Bitches Blues is the sound of a band experimenting with and developing a language distinctly their own; it is at once physical, fluid, wildly creative, and deftly spacious, revealing a striking 21st century approach to the guitar/keyboard/drum trio.

OOIOO and Lightning Bolt both make adventurous, awe-inspiring music, and their split LP feels like a triumph for both acts.

It's another triumph, albeit a low key one, for one of the best bands of their era.

Their music is soothing, rustic, lonesome, and ethereal all at once.

The ever-present -- and ever-changing -- blend of grief and joy within Bleachers' music is always heartfelt, but it's rarely sounded as rousingly real as it does on Everyone for Ten Minutes.

Gravity Freeze may lack some of the unhinged excitement of previous albums, but the depth and feeling they put on display is impressive and makes the album a detour well worth taking.

Kramer and Moore interact with each other's fiery and ungovernable sounds effortlessly, often finding anger and peace within the same tune. They craft an atmosphere that stays in this tenuous balance for the entirety of the album, acknowledging suffering and universal loss while always keeping the hope for something better as a guiding light.

An album that demands and rewards close listening, Inferno remains true to the world Boards of Canada have created while engaging with the world at large.

Heavy Water is unique in its sonic remembrance of a more modern tragedy, one whose environmental and emotional repercussions are still being felt today.

Whether or not Wild at Heart stands as Diamond's final album, it completes a tidy trilogy of Rubin-produced records that are among the most satisfying of his long career.

There’s a newfound lightness here, and even though the amps are still maxed out and the songs aren’t exactly chipper hymns of optimism and renewal, there’s a sense that Iceage is finding hope within the chaos for the first time.

Mendez's gentle vignettes have carried an outsized emotional heft, but his wistful melodies are just as likely to bring listeners back.

Crawlspace of the Pantheon sounds like the work of a band that still has plenty of gas left in the tank, regardless of how long they've (or he's) been at it. Play it loud.

The songs here are always tender if tangled, and the record closes on the quasi-acoustic, more clarified "A Moment in My Eyes," a bookend that parts ways with the album's swirly, fuzzy, knotty headspace and floats listeners back down to earth ("Black-and-white photos/Spillings of a dream").

Time is a welcome studio reunion between Mahal and PBB, and a superb reworking of the original album while juxtaposing styles, sounds, and rhythms with joyful abandon.

The Joy of Sing-Sing is a divine first album -- fans will undoubtedly be delighted.

There's an innocence that's like slow dancing at twilight that sets Night On My Side apart from all the rest.

What makes it great is excellent producer and guest rapper choices, a tight track list with nearly perfect flow, and the fresh G-Unit meets crunk and Lil Jon sound that dominates the album.

Merritt's kitchen produces pop confections that can rot teeth, but the bitter aftertaste owes more to Randy Newman than it does Belle & Sebastian.

There's almost nothing in the way of guitar heroics and it's far from groundbreaking, but fans of darkly personal skewed pop should enjoy Will to Death.

Like Richard Buckner, Zedek holds the amazing capacity to make the saddest stuff compelling, even heartening.

Palookaville could stand one more trimming pass, but it gives Cook's canon the needed depth.

Stone Roses fans who haven't tracked Brown's musical progress after that band's breakup will find much to love on Solarized, another mini-masterpiece that perfectly balances mood and melody.

Final Straw is another strong slab of emotion and invigorating energy from a solid band that mixes its influences into an always heady sonic libation.

Driving music with an edge that you can get lost in.

If you're looking for some red-hot rockabilly, the Rev is still your man, but Revival shows off some unexpected sides of his personality, and the changeup makes for some refreshing listening.

As distinctive as the band's sound is, it's not particularly varied, and two-thirds of the way through the album things may start to drag a little for those who aren't deeply indoctrinated in the ways of the Polyphonic Spree.

It doesn't scale the heights of either of their main projects, but it's far more consistent and enjoyable than might be expected.