The man has hits, but Baby is his apotheosis thus far.

Going two for two in the 2020s so far, Deftones maintain their position as one of the greatest bands of their generation. Throw on a pair of headphones and get lost with Private Music.

A triumph of ambition and heart, each of its songs feels like an epiphany.

He has certainly harnessed the zeitgeist.

A remarkable album with more gateways than a knowing mixtape, Essex Honey shows that Hynes is as ingenious as a would-be DJ, A&R, and talent connector as he is as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer.

Who Waters the Wilting Giving Tree... is a nonstop flow of stunning ideas and performances, without ever getting so heady that the fun and strangeness become alienating.

This sounds like it could be her best album to date, and a strong candidate for "Best of 2025" lists.

Joni's Jazz functions as a kind of sublime playlist, providing a stellar grounding of her work in folk, rock, and pop, while almost constantly reflecting jazz's musical vocabulary and influence.

Make no mistake: That's Showbiz Baby! is a must hear for any fan of euphoric, maximalist dance pop.

Refreshing honesty and reflective insight might not be as exciting as the immediate pop bangers, but they help elevate Midnight Sun to something more refined and graceful. Short and sweet, this catalog highlight benefits from its length, offering just enough of what Larsson does best to have listeners craving more of this endless bliss.

As a final album, Mulatu Plays Mulatu stands with his very best work and is a bittersweet joy to celebrate.

Nothing is simply a banger, a vibe, or a mood, however, as Jordan continues to put as much into her verses as she does her hooks. These are fully developed songs, not one of which is reliant upon a groove.

Lullaby for the Lost is the album made possible by a decade's worth of soul searching, and McCaslin's increasingly idiosyncratic, boundary-less, and masterful approach to modern jazz.

Ultimately, 40 is a delightful way to sum up the career of a band that's been constantly surprising and surprisingly constant for far longer than a band has the right to.

This doesn't sound much like anything Miller has released in the past, and that only adds to its power; this is a chronicle of a man pondering an uncertain future with both courage and trepidation, and A Lifetime of Riding by Night is the most powerful solo effort he's ever made.

Corporal is a stunning reinvention for the duo that will please those who like their psychedelia spiked with unhealthy amounts of real danger and devil may care sonic experimentation.

The Cords LP easily lives up to the hype. .... With the charm factor at 11, plenty of bah-bah-bahs, and a couple early-Beatles harmonics thrown in for good measure, The Cords is an all-ages bop fest that welcomes everyone but the creeps, poseurs, and haters.

Through the Open Window: The Bootleg Series Vol. 18, 1956-1963 is an epic-scale document on how Bob Dylan became Bob Dylan, both as a persona and an artist, and the abundant audience recordings of his early gigs that appear here are a vital reminder that bringing a recording device to a concert is never a bad idea.

Most longtime fans will be astonished by von Hausswolff's masterful developmental achievement, as well as the emotional and spiritual power, poetics, and musicality of Iconoclasts. For newcomers, this album presents a near perfect, accessible entry into her recordings.

TBWPTH is skeletal, grandiose, and contemplative, a web of contradictions where answers come with questions of their own; caught between darkness and light, the U.K. legend wrings out some of his most compelling meditations yet.

Unbelievably, Shudall and Circa Waves have managed to expand and deepen what already felt like a complete emotional arc.

Fearless, maximalist, and laden with emotion, Lux is a work worthy of both the Heavens and the Earth.

Stardust is among his more adventurous collections to date. When paired with the clarity and vulnerability of Brown’s lyrical portrayals of his victories and failures, the fearlessness with which he embraces every creative impulse he considers make Stardust even more of a triumph.

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.

Their combination of on-point messaging, unyielding intensity, and wall-rattling musical power guarantees their future even as I'm Nice Now goes a long way to positioning them as the most important band of right now.

He sounds freer than he has in years on Tranquilizer, and within its infinity mirror of transience and permanence, he uncovers the lasting soul within the digital abyss.

A thrilling glimpse into one of the pianist's most vital periods.

There have been other Wings collections and they were fine; this double-disc does the best job of capturing all aspects of the band’s career. Anyone wanting to study pop music of the era should make this one of their first stops.