Despite the lo-fi nature of the source tape, which was made in an ad hoc manner by a local friend, the sparse setting--just acoustic guitar and banjo--gives Dalton's distinctive voice plenty of room to do its thing.

The bottom line here is that Kozelek's aesthetic with Sun Kil Moon may not be radically different than his RHP project, but it is moving, graceful, and consciously beautiful.

Dark Days is vibrant and alive, an ever-flowing, ever-shifting, carousel of sound--some might miss the emphasis on song, but it's a ride that's hard to resist.

Highlights like "Hadrian's Wall," "Loon," and the title track are gently mesmerizing, made even more special by Elkington's gorgeous arrangements which were said to be inspired by Ennio Morricone.

Overall, it's a lovely return to the scene for Sonic Boom that finds him in full control of his vision and making music that stands proudly next to the best work he made in his so-called glory days in the 1990s.

Much as Nas' Illmatic, Wu Tang's 36 Chambers, and The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die all defined New York hip-hop by offering individualized perspectives on an ungovernable metropolis, Wiki also puts himself in the center of it all on Half God, and in doing so becomes an inextricable part of New York's magic, suffering, and boundless inspiration.

Too much of this record sounds like it could have been made by almost anyone and that's not good, and neither in the end is SABLE, fABLE.

A more hypnotic and lulling ride overall, Tarot Sport may lack some of "Street Horrrsing's" pure visceral impact, but it's just as satisfying on its own terms, as well as an impressive step forward for Fuck Buttons.

This album is mature in the best ways without dimming its sense of purpose, and it presents three major talents in full command of their gifts and their ideals.

Though the set feels somewhat sleepy upon first listen, repeat visits reward listeners with Staples' depth and wit, cementing Vince Staples as a simple yet focused statement from one of the West Coast's most relevant voices.

Neon Grey Midnight Green finds her challenging herself and adding enough new elements to make it a genuine standout, and is a reminder she's one of the most gifted singers and songwriters of her generation. Each of her albums is a gift, and this is no exception.

If the results aren't epochal, they're nevertheless illuminating, revealing how these two American icons shared the same musical vocabulary.

If you have the 2002 LTM reissues, there's no need to obtain the disc; it would be completely redundant. If you don't have them, you'll be getting the vivid gist of a sharp and short-lived band -- one that delivered brief, spastic shards of over-caffeinated post-punk with skittish vocals on the verge of spinning out of control.

It may not be an instant classic, but it's still clear that no one can do it like Gaga.

All told, Our Love stands as the most straightforwardly danceable Caribou album to date, but holds on to both the experimental bent and composition-minded musicality that helped build the project's one-of-a-kind sound world.

While Currents would have made a decent Kevin Parker solo album, people coming to the album and expecting to hear the Tame Impala they are used to will most likely end up quite disappointed.

Even with its banjo, organ, and sitar adornments, Dream All Over has a wide-open, arid feeling to it as if the band broke down in the crusts of the Mojave en route to their final destination. It also has the distinction of featuring some of Gun Outfit's loosest performances, while also being their most focused record.

Hatfield is protesting Trump because he offends her personally, and the specificity of her outrage makes Pussycat an unusually powerful protest album.

Traversing a wide range of moods and textures, World of the Waking State is a highly introspective work, perfectly suited for late nights spent lost in deep thoughts.

Subtlety is the strength of The Tree: it can be heard as soothing, healing music, but its real rewards reveal themselves through close listening.

White-Gluz controls her songs with a steady hand and a crystalline vision on Motherhood, and takes No Joy's always-restless creative spark to unimaginable new places.

A reinvigorated return, The Apple Drop shows that Liars can still reinvent their music and surprise listeners as they close out their second decade.

Radical has all of the mathy riffage, radiant melodies, and neck-snapping energy of a group fresh out of the basement. It also has the emotional maturity and brinksmanship of a seasoned crew who know which buttons to push and for how long, and it's in between those two persuasions that the album achieves greatness.

The arrangements, often filled with close-miked acoustic instruments and clanging percussion, feel as intimate as the lyrics, yet they're also disarmingly trippy, with electronic effects and processing twisting the sounds into unfamiliar and unconventional textures.

A musical getaway, Rebound finds Friedberger freed from expectations, and with a spring in her music's step that hasn't been heard in some time.

All in all, Preservation is a fine record that finds this young artist really hitting her stride.

Although Crushing is a hard act to follow, Jacklin pulls it off gracefully here, with an album whose dramatic arc and songs hold their own.

Some of Water from Your Eyes' most consistently gripping music, the cohesion of Everyone's Crushed lends a new vantage point on their music -- and it's an exciting one.