no-excuses country album that updates his breakthrough work, and it's an effort that should please his core audience while also sounding like an album Earle made entirely on his own terms.

With Iteration, Haley has retained all of the qualities that made Com Truise so appealing while blowing everything up into a higher resolution than before. If this is truly the end of the Com Truise saga, then it's the project's definitive release.

This balance between discovery and reflection gives Melodrama a tension, but the addition of genuine, giddy pleasure--evident on the neon pulse of "Homemade Dynamite" and "Supercut"--isn't merely a progression for Lorde, it's what gives the album multiple dimensions.

"Abysmal Thoughts"' breezy music and direct words are an arresting mix, and as Pierce stakes his claim as a 21st century master of melodrama, he delivers the purest version of his music yet.

It's an enormous-sounding, splashy album.

Taken all together, it's a formidable, empowering set, one that's taking charge of the present and not interested in rehashing the past.

It's been some time since Cheap Trick have made a record that was as howling-along enjoyable as this one. If you're looking for a great hard rock album for the summer of 2017, don't look now, but Cheap Trick have delivered the fast 'n' loud blast that you need.

This is a focused collection of intense emotional energy, but vocal effects, programmed beats, and atmospheric production take center stage instead of raucous riffs and pounding drums. Fans of their classic sound may be left wanting, but enough of that punk attitude remains, preventing this album from being a total curve ball.

While Year clearly felt like a devastating reflection on loss and abandonment, Echoing Green is an album of rebirth, new possibilities, and optimism. There are still shades of lingering doubt and distant regret, but overall, it demonstrates a renewed sense of hope.

For all of their serious, avant-garde inclinations, Can could be awfully fun to listen to, and this alternate universe hit parade is a sterling demonstration of the group at its most immediate, energetic, and enjoyable.

Big Fish Theory cements Staples' status as one of the most talented and forward-thinking voices in rap in the late 2010s.

Inconspicuousness notwithstanding, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music is among Epps' most significant and enjoyable work.

What they lack in stylistic originality, Rozwell Kid make up for in spirit and craft, delivering a smart and highly entertaining power pop record in an appealingly familiar style.

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.

Are Euphoria is folky and futuristic, innocent and artful, and experimental and approachable.

How the West was Won is not only a great album, it's also the inspiring, and inspired, story of how Perrett won his own life back.

Hug of Thunder is buoyant with inclusiveness and cautious hope.

In a Mood is an unassuming treat of an album, and Okely proves himself to be one of the top modern practitioners of this very old, very tired-in-the-wrong-hands sound. In his hands, it feels fresh and vital, as the album is as good as anything that came out in the first wave of soft rock.

Wintres Woma envelops you like a warm wool blanket on a dark, snowbound evening. Elkington has a woody, naturalistic voice that fits well with his introspective style. However, it's his adept fingerpicking, lithe fretboard skills, and inventive harmonic structures that impress the most here.

4:44 nonetheless is an unglamorous set well suited for solitary and reflective late-night listening. There are no radio play bids. Jay-Z has been in this mode at various points, but never in such concentrated, enlightened form, whether the subject is his mistakes as a husband, the struggles of his long-closeted lesbian mother, the effects of enduring systemic racism, or the assertion of his supremacy.

This music is eternal, and their obvious reverence for it is shown in how easily they just let it come through. No matter where it was recorded or who plays on it, the feel is the same: Open, willing, and wooly.

Covering more than a decade's worth of songs, the collection underscores that while Beach House's music sounds fragile, it's also surprisingly resilient.

Ruinism is a bold reinvention of Lapalux's sound, and is undoubtedly his best work to date.

Dauwd takes more risks on this album than on his prior releases, and it ends up being his most rewarding work yet.

With Crutchfield as forthright as ever and collaborators suited to drive home her position, Out in the Storm hits with as much strength as emotion.

Just good old-fashioned hard rock that's guilt free and easy to love.

With songcraft and performances on point here, Something's Changing is Rose's most exquisite album to date and her most moving ("It's just a song, but without it, would I have told you this?").

Butler's voice navigates masterfully through the cosmic slop. In a way, it too is a softly narcotizing beam, coursing through slow-motion, spaced-out avant-funk and lurching creep-show house rhythms with typically mind-bending wordplay. Compared to Lese Majesty, this similarly concise set is a bit murkier and only slightly less enticing.

While it may not bring anything too new to the table, it still makes for a delicious spread.

Steffi excels as both a curator and mixer, crafting an extraordinary mix which feels like one whole composition rather than several pieces stitched together.

Considering how so much of the Beach Boys' reputation rests on their brilliance in the studio, having these outtakes and live cuts focus on their collective personality as a band is an unexpected delight and the entirety of 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow feels like a gift: it bolsters the argument that the period following Pet Sounds and Smile was no less creative than that golden age.

While the music on this self-titled offering is breathtaking in its intensity, beauty, and mystery, what's even more incomprehensible is that this quartet manages to challenge, realign, and perhaps even redefine the entire post-metal landscape in 28 short minutes. Given that, there is no excuse for every post-metal and black metal fan not to enjoy EX EYE's project.

Soft Sounds from Another Planet is a giant leap forward for Japanese Breakfast; the move to a bigger sound results in a sure-handed modern pop record full of memorable songs, heart-wrenching vocals, and bottomless emotional depth.

Dear is proof positive that this trio are far from running on empty; hopefully, the rest of these sessions will see release soon.

Sure, Truth, Liberty & Soul is for the Pastorius fanatics, but it's much more: this fantastically recorded document is a treasure trove of modern progressive jazz.

The result of this collaboration is a set of sophisticated, textured psychedelic soul and jazzy synth pop with no shortage of elegant grooves and melodies. The new sound may be a surprise, but it could also be the sound of summer.

Not only is it a special volume of Fabric's impressive series, it's a living piece of music that presents Daphni at its most vital.

Ultimately, the beauty of Sacred Hearts Club is that it sounds like a Foster the People album without unnecessarily rehashing the sound that made them famous.

Despite its calm demeanor, Mellow Waves is nearly as intricate as Cornelius' previous albums, and its masterful ebb and flow just gets richer with each listen.

It certainly won't spawn four number one U.K. pop hits the way his platinum-selling fourth album, Tongue N' Cheek, did, but it's a necessary re-evaluation and re-focus of his talents, and proves that he's far from finished.

If the question on The Knife is what is an aging punk rocker to do, then the answer according to Feldmann is keep doing what you're doing--just be sure to be the best at it. It's a brave sentiment, and Goldfinger definitely lives up to it.

With Ross as a foil, Reznor's usual indulgences become focused and refined, making Add Violence a satisfying addition to NIN's less-essential, non-album output.

From the heartfelt Irish folk tribute "Blackwater Banks" to the unstoppably hooky "People Like Us," this is an engaging and fun listen that is easy to repeat again and again.

It's spacious and fluid rather than rock-solid and rigid, but every sound and movement feels entirely deliberate. Nearly 40 years after their formation, Laibach remain innovators, and Also Sprach Zarathustra is easily one of their best works. Absolutely glorious.

The freewheeling, uplifted spirit likewise continues. Martin and company combine and alternate between groove-oriented contemporary jazz, soul, funk, and hip-hop.

It finds the group evolving while holding on to what was best about their first LP, and they remain a singular and bracing punk rock band for people who think they're too smart for punk rock. Well worth your time and attention.

Spooky Action is rollicking exercise in high-impact lo-fi rock that should more than satisfy anyone who has dug any of Loewenstein's projects in the past.

Dylan didn't need another covers record. Thankfully, Nile didn't give a damn and delivered one of the best.

Wobble has been on a creative tear for decades with a few significant breaks. The Usual Suspects reveals its scope with sophistication, savvy, and humor. Essential.

Some references to proper nouns come across as either misplaced or forced, and the set could do with fewer strained fairground-rock choruses. These shortcomings are nonetheless too rare and slight to prevent The Autobiography from being a remarkable first album.

Overall, while the album is varied, it's consistently absorbing as it reveals itself with a sense of suspense through its melancholy ambience.

Even the album's weakest cut, "It's a Jungle Out There," works in context, and the two numbers about the bonds of family, "Lost Without You" and "Wandering Boy," are thoughtful and genuinely moving. And the easy, endlessly reliable stride of Newman's piano remains one of popular music's most underrated pleasures.

Though there's nothing here to grab headlines, A Deeper Understanding reclaims and explores the distinctive soundscapes, vastness, and haunted psyche of Lost in the Dream, and that in itself is significant.

Produced by Guy Picciotto of Fugazi in tandem with engineer Greg Norman, Cost of Living is a tougher and leaner effort than Full Communism, with the group's abundant energy even more tightly focused.

Altogether, A Fever Dream is confrontational, warped, emotionally and aurally high-contrast, and full of turmoil, but reliable in its infectiousness.

The results are so ghoulishly compelling that it's akin to shamefully leering out your car window at a grisly accident scene on your way to pick up a pizza. Hardcore done right is a terrible and beautiful thing.

While To the Bone sometimes seems inconsistent, it's an illusion; repeated listening reveals that Wilson's brand of progressive pop is so multivalently textured and expertly crafted, that its aesthetic and sonic palette refuse to be contained under a single rock umbrella. As such, To the Bone stands with Wilson's best work.

Woodland Echoes can't be called a return to form for Heyward because he never lost his form; it just went unheard for years. Call it a welcome return instead, because the world of pop music always needs music this smart, tuneful, and unabashedly romantic.

The entire EP is haunting, surreal, and undeniably beautiful.

Andrew spends TFCF discovering sounds that previous incarnations of Liars somehow never explored, whether it's the oddly majestic psychedelic flamenco of "Cliché Suite" or the brittle piano pop of "No Tree No Branch," one of a streak of surprisingly catchy songs on the album's second half. Amidst all the change, Andrew holds onto some quintessential Liars qualities.

Although Young is correct when he claims Hitchhiker is a "complete piece"--it sustains a dusky sweetness from beginning to an end--it is certainly not a polished album. Often, it feels as if Young is singing with no intention of his music being heard by a wider audience, but the presence of Briggs at the board means this doesn't sound like a ragged demo. Instead, Hitchhiker holds together as a mood piece.

By slyly alternating between these two extremes throughout Rainbow, Kesha winds up with a comeback that's fully realized emotionally and musically.

The best songs on Gibbard's tribute illuminate something new or codify what was essentially great about the original. Sometimes he even manages to do both, while essentially offering up slavishly executed re-creations of the original tracks.

It may not be a step forward, but it is a strong step in a very pleasing direction, especially for fans of a more unfiltered Iron & Wine.