Little Seeds has enough going for it that one hopes Shovels & Rope will start coming up with ideas that match their skill set, but this is not the album that delivers that breakthrough.

They aren't necessarily breaking new barriers here, but that's not really what Alter Bridge are looking for. For longtime fans, there's enough heft and craft here to satisfy, while new listeners will find a solid entry point into the band's growing canon.

Broken Lines' only downfall is that it isn't as cohesively arresting as its individual highlights. Having said that, those highlights pretty much eclipse this.

Transit Blues isn't a jarring turn for the Dayton, Ohio band, but it provides enough newly inspired touches to warrant attention in the group's catalog.

First Ditch Effort isn't a radical step forward for NOFX--they're still a punk band who smirk more than they shout--but it does successfully take them into a more thoughtful direction, and shows they can mature just a bit and still be themselves.

If the rest of the album is a hair more mystical in scope, his wide, introspective vistas are still quite compelling.

As with nearly every Biosphere album, this one contains far more depth than it seems at first, so one shouldn't shrug it off if it doesn't cohere on the initial listen. It's music to get lost inside.

His spectral voice moves within billowing clouds of elliptical melody, many of which are painted using much brighter colors than their melancholic librettos would suggest, resulting in something that's very much like the anachronistic cult anthology television show that helped to inspire them.

At their best, they are capable of creating songs that take off like jet planes at dusk ("Hi+Lo"), strut wobbly like Paul Williams on a bender ("I Wanna Prove to You"), and hit the perfect spot between heartbreakingly sweet and just plain odd.

He still seems to jot down his thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness manner without trying to force them to rhyme, and he hasn't particularly made more of an effort to sing in tune, but his songs are still a joy to listen to because of his easygoing manner and casual, occasionally funny lyrics.

For anyone who enjoys sinking into a gooey, sleepy, eerily warm, and keyboard-laden sonic murk, but still wants the occasional hooky tune to keep them happy, Brunei may be just the right thing to keep the good times peacefully rolling.

A confounding, often thrilling album of pieced-together samples and shorted-out electronics that nevertheless has a primitive groove coursing through its veins.

Overall, Oh My My is another solid record from a group led by one of the best songwriters of a generation.

As per usual, the band has little interest in settling into any specific genre, incorporating bits of noise rock and black, sludge, and prog metal into the mix whenever they see fit, but one thing Whatever Forever does do consistently is melt your face off which, in the end, is probably a good thing for the earth.

Fully energized and tightly concentrated, the producer's first studio album in three years is a concise and infrequently relenting set of nine songs that rail against those who have caused emotional and planetary harm.

Everyone involved should make a concerted effort to do it again, because the album works on so many levels. It's an absolute joy that both hip-hop lovers and Brazilian music fans will be able to appreciate.

With the exception of the seriously catchy "Get Your Way," the rest of this set is dominated by the group's rock moves, but at the same time, Polizze writes actual songs, not just frameworks for his guitar work, and it's the melodic strength of High Bias that makes it so powerful.

The result is a beautifully arranged but fleeting collection that could work a little harder to draw listeners in.

Where previous Gaga albums were high-wire acts, Joanne is decidedly earth-bound, a record made by an artist determined to execute only the stunts she knows how to pull off.

The songs all keep to a calm, unhurried pace, but stand-out "Do You Need My Love" has a slightly busier rhythm, driven into a hypnotic midsection by impressive drumming and Lennon-esque pianos. Mering's singing has never sounded lovelier or more pristine than it does here, and her yearning lyrics are at the forefront of these elegant compositions.

As with any compilation, it plays a bit unevenly at times, but overall, Say Yes! is a solid listen born out of great respect for Smith's legacy.

This is solid restart. JoJo displays more than a decade's worth of growth here as a writer and singer.

If not quite as substantive as Malibu, this is one of those albums that can be played continuously without risk of depreciation.

Lighthouse is lovely, but the lack of attention to detail blunts some of the writing and playing craft on offer.

Most bands really want everyone to know how extremely hard they are struggling to create their art, but with these guys it feels like they just showed up at the studio and started playing, and the album magically was done. It's an approach that might not work for everyone, but so far the guys in Hooten TC have pulled it off for the second time in a row.

From start to finish, Let It Be You is a collection of appealingly loose, lush songs full of creativity.

An icy-cold affair. Proving that incarceration couldn't slow him down, the 13 tracks are packed with typical boasts, all come-at-me defiance and bravado.

Mapping the Rendezvous might not appease those fans still waiting for the return of St. Jude, but eight years after their debut, the Courteeners have grown up and streamlined their sound, resulting in a tight, energetic blast of dance-rock.