He glides into even mellower, more sentimental territory here for a set of brazenly unapologetic love songs.

United States of Horror boasts a sleeker and more crystal-cut produced sound palette than Ho99o9’s previous efforts; that’s not to say that the guts, grit, and feral nature of those releases are absent--they're very much here, breathing and festering from start to finish.

Party finds the sweet spot between raw and refined, and in doing so, feels very real.

Through it all, Kasher offers affecting material that's persistently tense but also loose and lively.

Underneath its simmering shimmer Different Days offers spins on classic pop, electronic soul, and late-night chill. Perhaps it's quiet exploration, but the Charlatans embrace the elastic possibilities of new avenues here, and the results are rewarding.

Little Steven may share the same sense of grandeur in his sonics, but he keeps his focus earthbound, and that provides a nice tension to Soulfire: it's big music about everyday things.

Despite all of its sonic busyness, the vast majority of which falls in the category of charming rather than challenging, the album ultimately comes off as a little goofy, fun, and full of promise.

While a long way from perfect, Big Walnuts Yonder is overflowing with great ideas and imaginative execution--enough so that one hopes this foursome heads into the studio again someday, or takes this very special show on the road.

Stop Mute Defeat is a recharge and a reinvention for White Hills, and is, by necessity, their most focused work.

With the possible exception of that improvisation [the final track, "April"], by combining his appreciation of both free jazz and Appalachian folk music, Amidon seems to be creating a traditional folk for the future.

While Resin Pockets might sound a bit lazy and very bummed-out at first, repeated listens reveal how much care was put into the album's construction, and it glows with a resonant beauty.

Growing up is working out well for Chastity Belt, and I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone is clever, satisfying proof.

Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, the album's dizzying stylistic shifts and offbeat arrangements are rendered refreshingly palatable, and even when the band's artistic hubris is drawn front and center, as it is on the aforementioned "Hit Me Like That Snare" and a spectral, almost completely rewritten version of "House of the Rising Sun," there's usually enough craftsmanship on hand to offset the overall air of importance.

Featuring a well-written and compelling history of the label from Sarah Sweeney, Sing It High, Sing It Low is an enjoyable overview of a forgotten chapter in early-'70s country-rock, though this story is compelling enough that the album really should have been longer.

It's enjoyable yet familiar fare, and whether or not Ulrika Spacek bring anything new to the art rock table is certainly debatable, but with Modern English Decoration, they've definitely established themselves as reliable, and occasionally crafty, sonic spellcasters that reward a patient ear.

Abdel-Hamid takes her sound in numerous directions and explores several moods on Distractions, and while it seems scattered enough to live up to its title, it's as engaging as anything else she's released.

If Richard Dawson is Fairport Unconventional, Peasant is his Liege & Lief, a strange but fascinating journey through the frameworks of British folk music as seen by one truly unique set of eyes.

As busy as things get on Modern Pressure, the less kinetic moments are afforded ample time to shine, with some of the LP's strongest bit arriving via breezy, sunset-ready, two-lane highway-worthy jams like "Roya" and "Impossible Green."

While it's an overall relaxing experience, Truth Is a Beautiful Thing is never boring; it's a comforting and often heartbreaking listen that really gets under the skin, especially with Reid's emotive delivery.

Ti Amo's first half is one of the band's most consistent stretches of songs since Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but the wispiness of its second half delivers mixed results.

Songs such as "Love in Real Life" and "Lover" feel flat and predictable compared to the magnetism Ditto delivers at her finest. Nevertheless, Fake Sugar is a welcome return from a one-of-a-kind voice and personality who was missing from music for too long.

Platinum Tips + Ice Cream is perfectly imperfect, full of spontaneous, weird, and honest energy that makes it clear why Royal Trux had to continue their reunion beyond these two dates.

Hopeless Fountain Kingdom as a whole feels quintessentially 2017 in how it jumbles styles and sentiment, streamlining a teeming, contradictory culture into something smooth, glassy and easy to digest.

To Syria with Love was assembled with an eye toward expanding Souleyman's audience. Given the production and the wide selection of textural palettes and tunes, it's a good bet he'll be successful. It will likely keep longtime listeners in the fold, too, although the raw, unhinged feel of his earlier recordings will be missed.

While Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie isn't perfect--and it was smart not to bill this effort as a Fleetwood Mac record--it's far better than expected, and indeed, they should have made it happen long ago.

There are other flashes of the past, good and bad, from the spring-loaded rhythms to reminders of the sometimes vast qualitative disparity between their melodies and lyrics. Ultimately, compared to their 1996 sendoff, this is more like it.

Nau's delivery, if occasionally annoyed that the topics at hand aren't being handled better, remains unflustered, gravitating back toward calm appreciation. It's a high-humidity set for long summer days, present or imagined.

There's still a fair amount of skippable tracks here. Despite this, Goldie remains a hero and an inspirational figure, and even if The Journey Man doesn't quite stack up to Timeless, it's still a respectable effort, and its best moments confirm the man's legendary status.