If there's a gripe to be had about the record, it's that it isn't longer than nine tracks, although there's something to be said for mirroring the debut in leaving us wanting more.

If "back-to-basics" sounds like your ideal Foo Fighters mode, then Your Favorite Toy is one of their best to date.

Tomora comes off as a good-natured side quest, freely venturing into unexpected territory and maintaining an adventurous spirit.

Malik's reliable vocals and the top production quality deliver the goods, but here's hoping the restrained ideas on Konnakol yield a more liberated approach next time around.

Everything -- from the vocals to the production -- is top-notch, and the record is a glittering late-career triumph.

The strange textures she finds in the recording process add to the overall intrigue of these beautifully sad songs, creating a thoughtful -- sometimes pensive -- environment that’s heavy but still somehow really nice to inhabit for a while.

While some listeners may prefer one singer or type of song over the other, the tracks are all short and strong, sounding less like a side project and more like an album deep into the discography of a beloved indie pop band. And in a way, that's what it is.

If you share Joe Jackson's irritation with the world (especially the United Kingdom) at the present moment, you're likely to enjoy it, but despite its musical excellence, it's hard not to feel that it wears out its welcome by the time it runs through its 35 minutes.

Cuts like "Possession," "Grudges," and "The Last Two People on Earth" have a cavernous, late-'80s and early-'90s alt-rock majesty, as Martinez frames her cracked porcelain vocals in shimmering, reverb-heavy guitars and synths, broken-glass percussion, and orchestral strings.

Not many musical acts reach their 40th anniversaries and fewer still make music worthy of their legacies, but with The World Is to Dig, They Might Be Giants remain wonderfully different.

Fidelity is of a piece with Do It Afraid and caps a three-album/three-year streak for the ages.

This is not a novelty or a throwaway, and even though there's technically no "new" music, Nine Inch Noize goes beyond the idea of a "remix," carrying over three decades of material into the future with the help of an unlikely creative muse.

Engines of Demolition is an aptly named collection of old-school sonic malevolence that's unapologetic in its commitment to its core sonic temperaments.

They may be leaving their early twenties behind, but with Maybe Not Tonight, they arrive as a musical force to be reckoned with.

Even with a few bangers, Evaporator is far from a club-centric album, however, as the tracks seem to be much more focused on capturing the moments when feelings and sensations emerge.

Help(2) is a fantastic collection of artists contributing album-worthy tracks to a very deserving effort. It's just a pity that it's even needed in the first place.

The Way I Am crystallizes that primal need for grounding via an assured set of songs rooted in themes of family, gratitude, mental health, and retaining authenticity amid the chaos of fame.

It's overstuffed and bland at once, with some legitimately great production spoiled by vacant lyricism and lack of personality.

The most compelling songs rank it above a mere curiosity piece, and fans who cherish both the Melvins and Napalm Death in equal measure will be pumped for this collaboration that extends the range of both acts.

With its lyrics, textures, and production detailing working together, Life Slime is Pictish Trail's most substantial and affecting album to date.

Even if it is an acquired taste, Kammerkonzert is still a fascinating release and a remarkable achievement.

While it's not exactly equal to any of his catalog classics (i.e. everything up to Yeezus or Pablo, depending on where you draw the line), that old Kanye -- the masterful producer with revolutionary ideas and endlessly quotable bars -- is still in there, somewhere. .... Objectively, Bully could be considered a great late-era Kanye West album.

Taken together, and with credit to Picton and his dexterous collaborators, My New Band Believe is at least as compelling as it is unhinged.

His lyrics and performances are lacking in original thought (sometimes clear thought) and charisma. The power and range of his singing voice are limited to the point where the musicians often sound constricted, and the mix is just as sympathetic, rendering Stéphane Clément's trumpet -- presumably the answer to "We need a Roy Hargrove type" -- close to inaudible.

Vulnerable but full of punk-rock spirit and lessons hard-won, No Need to Be Lonely is also consistently hooky, with singalong choruses that often double as calls to action.

There's no creative burn-out on Boycott Heaven as Ruess and Means offer an inspired third album that feels like two old friends reconnecting and finding that they have even more in common than before.

Volumes: One (Selections from Music Concerts 2019-2023 6 Piece Band) might not be everyone's first choice for an archives dig, but it's clear the Vernon felt great love for this band and the sound they were able to whip up on-stage, so it's hard to complain too much.

Personal, endlessly catchy, and a mature step for the new father, this consistent effort might not shake anything up in the zeitgeist, but it's one that was made for his own personal and artistic growth.