The fragmented patchwork nature of the album can at times make it difficult to separate the songs from the sonics, but adventurous listeners willing to get past this will find that Yves Jarvis hides beautifully soul-bearing sentiments just beneath his veneer of blurry tape manipulation and impressionistic production.

Elegant, unusual touches like these suggest Facs are still finding new complexities in their music on Lifelike, an album that demands and rewards close listening.

It's steady growth all around for these fine Canadians who keep showing up with buckets of great material.

Her intricate, folk-inflected indie rock has a more conspicuous, gentle jazz presence here.

Although the songs were not conceived as an album and, therefore, don't carry quite the weightiness of some of the Jurado's most profound works, In the Shape of a Storm still seems essential as a showcase of his songcraft at its most elemental.

It Rains Love is a master class in the art of modern soul music from an artist who only gets better and wiser as he matures.

Although it paints a picture that best fits a degraded postcard, it's relatable in its own earnest way with a poetic air and a sense of urgency.

The album is a treat to the ears. It's unmistakably in the tradition of soul and funk older than the artist himself, but could not have been made any earlier than the late 2010s.

Not every cut bristles with this sense of adventure -- there are still plenty of stark, plaintive ballads that provide the record with a sensitive, quivering foundation -- but by balancing their familiar backwoods brooding with fearless rock & roll, they've wound up with an album with a wild, twitching heart.

The Hurting Kind stands head and shoulders above Beulah for its mature vision, powerful focus, and poetic songwriting and production. This is White's finest moment thus far.

The startling thing about Absolute Zero isn't that he's chosen to venture to the outer limits of his tastes, but that he's found the common ground between roots music, jazz, avant-garde, pop, and experimentation. It's this blend -- which is seamless, but quite dense, demanding the listener's attention -- that makes Absolute Zero seem to have depths that aren't easily fathomed.

Although it's only the first piece of the puzzle, on its own, Map of the Soul: Persona is a fitting celebration for a group at the top of their game.

Instead of distracting, Ribbons' tangents add to its masterful feel--at this point in Wilkinson's career, his music is so rich that he can bring any aspect of it to the fore in ways that feel equally natural and surprising.

Glen Hansard has long been a gifted and effective vocalist and songwriter, but on This Wild Willing, he reveals a greater vision and intelligence in using the studio to give his music life, and it's an unusually strong offering from him.

V is a raucous, incendiary portrait of the band's maturity; it's creative and expertly crafted, an exploratory step further into an unknown that refuses to compromise or forsake its established sonic footprint or identity.

Saying Happy Now is the best album to bear the Gang of Four banner since 1995's Shrinkwrapped may sound like a dubious compliment, given how tepid much of their output has been, but this is taut, effective music that honors Gang of Four's heritage but succeeds on its own terms. Global crisis is good for something after all.

Epistrophy is a companion to Small Town, but it is also an extension of the intimate, communicative union shared by this duo in near symbiosis. Together they create a gold standard for live performance.

It feels like the turmoil of the late 2010s has galvanized Spiral Stairs into making his most direct and stylistically adventurous (which is a quite different thing than experimental music) music yet.

Fueled by megawatt energy that never lets up, Cuz I Love You is a triumphant showcase for every part of Lizzo's talent, physicality, and sexuality.

While All Time Present moves through various moods and approaches, from Krautrock reenvisioned as rural guitar rock to floating ambience, it remains knowingly tied together by threads of dazzling playing and boundless exploration.

Fulfills all the promise of the debut and more.

No Wahala is an essential addition to any collection of continental African music in general and Nigerian music in particular.

There's not a weak song or wasted moment to be found; the trio write with a lovely economy of emotion and have sharpened their hook-making skills to a very fine point.

Despite its overall dreamy, soft-spoken approach, Invitation is often weighty, full of thought and longing as well as moments of wonder. It's an affecting mix, one that lingers and withstands repeat listens.

With its mix of catchy and moving songs, an artful structure, and a way with words, Grim Town delivers a piece of Zeitgeist as well as a solid set of tunes.

After a pair of impressively strong solo releases, Craig Finn has made it a hat trick with I Need a New War, and the passion and superb craft of these songs make this a must for anyone who cares about American songwriting.

It all adds up to an album that cleverly feels stylish and fashionable without abandoning the emotional gravity P!nk has accumulated over the years.

In League with Dragons is a quietly brilliant album that gets stronger with each spin, and the fact the Mountain Goats can generally crank out something this good every 24 to 36 months suggests Darnielle may be one of America's more important natural resources.

Once again, King Gizzard deliver a record that lives up to their high standard even though it (mostly) is free from ambition and drama.

Despite the group's experimental inclinations, there are still plenty of hooky moments here.

As the first offering of a new stage in her career, Love + Fear not only reveals its creator as newly hopeful, but it also gives hope that future efforts might be carved in a similar fashion. Marina's Electra heart still beats, it's just pumping smoother and with a confidence born from a renewed and mature perspective.

Far removed from the developments of the Teklife collective and other figures of the scene, DJ Nate stands out just as much as he did at the beginning of the decade.

It's easily his best, most enjoyable work.

The only way that Lowly lives up to their name is their humility to push themselves to give more to their listeners--something they do exceptionally well on Hifalutin.

Her strengths as a storyteller play out over 11 well-crafted songs that alternately explore her own personal introspections or the twisting paths of those around her.

There's plenty to dissect on Run Fast Sleep Naked, with subsequent listens revealing new layers and surprises. With this deliberate rebranding to a more authentic self, Murphy delivers a more genuine vision that is satisfying and brimming with imagination.

By initially connecting at this gut emotional level, There Is No Other invites the repeated listens required to discover all of its mysteries but Giddens and Turrisi are by no means offering solutions: the more There Is No Other reveals, the more it becomes apparent that its depths are fathomless.

For fans this is the holy grail, but it's also an excellent introduction for the uninitiated. Not to be greedy, but let's hope this is not a one-off. We can never have too much J.J. Cale.

Her weightier songwriting and expansive production make A New Illusion the match of Stellular and something more rewarding on an emotional level.

As Dreaming in the Dark's songs confront pain and choose love in empowering--and sometimes uncomfortable--ways, they reveal Tamaryn as a mature, fully formed artist.

Human Question is the work of a powerfully good trio who've made it clear they are no ordinary roots rock outfit.

Kimbrough's ease is that of a veteran musician, one who knows enough not to hurry or hit his points too hard. This light touch results in an alluring slow-burner of an album built upon a clutch of songs that slowly creep into the subconscious.

Tacocat were a fun, sometimes great band before; This Mess Is a Place is their most consistent, most impressive, and best record yet and anyone looking for thoughtfully catchy modern guitar pop could do a whole lot worse.

As bleak a listen as it is, Enderness is an affecting piece of art reflective of its time, and the fact that Bondy's house burned down the day after he finished recording it almost feels like some inevitable if unfortunate occurrence.

Fear in a Handful of Dust seems like a departure for Tobin, but even while he's abandoning conventional rhythms or genre signifiers, his music remains unmistakably human, and as challenging as the album might seem, it's easier to listen to than one might expect.

Ultimately, Young Enough outshines a promising debut, delivering a steady mix of summery earworms and angst.

Cerebral yet soulful, Any Random Kindness strikes an ideal balance for Hælos, a significant step forward in their evolution.

For all its thematic focus and political commentary, Wheeltappers and Shunters is quintessentially Clinic; at once pointed and oblique, its bad trips and cheap thrills are a subversive rebuke to a sanitized notion of the past, present, or future.

Injecting their trademark sound with fresh flair, RAMMSTEIN is one of the band's best efforts, a potent distillation of all the elements that have endeared them to fans for two-and-a-half decades.

With all of the organic classical instrumentation employed here, the electronic side of Maps is significantly downplayed, lending Colours the added weight of strength in acoustic numbers, an effect that has consistently delivered emotional resonance to listeners for hundreds of years.

Fresh and exhilarating, Nothing Great About Britain firmly establishes slowthai as one of U.K. rap's most relevant artists.

Whether the songs are designed to motivate, mourn, or comfort, they're all sustenance. The everlasting potency of Staples' voice is a marvel.

Destroyer is Black Mountain's tightest, gnarliest, and least sprawling outing to date.

Amyl and the Sniffers is a promising opening salvo from a young band who match a rabid hunger with the chops to back it up.

Intense, emotional, and often revelatory, Ecstatic Computation further establishes Barbieri as a truly visionary artist.

By the time she closes In Plain Sight's world of illusions and nightmares with the deceptively gentle "Harmless," she pulls off the trick of turning Honeyblood into a more cohesive, more imaginative prospect than ever before.

Full Upon Her Burning Lips is sumptuous, a return to basics informed by Earth's decade-and-a-half period of discovery. The album's impeccable balance of those poles places it among the band's finest recorded offerings.

With near-peerless levels of confidence, fearlessly bold lyricism, and relentless, expertly crafted beats, Fever establishes Megan Thee Stallion as a figure in Southern rap. As she grows into a command of her strengths and her personality, she creates songs that are wilder, more raw, and more instantaneously exciting than most of her contemporaries.

The 12 songs on The Saint of Lost Causes coalesce into a larger story of malaise that's powerful without turning histrionic, and this is powerful music that's both timely and timeless.

Though some fans wishing it were still 2008 may disagree, most fans will embrace Whitechapel's new progression as natural, necessary, and welcome.

It's another triumphantly jubilant album by a band who are second to none when it comes to that kind of thing.

Apollo XXI, his first album, is a little more refined, advancing his lazing, heartfelt mix of soul and funk with minimal varnish and no evident fuss.

No one was likely to have guessed that Wreckless Eric would be on a creative hot streak four decades after he made his debut, but that is indeed what's happening, and Transience manages to be surprising while also reflecting what Goulden has long done so well.

Older, wiser and more concerned with the greater good than selfish excess, Duff McKagan's punk edge hasn't left him, but instead has been refined into a loving world view that believes there's still a chance for humanity. This bright outlook combines nicely with some of the strongest and most disarming songwriting of McKagan's winding career.

At a time when so many bands co-opt various sounds of '90s indie rock and don't add anything new or interesting, Pip Blom make it work on Boat by basically becoming a '90s indie rock band and doing it better than anyone else around. Maybe even better than most of the bands they are borrowing from, too.

It's a moving album throughout, one by a multifaceted musician whose songwriting outshines even artful arrangements.

While it might be easy to slap tags such as Fourth World or techno-primitivism onto Leon's music, his Interplanetary Folk concept seems to encompass a much grander scheme, and The Canon proves to be just as visionary as the first volume.

Small Mercies may not be quite as immediate as The Age of Anxiety, but it's fizzing with energy and ideas that prove that Pixx the right person to sing about what's wrong with the world.

The concerts all have excellent sound. While this box is only essential for hardcore Dylanophiles, it's immeasurably valuable for the way it illuminates a wildly spontaneous period in the songwriter's career.

Madame X not only amply rewards such close listening, but its daring embrace of the world outside the U.S. underscores how Madonna has been an advocate and ally for left-of-mainstream sounds and ideas throughout her career.

This isn't a piece of nostalgia on Springsteen's part, though. These references deepen a collection of songs that are sweet, sad, and searching, songs that feel finely etched on their own terms but gather a deep, lasting resonance when collected on this enchanting album.

Polymer is one of Plaid's most successful hybrids of organic and artificial sounds, matching its ambitious themes and concepts with enlightening music.

1634 Lexington Avenue is the album Smith through his wandering and woodshedding has been promising for decades now. It is retro to be sure, but free of artifice or false appropriation. He is personally invested in these songs and it shows. Essential.

Overall, Jambinai's third album is both grander and more restrained than its predecessors, achieving a vast, wide-open sound that is equally focused and direct.

Happiness Begins feels immediate in way so many big pop albums of the twilight of the 2010s do not, but individual tracks are crafted to slide onto as many cross-genre play lists as possible.

Tuscaloosa presents Neil and his band in a warmer mood, sometimes downbeat but far less confrontational, and the vibe here is generally positive.

Africa Speaks is breathtaking in terms of energy and scope of vision.

Both this record and How the West was Won would have been notable just because Perrett was still alive and making music again; the high level of the music he's actually making mean that they are both vital transmissions from one of the great lost talents of the punk era.

In widening the lens, LeBlanc has taken his Springsteen-esque narratives out of the woodshed and onto the open road, and has delivered his best offering to date.

As a writer, Kempner's antennae are acutely tuned in to the heart's dizzying range of emotions, and with Black Friday, her connection remains as strong as ever.

True to its title, Nighttime Stories' best moments appear late.

[Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face"] is an overhaul of the original that unquestionably makes it her own, but it still plays out like a bonus track rather than a curated finale in the context of the album. If that's the only blip on a 12-track set, Chura's in fine form again here--it wouldn't be an overstatement to call it a doozy.

The very existence of Jazz Fest: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival indicates how the event has become a cultural institution, influencing countless other regional festivals in the decades since while retaining a unique blend of local institution and tourist destination. Smithsonian Folkways remarkably re-creates that appeal with their box set, offering 50 live tracks recorded at the fest over its 50 years, a collection that illustrates how far beyond jazz the festival has grown.

Unassuming yet frequently profound, Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is a gorgeous and much-needed return from an artist whose powers have only grown during the time he spent living his life.

Thanks to maturity, Fridmann's mix, and uncanny sequencing, every song fits seamlessly inside each proceeding one, delivering a mercurial yet satisfying whole that makes Gold & Grey the band's finest outing to date, if not their masterpiece.

The whole record is a testament to the skills of everyone involved as writers, singers, players, and arrangers, an upgrade on In the Reins, and exactly what fans of both bands would hope for in a collaboration.

The Traveler continues Shepherd's trajectory of quality. The diversity in his musical approach, songwriting consistency, organic production, and passionate performances place it over and above anything else in his catalog to date.

Despite this contemporary flair, what keeps Help Us Stranger lively is how the Raconteurs blend and mix barbed pop and blues skronk so their classicism seems fresh, not stale.

This need to seize the moment has been one of Bastille's main messages since "Pompeii," and with Doom Days, they prove they can deliver it in increasingly eloquent and relatable ways.

It's a bit of a shame that the band's name may turn potential fans away at the door, but PPC work pretty hard to overcome their self-imposed handicap and turn in an exciting and solidly built third LP.

As promising as Dommengang's first two albums were, No Keys, with its dark, swirling emotions, layered sound, and canny songwriting, stands head and shoulders above them in both imagination and execution.

Nelson and co. have omnivorous tastes and a sense of humor, a combination that results in slow-grooving R&B numbers, sun-kissed pop, rangy rockers, and a persistent good vibe. In troubled times, the band have managed to deliver an album filled with optimism, and that's a remarkable feat.

False Alarm is a colorful, good time album by a band that's maturing, and having fun at the same time.

Overall, this is one of Ronson's best works--a complete pop album.

The Age of Immunology is an idealistic, impressionistic rebuke to Brexit and the other xenophobic movements of the late 2010s. ... On The Age of Immunology, they set this message to beguiling, fantastical soundscapes that are as welcoming as they are unusual.

The result is a positively buoyant rock & roll album, one that produces good vibrations even at the darkest moments.

The stylistic shifts can be a tad neck-snapping, especially when the vibe goes from acid rock sock hop ("Masquerades") to space age instrumental synth pop ("Cymatic"), but Los Coast always feel in control of the vehicle, which appears to be of multiple vintages.

It simply finds Stickles and his crew moving from one position of strength to another, and it's as bold and exciting as anything they've delivered so far.