Guided by Voices has never had so long a streak of consistently fine albums as they've had since this edition came to be, and Welshpool Frillies shows this band (and their indefatigable leader) aren't about to let us down now.

It's a wonderful document of an unparalleled artist still radiating creativity, thoughtfulness, and power well into her late seventies. Like most everything else Mitchell has touched in her storied career, At Newport is inspiring, moving, and manages to also be a lot of fun.

There are experiments with ambience, risky beat switches, theatrical and hook-free pop, and orchestration that Scott has never attempted before. The multi-platinum guest features might set the album up for global conquest, but the most exciting moments come when it sounds like Scott is discovering a new way to push his craft forward.

While not all of Magic 2 is this strong, there are several moments like this one ["One Mic, One Gun"] that can contend with the best of the King's Disease material.

Days in the Desert is a spiraling, hallucinatory experience, blurring the boundaries between studio-crafted ambient soundscapes and an engaging live jam.

Never less than sweet and engaging, The Loveliest Time may not be as ambitious as its predecessor, but when it comes to Jepsen's lighter-than-air pop, it just might be more consistent.

As the creator and master of his own distinctive palette, he delivers another nuanced and well-crafted album.

[A] cleverly devised and skillfully performed album that's pleasingly nostalgic, happily (for the most part) danceable, and best of all perhaps, represents a return to form after their ill-advised foray into radio-ready modern pop.

This is as strong anything they've recorded in their forty-plus year history.

The serene hum of nature in harmony leads her to realize that "the care I neglect so often is mine" on "In Gardens," while "Science and Art" is a glowing love song to the creative instinct and humanity's undying need to express itself, whether in a song or video game. On RPG, Me Lost Me continues that tradition brilliantly.

A breakneck blend of craft, experience, fun, and excitement, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is the most concentrated dose of the band's magic since Tyrannosaurus Hives.

While nothing here increases the pulse like EP standouts such as "Dream Story" and "Infinite Wisdom," the sustained and unusual sense of solace is heartwarming enough.

They expanded upon their crate-digging aesthetic, blending disco, funk, new wave, and hip-hop sounds into their own hooky, dance-ready aesthetic. Volcano is no exception and finds the duo moving through the late '80s house grooves of "Holding On," the '70s soul of "Dominoes," and clubby tropicalia of "Every Night."

It's remarkable how these fusions feel bright and lively and every bit as sharp as the Americana-leaning Freedom Highway. Giddens may be emphasizing a different side of her personality--and perhaps courting a different audience--but she's made no compromises.

Wide-ranging yet cohesive, crafted yet genuine, Homo Anxietatem is an expansive, satisfying standout within his body of work.

Consciousology is the work of an artist who has tapped into something mystical and true, much like she did with Heart-Shaped Scars. Allison has made a record that stands not only with her best work but with that of experimental and inspired singer/songwriters of any era.

Despite all of these guests and shifting stylistic moods, World Music Radio holds together nicely. The production has an organic, musically experimental vibe that feels like Batiste is really bridging his jazz and pop influences. There's also a sense that he is digging deeper emotionally after a tough few years.

Even amid the emerging identities of its two star players, it hangs together as a delightfully cohesive volume. It's the sound of old friends playing guitar and singing together in a good room, a vibe that never gets old.

Taylor has made an album that's happy without being silly, and positive while acknowledging just how much of a challenge it can be. Jump for Joy is an exercise in self-help and self-care, and a few spins might help you on the road to better days. It will certainly make them easier to enjoy.

An album of many strengths -- poetic yet folksy lyrics, charming melodies, an A-plus band, and disarming sincerity -- Haunted Mountain is another delight in a solo career that deserves to be more than a sideline of his Billboard 200-charting main gig.

Hearing Pearl reclaim her agency with an older, wiser, and hopefully more sustainable incarnation of Be Your Own Pet is a thrill for fans old and new.

What gives it resonance is that the album's bones are constructed from the same elements that have made him one of the most interesting singer/songwriters of the punk generation: he's toned down his snarl and cynicism, retaining a D.I.Y. spirit while also honing his powers of observation. All of these come into play in surprising, inventive ways on Leisureland, making it one of his most distinctive records.

Everyone Else Is a Stranger is easily one of Lindstrøm's most gleeful records, and one of the easiest to recommend.

Spellling & the Mystery School demonstrates how some of Cabral's best songs have taken on lives of their own since they were first written.

Despite the cockiness of its title, his songs remain pleasingly mellow and eclectic, working through a range of styles (highlife, dancehall, Afro-Cuban) and delivering memorable hooks and melodies with the confidence of his status.

Georgas' conscious attempts here to be more candid in her songwriting pay off on a no-filler label debut for Lucy Rose's Real Kind Records that stands as her best to this point in her career.

At this point, a Pretenders album is whatever she says it is and Relentless is a good one.

Equally experimental and accessible, brimming over with aquatic atmosphere and pointed emotional feeling, and full of familiar joys and new surprises, everything is alive is the work of a group who are done reforming and have set their sights on brilliant evolution instead.