Consider this a Meth-led posse LP aimed at returning fans, and a very good one at that.

Sparks still sounds like she's finding a voice of her own.

The result is not only satisfying, but adds to the already unclassifiable depth of his artistry.

Crosswords is essentially outtakes from PBVSGR (with one cut left over from Tomboy), and while it's clearly more of the same, it's an enjoyable, compact dose of chilled, effervescent electro-psych-pop, and it functions as a handy reminder of how far Lennox has come as a songwriter.

Pickpocket's Locket is less furious than most of Frog Eyes' body of work, but if the music doesn't kick as hard the emotions are still there in abundance, and Carey Mercer's songs of love and hate remain compelling and rewarding stuff.

For the most part, Silicon works, delivering strange sonic pop candy that feels a bit too distant to warm the heart, yet is strangely comforting in its isolation.

Through its short running time Krol doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before, but that's really OK. He's got energy to spare, some really good songs, and a snide, slightly wounded voice of his own. Add in how well the quick-and-dirty production style suits the songs and Turkey ends up being a fine introduction to Krol and his sound.

If Lydon's decision to revive Public Image Ltd. seemed curious at first, with What the World Needs Now, the group has a firmly established new personality that suits its leader well, and finds him making strong and engaging music again after many fans wrote him off as a spent force.

It's that tension between the good and the bad, the yin and yang of Duran Duran, that makes Paper Gods absorbing.

Highest Point is the kind of album that's easy to love as background music, as a soundtrack for a lazy summer day, or anytime good, catchy tunes with no rough edges are required.

No No No is a feel-good mean of the band's prior releases that should appeal to the Beirut loyal as well as serve as a fine representative for any potential admirers who've simply managed to miss them along the way.

Even if this isn't their easiest or most satisfying listening, they're still a remarkably unique band.

Total 15 demonstrates Kompakt's reliability as well as its unpredictability.

If you're a fan, you need to grab this one.

Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz needs an editor, but there's more than enough worthwhile music here to transcend shock value.

While Carry the Ghost is a sullen work, with lyrics that deal head-on with reality, and processing rather than wallowing, Gundersen hits a beautifully wistful sweet spot in tone both lyrically and musically.

It's as authentic a return as a fan could ask for, and works equally well as a final chapter in the band's story or a new one.

While it could be argued that listeners don't turn to Buckcherry for variety, it is nevertheless a welcome sign of inevitable maturity for these legendarily sleazy L.A. scuzz rockers.

At its best, Faith in the Future is a compelling and suitably individual study of the Darkness on the Edge of Some Other Town, where Finn has plenty of stories to share.

The dancefloor-friendly tracks seem to have a classy tech-house shuffle rather than an overblown EDM pomposity, giving weight to her lyrics rather than distracting from them.

A well-rounded effort with plenty of promise, the posthumous Welcome to JFK is one bittersweet victory.

She's always been a sweet, pleasant crooner and Male plays to those very strengths.

It is a snapshot of where Gilmour is as a musician in 2015, and not by any means a grand portrait or statement to sum up his career.

It's an impressive and formidable debut, one that begs for analogies to the glaciers, jagged landscapes, and northern lights of her native country.

Pagans in Vegas can be viewed as their first post-success album and while the struggle for their musical soul that plays out over its course makes for a sometimes less than coherent listen, it's always an interesting one.

Where Lana Del Rey seemed weighted down by existential sorrow on her first two albums, Honeymoon seems comfortingly melancholic and that's the truest sign that it is the fullest execution of Lana Del Rey's grand plan yet.

Introducing Darlene Love doesn't show off many new wrinkles of her talent, but if you want to know if Love still has what it takes to make a great record, this album shows the answer is an unambiguous "Absolutely!"

Grief's Infernal Flower is almost doom-by-the-numbers (which should reassure fans), but Endino's production, Cottrell's vocal confidence and lyricism, and the band's willingness to push its grooves into the red provide an admirable next step.