Many fans and newcomers alike will have been won over by another album that disarms and charms with its flawed universe while offering just enough musical catharsis.

It's a lean, tight record that takes its time but doesn't dawdle, it has the easy confidence of a pro who knows that he's working at the top of his game.

As a collection of unabashedly melodramatic, dear-diary poetic, and tastefully lush happy/sad dream pop anthems, In Roses delivers the goods with the sort of restrained panache that’s sure to win over the NPR crowd.

The hard-driving, barely-holding-on-to-the-wheel songs are the main draw here, though, and the band delivers so many of them it's hard not to be breathless by the end of the album.

Change is good. Growth is necessary for survival. Fans should not be disappointed.

Psychopomp is an impressive work by an artist well worth watching in the future.

It's bleak and brutal, but it's never suffocating, and it encourages reaction and resistance. There's even some light shining through during "Post-Scarcity Anarchism," when a much brighter, more hopeful melody emerges through the frazzled synths and piercing noise flares. A few ambient interludes somewhat dull the album's impact, but relentless, abrasive pounders like "Futures Betrayed" and "Quantum Unfolding" provide the bulk of the program.

Even in its self-conscious worship of shoegaze it could easily become a late addition in that genre's canon. Shelter is expertly crafted, inspired, vulnerable, and honest.

This is a sound that's utterly unique to Dinosaur Jr., and what's different about them in their reunion is that the group not only realizes their individuality, they revel in it, getting lost in the noise, and it's hard not to get swept up with it, too.

Thank You Very Quickly is that rare thing in popular music as well as indie: that a band sticks it out long enough to find, among the various elements of its individuals, a real musical synthesis that creates a sound that is so much bigger than the sum of its parts.

Punk and Poetry, sees them come out fighting with more fervor, more radical spirit, and more anger than ever.

At their best, Daphni and Jiaolong definitely have a vitality that some dance music--and even some of Snaith's other work--lacks, but its hyper-simple approach actually makes it more challenging to appreciate than something with a few more flourishes might have been.

By and large Construction Sounds is a restful and refreshing listen--and one that reflects how far his music has come during the years since he last used the Schneider TM moniker.

To Dust is body music for the spirit, a celebration of all that is human. It is the record that should finally put her over to a mass audience.

Along with being the most accessible and traditional of Stoltz's albums, Double Exposure turns out to be one of the best.

They've constructed a vivid and often mysterious beast of an album with snippets of commentary and perspective hidden within, highly enjoyable either taken at face value or dug into deeper.

As a stage experiment, Watkins Family Hour has thrived for 13 years, and now with a fine record to document their efforts, they've hit on a format that could offer boundless possibilities for years to come.

In trying to re-create the music he's long admired--all at once--through The Last Hurrah!!'s kaleidoscopic persona, he's moved beyond the trappings of mere nostalgia. Via the music of Mudflowers, the historical past is vital and ever present.

Like an Arrow doesn't simply feel like it's built to last, it feels like it's been kicked around the block a few times and has emerged all the stronger for it.

Similar to her previous works, composer Christina Vantzou's fourth solo album blends orchestral and electronic instruments as well as unearthly voices, resulting in slow-moving, calmly introspective soundscapes.

Ora delivered a confident pop gem that stands tall on its own.

De Facto is the work of musicians seeking something sonically and emotionally better and getting very close to the burning, white-hot center of it all. It's a challenging listen at times, but there's never a moment where the effort doesn't feel worth it and the rewards of digging deep into the sounds and songs are many.

While this set is not as immediate as their first two albums, Foolish Loving Spaces winds up being the one that is most rewarding after repeat listens, an enjoyable, nostalgic ode to pure affection. Coolness be damned.

Relatable and reinvigorated, the catchy and confessional Melanie C is not only a reboot for the artist's sound, but a rebirth for the icon herself.

Though not limited to romantic love, True Love is dedicated to relationships and fondness, resulting in the slowcore-descended duo's warmest collection to date. Also their richest-sounding.

Mallinder's vocal style on this album is far removed from the unhinged paranoia of early CV, sounding much more reserved and shadowy but not vulnerable. This suits the music perfectly, as the rhythms energetically unfold without reaching any sort of climax but are too busy and engaging to recede into the background.

This is Sherwood's album more than Andy's, experimenting wildly with his dub mixes with all the abandon of an excitable kid at recess. This willingness to go off the deep end makes Midnight Scorchers an enjoyable ride, but it's not quite the essential listen that the original album was.

It's a shame the Ducks didn't have the chance to mature and cut a studio album, because they clearly had talent and potential to spare, but there's no shame in being a truly great bar band, and High Flyin' shows the Ducks were something special for just three bucks.

Road is primarily killer and only a little bit of filler, with Alice tapping into the power he harnessed in his younger days to create a surprisingly inspired collection of new material.

The group's reputation as London's craziest live act is not overexaggerated -- the fact that they've managed to capture that energy on record is exhilarating. They've bottled the spirit of chaos that has been haunting the masses in these uncertain times, catalyzing it into something that can be collectively expunged.

It seems this was collected from material recorded over the space of several years. But Wynn was right to hold on to this stuff, as these ten tracks cohere into a very pleasing album.

Some of the ideas on The Fateful Symmetry seem a bit mismatched, and not all of the songs really work, but it does have its poignant moments.

With a couple of exceptions, basically just the reggae and hip-hop songs, Buddhist Hipsters comes closest to recapturing the vibe of the Orb's prime work from the '90s than anything they've done in a while, making it one of their best efforts since Thomas Fehlmann left the group in 2017.

No Shouts, No Calls might be some of Electrelane's most accessible work, but it's far from safe; in fact, its sweet vulnerability is exactly what makes it so special.

It displays both crypticness and honesty, intellectualism and vulgarity in equal measure, challenging and placating its audience in the same drawn-out, undefined, nasally breath.

While Continue as a Guest may not have the immediacy of career standouts like Twin Cinema or even Brill Bruisers, it succeeds more subtly on its own terms and begs for repeated listens.

The singer confesses to being "a neurotic mess" in the opening "Amöban," and there's sorrow in the purposefully ragged "Kenneth," but letting go, living it up, and delighting in overindulgence win out thematically across the album. The best of the lot might be "Frisco," a discreet declaration of liberation that with equal ease could be transformed into an acoustic jazz ballad or a storming house anthem.

Credit him and songwriting partners Daryl Simmons and Kameron Glasper, along with hall of fame-level session musicians like Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes, for ignoring the increasingly narrow sound of commercial R&B. They've done so with a satisfying album that sounds as if its organic making necessitated little exertion.

Those who weren't so sure about the Bowerbirds before might change their tune with this release--Upper Air is a luminous, wild-eyed affair, and a solid second album to boot.

Without losing any of the energetic fizz of their youth, Swearin' look honestly at their lives moving forward, arriving somewhere vulnerable yet impressively more confident than before.

It adds up to Allman's best and surely most focused and cohesive solo release, and one where the template can hopefully be repeated in less time than it took this to appear.

Emotionally, Act Surprised feels just like Sebadoh, but if you ever wished they'd make an album that would sound big, loud, and suitable for blasting on your car stereo, this is a sure step in that direction.

The EP feels like a great extension of Julia with Blue Jeans On, and one can't help but wonder what phase Krug will develop toward with the next Moonface installment as he moves from one place to the next.

Like Going Back Home before it, As Long as I Have You benefits from Daltrey's diminished range, as it adds gravity and grit to his interpretation. This album also benefits from its tight backing band, which is graced with a swinging horn section but distinguished by Townshend playing a secondary, sympathetic role to Daltrey, helping to give this muscular, occasionally moving record an air of grace.

Ocean Child is a fitting tribute to an artist who's challenged herself and her audiences for the entirety of a lifelong career, and inspired entire sects of music in the process.

While it is a meditation on Christmas, it makes no attempt to manipulate the listener's feelings. Instead, with its sheer musical quality, and the depth of tenderness and empathy in Thorn's voice, it highlights the season's complexities in the face of everyday life.

Produced by Tonra and bandmate Igor Haefeli, Stereo Mind Game is an album that sounds like it was assembled with care, as Daughter change things up while remaining instantly familiar.

Though the environment that birthed the appropriately titled Gossamer may be a bummer, the end product is winningly majestic as it is obviously spun by the most malevolent of spiders.

Melancholy has always been Wareham's default musical disposition, here he delivers his sadness with a coy, charming half-smile.

Pokey LaFarge delivers something old and new on Something in the Water, and no matter how much he reaches to the past for inspiration and influence, he's able to make his music sound fresh and alive, and this is his strongest studio set to date.

Devastating yet optimistic, Splendor & Misery is a stunning leap forward for clipping., and one of the most impressive albums of the year.

We could have used more of the Incredible String Band or Richie Havens! But these are individual complaints. The set as it stands is the ultimate document--thus far--and will likely be for some time to come.

Despite being only a side project, the sheer quality and array of styles found on Owl John's self-titled debut is testament to the prolific songwriting skills of Scott Hutchison.

This is inspired stuff from a rebel who still has plenty to offer.

Battles pack so much into Juice B Crypts that, perhaps more than any of their albums since Mirrored, it needs to be taken as a whole to appreciate its constantly changing, consistently engaging sounds.

Maritime might be a light, almost frothy album, but that's exactly where its power lies.

La Roux's dedication to their aesthetic makes this an album where the songs are variations on a theme, and on the rare occasion where the songwriting isn't razor-sharp, the style threatens to overtake the substance. However, that devotion also makes La Roux a standout, not just among the many other '80s revivalists, but the entire late-2000s pop landscape.

An audacious spectacle of vacuous pomposity as well as one of tremendous lyrical depth, Watch the Throne is a densely packed amalgamation of what Jay-Z has termed "ignorant shit" and "thought-provoking shit," with creative productions that are both top of the line and supremely baffling.

While "Real Life" was so fully realized that it seemed to have a life of its own, To Survive feels more like songs written by somebody than something that materialized because it had to.

While the songs are good--there's canny craftsmanship behind the Stylistics salute "Stay in My Corner" and the steady crawling "Put a Flower in Your Pocket"--it's this immersive, trippy atmosphere that distinguishes the Arcs and makes Yours, Dreamily live up to its name.

Undoubtedly, she has the charisma and chops to be convincing on both bubblegum and ballads but 1989 is something else entirely: a cold, somewhat distant celebration of all the transient transparencies of modern pop, undercut by its own desperate desire to be nothing but a sparkling soundtrack to an aspirational lifestyle.

In a few cases, the songs rival or eclipse material on Sound of Water, but they probably weren't included because they didn't fit the general, easygoing flow of the immaculately sequenced album.

While there are some fascinating passages on "Souvenir in Chicago," including sections inspired by a shared love of the minimalism of Steve Reich, the piece never quite becomes a coherent work.

Though his solo tracks are fine compositions, its when Gerald mixes the dark drum'n'bass beats with sultry elements and star female vocals, does his production come alive and the album become worthwhile.

Sadly, Poe's work might not be welcomed in the mainstream, which is disappointing because her original compositions have the makings for a new music revolution alongside the likes of Radiohead's Kid A. Haunted is in its own class of twisted intelligence and beauty.

Jurassic 5's Power in Numbers is darker than their first full-length; not as fresh and exuberant, but much more mature and intelligent.

Even when their brazen demeanor shifts tempo for the stainless melodies of "That's What They Do" and "Wake Up," Sahara Hotnights offers a musically cultivated sophistication that's missing in bands like the Donnas and the Vines.

We Fight Til Death gets distracted easily; all of its ideas are great, but they don't always come to fruition.

Stereo is the first Westerberg solo disc that captures the elusive feel and emotional resonance of his best Replacements tunes.

The band manages to retain a good deal of their trademark zaniness while producing what might be their most focused and polished work.

These flashes of greatness don't quite add up to what could have been, but the album as a whole is still quite exceptional.

One can't help but feel that this is still a transitional album in general, but at least they've overcome their Garbage fascination and seem to be delivering music more in tune with their attitude and style.

Mt. Eerie is a truly stunning album, managing to be deeply beautiful and unnerving, as well as deeply thoughtful, without ever seeming pretentious or heavy-handed.

For the most part, this is more of the same, which disciples will have no qualms about.

Another beautiful record that stands right alongside the group's best work.

For those who find themselves lingering on the fringes after her debut, There's No Home is the greeting card to dive in with both ears and get your ears drenched in pleasure.

One of the better albums of 2008 without question.

Far from being a throwaway side project, this unique album is as refreshing as a gapper to right center, providing, of course, it's your team up at the plate.

Roadhouse Sun sounds like he's still making his "Greetings from Asbury Park"--the kind of record whose clunkers are obvious enough to put a chink into the album's very real virtues.

It's not an especially coherent album, nor a very revealing one, offering surprisingly little insight into Thao & Mirah's relationship either as musical or romantic partners. But it does sound like they're having fun, and that counts for a good deal.

te its unsettling themes, Nixey's sophomore album is still a warm and charming record which reinstates her position as Britain's most elegant chanteuse.

Nick would benefit from getting his feathers a little ruffled -- just a smidgeon of the lean country-rock of The Impossible Bird would go a long way -- yet there's still plenty of charm in the old crooner.

The only problem with Freaking Out is that it's so short!

While most film trilogies adhere to the law of diminishing returns, World War III's clever storytelling and unexpected shifts in sound show that Madina Lake have wisely saved the best till last.

Beautifully recorded and performed, Live at the Royal Albert Hall conveys all the drama of Adele's music and is the perfect companion piece to 21.

There's a roving chaos to the disc, not completely divorced from the springy shifts of his other band, but definitely a different animal.

This is how a hip-hop group reaches middle age: by placing themselves as part of a tradition, never lingering in the past but never desperately riding trends.

These are languid, gorgeously crafted tracks that find the band delving even deeper than on Shapeshifting into an atmospheric, slow-burn aesthetic that holds up on repeated listens.

The Weapon is the welcome resurrection of that classic Skinny Puppy album, coming just as the band enters its 30th year of existence.

Personal Appeal, as inconsistent and slapdash as it is, probably serves as the most accurate overview of Moore's overwhelming back catalog of obscured freak-outs and cracked pop gems.

As has always been the case, Transatlantic excel at making a four-piece sound like a marauding horde.

Even though the band isn't doing anything that listeners haven't heard before, the album's lyrical depth will reward fans who take the time to sit down and really explore the record.

[A] well-crafted album, which was made with love and intention by seasoned artists who have landed on a combination that truly works.

Clunkers aside, Magic Mountain comes closer than any previous offering in providing the kind of excitement Black Stone Cherry generate live, and showcases their most refined songwriting to date.

If I Was is an album that expands The Staves' musical range without smothering the qualities that make them so memorable, and it's a step forward that brings out the best in the trio.

Lost and Found is better served as a companion volume to the painstakingly curated Buena Vista Social Club album than as a general listener's introduction to the various musicians. That said, for anyone who ever wished there was more music in the can, this all-killer, no-filler program is indispensable.

Untethered Moon is the usual strong Built to Spill effort.

Jessie Jones is clearly not for everybody, but if you love classic pop and rock created by a gifted eccentric with a vision (and the talent to make it real), this debut is well worth your time and attention.