Avenged Sevenfold go further down the rabbit hole with an innovative set of progressive metal epics rooted in existential crisis.

One of Metheny's aesthetic signatures is an often euphoric character in his composing and playing. While that's absent here, emotion, vulnerability, and poignancy aren't.

Eight is energetic, inspired, and hits with one melodic hook after another, capturing the sound of a band overjoyed to be back and having the time of their lives.

Mellencamp's blend of sinewy rhythms and burnished acoustics is recognizably his, yet it draws upon a sound that's now part of a shared past. It's a sound that's aged well, and Mellencamp has aged within it.

Also rife with a bubbly, '70s funk groove is "Coconuts," whose cheeky, double entendre lyrics not only celebrate Petras' Queer identity, but speak to the playfully flirty, tongue-in-cheek atmosphere she achieves throughout Feed the Beast.

Though Melodies on Hiatus' experiments sacrifice some of the single-minded purpose of Hammond's previous albums, it delivers a bumper crop of songs that embrace the complexities of life and music with a sense of adventure.

On Pain is overall both an exciting artistic achievement and a record that should fit the bill for anyone looking for a very cold and sad synth pop update.

I Only See the Moon's more diversified approach is an engaging one that, frankly, evades the potential slog of some of the Kids' prior LPs without surrendering heartache, nostalgia, or slow tempos and grace in the process.

Yay! is not actually retro, nor less lyrically provocative or musically adventurous. It is, simply, the latest necessary creative gambit from these sonic psychonauts.

Anyone who enjoyed The Dirty South as it appeared in 2004 will find The Complete Dirty South rewarding, and those who haven't heard it owe it to themselves to hear it in uncompromised form.

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

Taken as a whole, Blowout is Kirby's most adventurous record as well as his most accessible, thanks to hip arrangements, imaginative compositions, and focused, expert musicianship.

Like a folky, more rough-hewn Blossom Dearie, Sternberg's quavering voice will not please everyone and their musical palette is delightfully out of step with the times, but their candor and warmth of character are universal.

More dynamic and sonically defined than Divide and Dissolve's earlier albums, Systemic is easily their most successful work thus far.

This understated makeover casts Speak Now not as the final Taylor country record but as the first pop album from the singer/songwriter, a revision that offers its own gentle revisions.

A powerful return, My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross reaffirms that Anohni & the Johnsons' ability to confront the hardest issues and moments is as eloquent and relevant as ever.

The overpowering guitars and relentlessly complex song structures that make up the majority of the album feel more like the sounds Hanson makes with Wand than something unique to his solo iteration, but he shares some new windows into his wonderfully mystifying psyche all the same.

Hunger for a Way Out was such a strikingly rough diamond that Good Living Is Coming for You couldn't have the same element of surprise, but the refinements Sweeping Promises have made only reinforce how consistent and distinctive their music is -- and how much more it has to offer.

The singer confesses to being "a neurotic mess" in the opening "Amöban," and there's sorrow in the purposefully ragged "Kenneth," but letting go, living it up, and delighting in overindulgence win out thematically across the album. The best of the lot might be "Frisco," a discreet declaration of liberation that with equal ease could be transformed into an acoustic jazz ballad or a storming house anthem.

Regret, longing, and grief fill the other songs, but Lusk's soaring, whole-hearted articulations of hope and reassurance prevent this transfixing album from being an unqualified downer.

As Lifeguard's first major salvo, Crowd Can Talk/Dressed in Trenches is a superb statement of purpose and demonstration of strength, and anyone who still believes in the possibilities of the electric guitar needs it in their life.

A Trip to Bolgatanga gets as sunny and upbeat as African Head Charge's live performances or their more polished studio efforts from the mid-'90s, but it maintains the spirit of experimentation and love of speaker-crushing bass they've had since the beginning.

IRL doesn't truly feel like a return or even a follow-up. Still, she immediately set this album apart from Love and Compromise by previewing it with the fluid and bumping "Terms and Conditions," a shrewd collaboration with RAYE that is unequivocal about its "rules in place" for a potential lover.

It's a keen and catchy, often poetic, always emotionally honest outing that raises the bar on the project's already well-established strengths.

You & I is a nourishing, adult examination of love and relationships that matures the singer and her catalog in the process.

Tuttle and company have released another assured collection of songs that pair virtuosic musicianship with relatable and erudite songwriting.

Despite the understated and lo-fi nature of the recording, Evenings at the Village Gate is a testament to their profound artistry and creative synergy.

Clarke's songs are founded in seductive pop melodies with a rootsy undertow, and he, his studio band, and his production team have crafted an album that comes from the heart and emotionally connects with rare skill, in both music and lyrics. Having a down day? Cut Worms may be just what you need.