Nothing is as distinctive as past delights like "I Will Come Back," "Wait & See," and "Okay," but it's all sturdy and even-keeled, programmed for start-to-finish listening.

Occasional nearsighted lyrical perspectives and three or four excellent but inessential tracks keep The Big Day from quite reaching masterpiece status, but it's still the most grown up (and the most polished) rendering of Chance's eternally bright spirit in his catalog.

While it might test the patience of some of the group's listeners, those willing to simply lie back and get caught up in the flow will find it more than worthwhile.

Although nobody would call Dessner a great orchestrator, at least not yet, the performance with the Orchestre de Paris under Mattias Pintscher is energetic and sharp. Recommended.

They may be channeling Incesticide-era grunge ("Datura"), jagged, Sunny Day Real Estate-inspired indie rock ("F Jam"), and straight-up shoegaze ("CCLL"), but underneath the hood Heaven Is Humming is pure, uncut Goon.

Mini Mansions are remarkably witty, and the way they combine their cleverness with newfound emotional depth makes Guy Walks into a Bar… their most satisfying album yet.

Wilderness shows Jade Jackson taking on a more demanding musical and emotional range than on her first LP, and the finished product finds her carrying the added weight with flying colors.

A secondary release in execution and intent, this is recommendable only to serious fans with a justifiably insatiable curiosity for what the artist creates.

The resulting Emily Alone is a devastating, unapologetically vulnerable set of 12 ruminative guitar and keyboard songs, one of which is entirely spoken ("Still").

[Everything Hits at Once] proves there are few bands more adept at giving the venerable best-of compilation a refresh.

The result is an LP more rounded and more stirring than the excellent first one.

The band wears its middle age well, sounding focused and more exacting than they did in the '90s, yet still undeniably vigorous. That Soundgarden sustains that energy throughout a marathon is a testament to their strength as musicians and that Live From The Artist's Den maintains its interest throughout its two and a half hours is a testament to the depth of their catalog.

A worthy follow-up and tonal cousin to B Boys' strong debut, Dudu hits its mark.

Para Mi renders some of the best elements of his songwriting into more accessible forms. Removing the layers of fuzz leaves Cuco's multi-colored songwriting in clear view, revealing an artist still finding his way. This can make for moments of awkwardness, but it also brings his endearing vulnerabilities to the forefront.

The band prove just as adept at these more subdued and sad songs as they do at the uptempo rockers and the blending of the two styles and tones makes for a fascinating record. It's certainly more complicated, both musically and emotionally, and shows the band growing in interesting ways.

1977 was a vanguard year for music, and Cherry Red does a brilliant job excavating and polishing the gems, both obvious and obscure.

The comprehensive nature changes our perception of an event we all thought we already knew.

Cut Your Teeth is great, passionate, rabble-rousing rock from a group with something to say, and if this is how good they've come be after a few months of pretending they were a band, imagine what might accomplished if they put on their thinking caps and pondered global warming for a year or so.

Although Showboat Honey isn't as instantly gratifying in terms of infectious hooks as his previous releases, solid songs that settle in with repeat listens make it a worthy addition to his increasingly reliable catalog.

It's divisive, danceable, and more than a little bit myopic, but it bears the creative mark of an artist whose acumen for pop craftsmanship is uncontested.

The band mixes things up with the a cappella word salad of "Sleepin' at the Meeting" and the sentimental balladry of "Paris to Sleep." By and large, however, Hotel Last Resort follows the formula the Violent Femmes have been perfecting since their inception, delivering an above average batch of their wiry, smart, and sometimes tortured songs.

With Fever Dream, Of Monsters and Men took a chance and rediscovered their creativity, embarking in a colorful and bold direction without sacrificing their heart and soul in the process.

The sad country warmth of "Play the Game" and the starkly fingerpicked front half of "Soon" are soothing in their implied heartache, inviting listeners to lean in and try to untangle McMahon's lyrics through her downcast mumbling. Sadly, those same mumbled vocals sometimes become a hindrance during the slower sections of the album, distracting from the otherwise well-written songs. Still, delivery affectations aside, Salt serves as a solid introduction to this sensitive and engaging artist.

For the most part, it forgoes the gentle, acoustic side of his approach in favor of the kind of blown-out power pop he made his name on. ... Add in a couple very short acoustic interludes, and SONGS FROM SAN MATEO COUNTY gives an almost full account of Molina's particular and impressive talents.

On The Lion King: The Gift, Beyoncé deftly connects a kid's flick to something bigger, honoring not only Africa and its traditions but also shifting perspective to future destiny and greatness. It's a superior statement and a lesson on how to properly execute a winning soundtrack.

Though Bleached are still figuring out how to use their newfound clarity, the process finds them generating sparks like never before.

The Age of Immunology is an idealistic, impressionistic rebuke to Brexit and the other xenophobic movements of the late 2010s. ... On The Age of Immunology, they set this message to beguiling, fantastical soundscapes that are as welcoming as they are unusual.

For Trojan Jamaica, it's a solid enough introduction from a number of top-shelf participants.