On Dark Horses is a far more collaborative affair, and while it still looks inward, it does so with the kind of steely warmth that can only come from somebody who has seen the light at the end of the tunnel as clearly as they've seen the oncoming train.

Rap or Go to the League is a step forward in 2 Chainz's artistry, and reveals sides of his personality that were previously harder to see in the shadow of his enormous persona.

While the subject matter may sound heavy, hard-earned lyrics are delivered throughout the album with a relaxed, affable tone befitting the group's twangy, sauntering indie rock.

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

Like Ruinism, Amnioverse is an ambitious, striking record that seems to assess the entirety of existence, and it's hard not to feel moved by it.

If there is one complaint about this beguiling, driving outing, it's that after its 44-minute running time, Gogo Penguin's "magic in motion" aesthetic is so beautifully articulated in this immersive, mysterious music, they will leave listeners wanting much, much more.

Album No. 8 is an intensely personal album that feels like Melua made it for herself first and foremost.

This is not a record for people who like their noise rock packaged nicely or for those who need a melody or song structure; it's for people whose idea of the best thing to do on a Friday night is being locked in a basement with three sweaty rockers bashing out songs with all the fiery energy and unschooled enthusiasm of their heroes.

She's added new ideas that make this music feel like a metamorphosis; transforming herself into an artist who has thrown off any generic frameworks that confined her in the past.

The Cactus Blossoms remain a proudly low-key affair -- the focus remains on the harmonies of brothers Page Burkum and Jack Torrey -- but the small, telling details help turn One Day into a warm, enveloping listen.

The language Halvorson constructs on Amaryllis is lush yet balanced and symmetrical. Her harmonic core, though fluid, offers a generous tonal palette for ensemble players and soloists alike, no matter who ultimately converses with who, while her melodies are simultaneously memorable, complex, and thought-provoking.

Returning after a five-year studio hiatus (ages in the Hitchcock discography), the esteemed sorcerer of pop surrealism delivers a more than worthy successor to his acclaimed 2017 self-titled effort.

Often moving. ... It's that distinctly human sense of discovery and the yearning for a better tomorrow, even as the world crumbles around you, that Circa Waves capture on Never Going Under.

Through it all, Mason's distinctive voice -- a hushed croon belying a hidden depth of thunder -- give his narratives gravitas and the album's production, a joint effort with London's Tev'n, builds an exciting world to match it. It's another solid effort from one of Scotland's finest.

Romy may have been the last member of the xx to release a solo album, but it was worth the wait: Mid Air's joyful, thoughtful version of dance music is utterly true to her.

Lambrini Girls keep the levels of earned outrage cranked up high and apologies at near zero while continuing to take on topics like gender inequity, political and cultural atrocities, and bad behavior in general on their full-length and City Slang debut, Who Let the Dogs Out.

With this album, Neale manages to translate existential torment into strange and beautiful sounds, yet again progressing with the chimerical vision of rock & roll that's uniquely her own.

We Are Together Again ultimately takes its place as another beautiful entry in Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s everchanging, ever-engrossing discography.

Granted, 25 songs of fast, furious, gravelly hardcore punk may seem like a lot to take--and some of the raw alternate takes are in best form in their fully evolved multi-tracked versions on the excellent Chemistry of Common Life and Hidden World albums--but even so, most of the songs included on Couple Tracks are absolute necessities.

Easily his most focused and accessible work, Pretty Daze is the strongest so far in a chain of releases that seem to suggest there are even greater heights to be reached.

Somewhere Else should make a point of giving Real a listen--at her best, she's quite simply as good and as brave a singer and songwriter as anyone working today, and Real finds her at the top of her game.

World's Gone Wrong is an album of its moment that addresses issues that have been with us for centuries, and like a good blues song, they never stop being timely – and worth singing loud and clear, which is just what Williams does here.

It's not as if any of this breaks new stylistic ground (in fact, it bears no small resemblance to his pals and sometimes collaborators Thee Oh Sees), but it sure sounds like Segall is having fun, and it brings some additional heat and spice to his rich brew of sound.

Kicking off their third decade post-Barsuk, Death Cab continue their evolution in fascinating and rewarding ways, somehow managing to surprise with fresh directions and sounds yet unheard from this ever-reliable crew.

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.

Chin Up Buttercup's opening trio of songs is as powerful as anything Austra has released.

One of their strongest albums in a while, Hot Thoughts is more proof that Spoon only get better at introducing new ideas into their music, while sounding unmistakably like themselves, as the years pass.

It takes time to make music as effortless and elegant as this, to construct songs this finely detailed.