Warp and Woof is a series of short sprints compared to the marathon of Zeppelin Over China, but it covers a lot of ground at a brisk pace and it's a whole lot of fun.

False Alarm is a colorful, good time album by a band that's maturing, and having fun at the same time.

While earlier recordings like Sonno and Risveglio seemed fragile and distant, this one is far more upfront, with haunting melodies leading most of the pieces, and a steady sense of progression throughout.

For the band's part, they definitely benefit from being able to stretch out in the studio for a change, and Loughead in particular delivers some excellent lead guitar work. In terms of Nap Eyes' catalog, Snapshot feels like a bold new era, though it's not without its growing pains.

The joy shared among these four musicians was abundant in everything they recorded, which is why this is a most beautiful and enjoyable album; it's also a bittersweet one.

Pokey LaFarge is still working out the math on how to exist in more than one decade at a time, but Rock Bottom Rhapsody has more than enough good things in it that he's probably going to be just fine wherever he finally settles down.

No matter the mood or mode, Haliechuk and Falco make nary a misstep and show they are equally adept at inspiring weird dance moves, conjuring up post-punk ghosts, or delivering indie rock thrills. At their best -- which is most of the time -- they leap past being a sum of their influences to make music that sounds supremely fresh, and if the shifts between sounds can be a little jarring on the first couple of listens, at least Harmony Avenue is never boring.

Good Luck, Seeker is not one of the great Waterboys albums, but it is an adventurous one with enough standouts and strange magic to go around.

Find the Sun is filled with insightful, poetic lyrics that reward attention, but the overall vibe of the album is best suited for a more meditative, perhaps semi-conscious state, allowing the sounds and rhythms to wash over you.

The results are mostly knotty and easy to get caught up in, though it closes on a spare arrangement of the traditional folksong "My Boy Willie" -- on which Fogarty still leaves his distinct mark.

Clamm's storm of cathartic energy disguises how intricately constructed the songs are and makes Beseech Me both exhilarating and engaging.

This album is a project of love and admiration for Tony Joe White, and Smoke from the Chimney honors his legacy while reminding us that the tunes he left on the shelf are more effective and compelling than the emphasis cuts on most other songwriters' albums.

Lost in the Cedar Wood is not Flynn's most accessible record, but it might be his most immediate, and its communion of two masters in their prime makes for a satisfying listen.

For the most part, the band plays things relatively safe. Even so, the Vaccines are adept enough architects of early aughts U.K. guitar rock (Kaizer Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, etc.) to know how to craft an earworm, and the reliable Back in Love City is filthy with hooks, even if you've heard them a million times before.

At so many points throughout Mint Chip, it's really hard to tell if there's anyone steering the ship anymore, and that balance of madness and control provides the album's most exciting moments.

Rarely does a double album (or a quadruple EP?) sound so revitalizing, but Django Django somehow pull it off on their best release in years.

Exorcist is Birchwood's tightest, most adventurous set to date in his quest to create a contemporary context for the reinvention of American blues.

While the majority of the album is breezy and unassuming, the radio-ready pop detailing of "Mona Lisa" cuts through a little more than most, with manicured hooks and sonic sweetening that feel tailored for commercial blockbuster status.

It's definitely music for dourer days, although there's also an alluring elegance in play that can make it feel more mysterious than dispiriting. Like a lot of compellingly constructed minimalist music, Acts of Light benefits from repeat listens.

Dune Rats' attempts to kinda sorta reinvent themselves aren't always a roaring success, but none of them are abject failures either. If It Sucks, Turn It Up reveals they can change if they need to, though they are probably most comfortable just being their snotty, weed-addled selves.

The studio cuts find bandmates Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in a similar contemporary mode as on their previous release, melding classic elements of their core sound with modern pop flourishes. .... On-stage they sound rich, dynamic, and detailed with a classy touring band that brings the entire catalog, new and old, to life.

Parasomnia is solid. It channels the band's storied past as well as their current more complex, forward-thinking compositional style with only a few rough edges.

Full of memorably wistful melodies as well as potentially relatable struggles, Hers feels like an instant classic, if one that's also outside of time.

Room on the Porch is a beautifully produced, modern, deep blues and roots album drenched in an all-inclusive Americana, generosity, and good vibes.

Adventure is another chapter in what has become an improbably delightful late-career renaissance for these pioneering underground heroes.

Not for Lack of Trying is a gorgeously subtle, often transfixing album.

Scenes from Above stands apart from the guitarist's other Blue Note titles because of the gauzy strength, pliability, and openness of the ensemble in trusting and embracing the tender quality of Lage's music.

You'd have to go back to the 1970s to find a Ringo Starr solo album that was as well-crafted with his particular skills in mind as Look Up, and Long Long Road shows Burnett and Starr continue to work together beautifully.