It may not have the classic status of Live at Leeds, but the group never sounded as explosive as it does here.

The album plays like a greatest-hits collection, and since it doesn't seem to cater to a musical or emotional middle ground, it makes for a guilt-free pleasure.

Baby Grand is as ambitious as we've come to expect from the Love Language, and as successful in its grasp of thoughtful, artfully crafted pop music.

Gulp show that they aren't just masters of cheerful avant pop; they can do other things at a high skill level, too. It makes for a well-balanced listening experience that fans of Broadcast or any of the other bands mentioned above would certainly find right up their alley.

Even the hazier songs have a melodic and harmonic allure, though, a trait that bodes well for any band. With ten tracks coming in at under 25 minutes, Bell House almost goes by too fast for its richness, like sample-sized bakery treats that deserve a full course.

Tracks like "Lost in Translation" and "Like a Battery" have a real old-school, balls-to-the-wall "rawk" sound which at times feels a bit simplistic, but is still a lot of fun. It sounds as if the band have outgrown the need to prove themselves with overt technicality and are happy to just enjoy rocking out.

With his laid-back charm, wit, and earthy sincerity, Baxter has shown his acumen for quality songcraft before, but on Wide Awake, he ties it up in one wholly engaging package.

For fans of this particular era, ShadowParty's debut offers welcome satisfaction, breathing new life into the familiar with fresh ideas and a freedom unhindered by the burden of the beloved acts from which they originated.

Call the Comet is more accomplished than compelling, but there is pleasure in hearing how all the parts fit together so tidily.

A prevailing quantity of the tracks is either forgettable or regrettable. Nas often sounds unenthused.

Instead of a magnum opus from an artist reaching the next level of his craft, or even a serviceable new album, Rolling Papers 2 feels like an awkward mixtape (or two) without much to say and too stoned to realize it's been rambling.

Among the Ghosts demonstrates how smart and versatile these guys can be; it's a brave and satisfying set that finds beauty and meaning in the valleys on the human experience.

Someday Everything Will Be Fine is an object lesson in how maturity and progress don't have to be the enemies of snarky, passionate rock & roll, and this is music that satisfies on several levels at once.

Despite his busy release schedule, Jim Lauderdale seems incapable of making an album that isn't heartfelt, well crafted, and thoroughly engaging, and Time Flies is further proof that he's making some of the best country music in the 2010s.

Swimming is ample evidence that Miller can pick up the pieces and continue evolving, his grasp on thoughtful, introspective hip-hop getting stronger by the album.

More a gentle expansion than a reformulation, The Mighty Thread should appeal to established fans and other daydreamers.

it's a record that reflects how James always swing for the fences. As such, the album can be a little exhausting for those who aren't true believers--there is plenty going on in the songs and productions but no direct way inside--but can prove to be fascinating for the dedicated sort who choose immersion over skimming.

Qualm generally shifts away from the Drexciyan melodies of Discreet Desires, but it's just as precisely focused as that album, and anyone who has enjoyed her prior recordings or Hauff's unrelenting DJ sets should enjoy this one as well.

Here, he winds up finding depth within his signature mellow good times, and the result is one of Chesney's best records: it goes down smooth yet lingers in the memory long after its gone.

With Palo Santo, Years & Years have crafted an album that pulses with that richness.

The feelings of yearning, sadness, and grief expressed through these songs aren't beholden to any genre or time period, and the album sounds fresh and poignant regardless of when its songs were written or recorded. Gate of Grief easily fulfills the promise of White Ring's earlier efforts.

Four albums in and Halestorm appear to have officially hit their stride.

Scaling back from the expansive horizons of 2015's T-Bone Burnett-produced The Phosphorescent Blues, Punch Brothers may sound intimate on 2018's All Ashore, but they haven't lost their ambition.

Phantastic Ferniture shares a certain retro spirit and thoughtfulness with Jacklin's work as a singer/songwriter, even though others are involved in the writing here, and even when it's trying not to think too much.

It may lack some of the bite of his best work with his previous project Ovens and his early solo releases, but it's nice to follow his career as he grows and experiments (gently) with new sounds and a new-ish approach, while still delivering songs that are super-hooky and flat-out nice to listen to.

A diverting if inconsequential EP filled with a lot of flippant humor and a little serious reflection.

The Morning Star is at once brave and solitary, gentle and bracing, provocative and spiritually resonant. It extends Bachman's reach, allowing him to paint the innermost dimensions of the world he perceives and cleave it open for light to flood in and illuminate it for us.

While DJ-Kicks doesn't quite have as much personality as those prior releases, particularly Time Spent Away from U, the mix proves that Seinfeld isn't interested in being pegged as a one-trick pony, and that his scope is rapidly expanding.