Their light touch and unfailing ability to deliver un-telegraphed emotional punches on Life Like make the album a strong addition to the Rosebuds already impressive catalog.

Meshuggah have easily proven to listeners time and time again that they know their way around their instruments better than most, so even though Koloss isn't the band's most daring or experimental work to date, it's definitely worth any metal fan's time.

Not only does Wyatt sound even more comfortable with the album format, his uncanny valley of past and present, feeling and observing, is blurrier--and more impressive--than ever.

How to Dance is a quietly remarkable work from a group that can make modesty and excellence coexist.

The songwriting, playing, and production here are inspired, kinetic, and far more accessible than ever before.

It would be easy to call this album an exercise in dabbling if the quality of these songs weren't so strong--and it's that quality, along with Bibio's continuing flair for crafting distinctive atmospheres, that are the only constants throughout.

By turns gentle and bold, traditional and boundary-pushing, The Thread That Keeps Us is another fine example of Calexico's ever-broadening horizons.

It perfectly reflects both Sunn 0)))'s impenetrably emotional dark heart and Ulver's expertly crafted senses of drama and dynamic.

Ones and Sixes is a brave effort that stands apart from much of Low's work, and there are certainly glimpses of their dour beauty on these 12 songs, but in the final analysis this is an album that fails more often than it triumphs.

If it isn't as ambitious as the three releases that preceded it, it still confirms that the Drive-By Truckers are still what they were before making this record: the best hard rock band in America today.

As it makes these digressions seem funny, not fussy, and that's ultimately the charm of Momofuku: it's captures a loose, natural Elvis Costello, somebody that hasn't been captured on record in years. It's still a Costello that plugs Lexus, writes operas and plays jazz festivals, but here he's not trying to prove anything, he's just making music and that's why it's one of his most enjoyable latter-day records.

McKeown's in fine voice throughout and the backing players add subtle polish to her finely constructed tunes. Her fluid vocals remain the centerpiece of the album, while her lyrics reveal the heart of a poet and the wisdom of a soul wise beyond her years.

It's a testament to Hawthorne's songwriting ability that this wall is easily scaled after one or two listens, and that the man sounds more natural and loose than on his debut might be this album's greatest asset, making the vulgar drops and other nods to the present feel less mannered than before.

This may be his most consistent offering since El Corazón.

Fans of BP will no doubt delight in this masterful set, while newcomers will experience their brand of mind-melding consciousness expansion en masse.

The Toronto trio's first album is an impressive debut that shows the band to be masters of taking psychedelic, experimental, and simply interesting music of many eras and delivering them all wrapped up in one shimmering package that's easy to absorb.

In order to be true to themselves, Mastodon had to make Emperor of Sand at this time. There was no other option. As such, its urgency, sophistication, and emotional heft make it a necessary entry in their catalog.

They're demonstrating they can write and play as well as anyone in pop and country in 2017, and the album is a rich, thoroughly satisfying delight.

They take a decidedly psychedelic approach on songs like "Through Windows" and the impenetrable "The C Is A B A G" ("and the sky has a film"), but a knack for sunny tunes and an off-kilter delivery keep everything sounding like themselves.

Along with the aforementioned "Havana," these [Latin-inflected songs] are easily the most potent songs on the album, and showcase Cabello's effusively resonant voice and playful charisma. Admittedly, the album leans a little too heavily on ballads and midtempo acoustic guitar numbers that work against the vibrancy and momentum of the Latin tracks.

They haven't quite arrived on a focused, cohesive sound yet. They certainly have something to say about the state of London nightlife, however, and it's worth paying attention to their insightful observations.

Semblance isn't Forma's most consistent album, but their approach to rhythm is more innovative here than it was on their past releases, and their continued progression remains exciting to witness.

Pile hold on to all the anxiety and fury of youth here, but present their dissonant squalls with a mature, metered patience that just adds to the slow-boiling listening experience.

The rich palette of soulful musical styles he draws from is often at odds with his strangely plain American diction. Yet, the vivid tones of his African heritage transmuted through his Ohio upbringing are a major part of his story, and with his melting pot of styles, influences, and cultures, Sinkane sets out to prove that we can be many things at once and still find acceptance and love.

While Darkness Brings the Wonders Home finds Smoke Fairies toying with a new and different approach, it also reinforces what they do best; it's a detour that happens to take them someplace worth visiting.

Deeply introspective and pleasantly mellow, Lost in the Country is a mature step forward for Benton as a writer, and more firmly establishes Trace Mountains' vision.

Because of its lack of vocals, The Patience Fader sounds a bit more open and free than A Son, and somehow manages to say more with less.

Nobody expects him to go back in time and deliver another classic album like Too-Rye-Ay, but it doesn't seem too much to ask for him to make a record that has more zip than this. That being said, it's always good to get another transmission from the heart and soul of Kevin Rowland, even one lacking the sweat and excitement he usually delivers.