rouble & Love is unlike any other "heartbreak and healing" album; its hard-won, experiential, Buddhist-like wisdom borders on the profound.

The final result, Don't Wait Up, appeared in June 2014, and was a fitting final salvo from the band, loaded with tough tunes and powerful messages that pack an additional emotional punch as the band rides into the sunset.

The pervasive, blinding darkness that saturates this bleak, sublime music is driven by the band's collective desire to seek ecstasy in the very heart of the void.

Human Voice represents an artist's drive to push his work forward, but also retains the signature relationship with melody and emotional presentation that have always set Dntel apart from the rest.

Songs like "Transparent Powers" and "Selfish Thoughts" find this variety of musical muses floating by beneath Amos' emotive, Will Oldham-esque howl.

At its best, Chubbed Up plays like a withering exit interview from pop culture; taken with Austerity Dogs and Divide and Exit, it shows Sleaford Mods' music is becoming more vital with each release.

This album is a potent reminder of the virtues this band had from the start, seasoned with the experiences of almost 15 years, and it's a welcome and satisfying return to form.

One Lost Day's songs may offer commentary about life's rough adventures but they also express openness, willingness, and tenderness as a result of them.

The news (good or bad) is that Tweedy helped Thompson make just the sort of album that's made him one of our greatest legacy artists, and it's an example of why Thompson is still worth hearing 43 years into a career that shows no signs of stopping.

If Perfect is a tighter and better-focused album than one would have expected from Half Japanese in the '80s or '90s, miraculously it still sound like them, wild but fully engaged, and you'd be hard-pressed to name a band that not only sounds fresh but is still finding new creative paths close to 40 years after it began.

Eventually, the songs do sink in, but the reason to return to the album is its ability to conjure a specific feeling, whether it's the second the sun sets or the moment that paved highway gives way to backwoods dirt roads.

After a listen or two, Black Stone Cherry's back-to-the-cradle approach proves that track for track, Kentucky is not only more consistent, but more satisfying than previous albums.

All of it adds up to an album that feels quietly hopeful, making it a tonic for troubled times.

Terrifying and violent, Wake in Fright is a perfectly logical response to the state of the world.

Like love, The Incessant is not for the faint of heart, but it's a gripping and deeply personal piece of art and another solid release from this gritty, all-or-nothing trio.

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.

Black Notes from the Deep is a jazz album deeply engaged with classy, 21st century soul, yet it refuses skittering, schizophrenic jumping around. Instead it flows seamlessly; it's smartly, even ingeniously arranged and expertly played and produced. In its sheer quality, it underscores Pine's continuing role as the true boss of British jazz.

This Is Glue ends up a clear improvement over the band's debut and something worth recommending to fans of classic jangle pop and anyone looking for some catchy indie rock to help them break free of all the bands that seem content to just cruise along in low gear.

It's a tight, sometimes bombastic, sometimes sweet mix of old-school hard, prog, and psych rock with a shot of indie-era slacker keeping it all grounded--at least for the most part.

Interestingly, the uneven moments on Vanished Gardens have more to do with the Marvels' reticence on the standards. Otherwise, the pairing of this band with Williams sounds natural, effortless, and holistic. There's definitely room for a sequel.

Where I Wasn't Born to Lose You was electric with the excitement of Swervedriver's rebirth, Future Ruins is the sound of a band that's happy to be back and ready to get down to the business of pushing their sound forward.

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.

Torche can get dirty as well, as evidenced by the gnarly, Alice in Chains-meets-Mastodon attack of "Extremes of Consciousness" and the scorching, aptly named "Inferno," but for the most part Admission administers seismic confections that vary in sweetness but always satisfy.

Although nobody would call Dessner a great orchestrator, at least not yet, the performance with the Orchestre de Paris under Mattias Pintscher is energetic and sharp. Recommended.

Roberts' body of work is consistent enough that The Fiery Margin doesn't necessarily stand out, at least in comparison to his traditionally oriented work as opposed to more experimental efforts such as 2018's What News. But as an acoustic artist exploring the lineage of Scottish folk, he's a major talent, and this album captures him in splendid form.

The issues Wire grapple with are evergreen, and as they persevere in the face of stupidity and apathy, Mind Hive's unflinching, poetic songs prove maturity is a weapon they wield just as deftly as outrage.

Simply being able to re-create the sound and flow of Fela Kuti's glory days would be an accomplishment to be proud of by itself, but on Fu Chronicles, Antibalas once again show they're not just borrowing but building on their influences, and this album speaks to the head as much as the hips.

Songs for Pierre Chuvin is a rough-hewn gem that's a splendid throwback to the wild early days of the Mountain Goats, and it only took a pandemic to make it happen. It may not be that much of an upside, but that makes it no less welcome.