Swimmers is a flowing, peaceful listen that doesn't need to be broken into small bits; it works best as a unified 35-minute diversion from the stress and struggle of the daily grind.

Apollo XXI, his first album, is a little more refined, advancing his lazing, heartfelt mix of soul and funk with minimal varnish and no evident fuss.

With near-peerless levels of confidence, fearlessly bold lyricism, and relentless, expertly crafted beats, Fever establishes Megan Thee Stallion as a figure in Southern rap. As she grows into a command of her strengths and her personality, she creates songs that are wilder, more raw, and more instantaneously exciting than most of her contemporaries.

A Fine Mess is quintessentially Interpol, almost to a fault. While it's a little undercooked compared to the songs that appeared on Marauder, the EP may still please fans wanting more of that album's vibe.

Although instant, maximum commercial impact is no doubt the primary objective, the album does come across as more considered than the average Khaled LP.

The Traveler continues Shepherd's trajectory of quality. The diversity in his musical approach, songwriting consistency, organic production, and passionate performances place it over and above anything else in his catalog to date.

With Widow's Weeds, the band hasn't necessarily reinvented their wheel, but there's a deep sense of change and growth, both in personal perspective and potential direction. While it takes time for the album to really sink in, it ends up being one of Silversun Pickups' most emotionally satisfying and cathartic listens.

The very existence of Jazz Fest: The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival indicates how the event has become a cultural institution, influencing countless other regional festivals in the decades since while retaining a unique blend of local institution and tourist destination. Smithsonian Folkways remarkably re-creates that appeal with their box set, offering 50 live tracks recorded at the fest over its 50 years, a collection that illustrates how far beyond jazz the festival has grown.

[Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face"] is an overhaul of the original that unquestionably makes it her own, but it still plays out like a bonus track rather than a curated finale in the context of the album. If that's the only blip on a 12-track set, Chura's in fine form again here--it wouldn't be an overstatement to call it a doozy.

True to its title, Nighttime Stories' best moments appear late.

While Lust for Youth proves that the duo is among the best acts updating synth-pop for the 21st century, it also suggests that it might be time for Norrvide and Fischer to broaden their horizons once more.

As a writer, Kempner's antennae are acutely tuned in to the heart's dizzying range of emotions, and with Black Friday, her connection remains as strong as ever.

Both this record and How the West was Won would have been notable just because Perrett was still alive and making music again; the high level of the music he's actually making mean that they are both vital transmissions from one of the great lost talents of the punk era.

Africa Speaks is breathtaking in terms of energy and scope of vision.

While uneven, it's an album that sticks, both for its theatrical melodies and uncommon benevolence.

Tuscaloosa presents Neil and his band in a warmer mood, sometimes downbeat but far less confrontational, and the vibe here is generally positive.

Happiness Begins feels immediate in way so many big pop albums of the twilight of the 2010s do not, but individual tracks are crafted to slide onto as many cross-genre play lists as possible.

The concerts all have excellent sound. While this box is only essential for hardcore Dylanophiles, it's immeasurably valuable for the way it illuminates a wildly spontaneous period in the songwriter's career.

2019's Age Hasn't Spoiled You introduces a multitude of influences and sounds into Greys' palette and makes for a challenging but overall worthwhile listen.

Streamlining arrangements and song structures more so than in the past, the album's pop-leaning blend of dance-funk and the softer side of classic album rock is their most accessible yet.

Kind Heaven is every bit as ambitious an album as we've come to expect from Farrell, but it's more in line with the eclectic hard rock energy of his most popular work.

1634 Lexington Avenue is the album Smith through his wandering and woodshedding has been promising for decades now. It is retro to be sure, but free of artifice or false appropriation. He is personally invested in these songs and it shows. Essential.

Its cover inscribed with "In loving memory of Nipsey Hussle," 4REAL 4REAL would be the most subdued YG album even without that stirring reflection.

Throughout the album, the duo maintain a balance between daring production tricks and direct feelings, producing futuristic experimental pop that builds on the two producers' combined histories while pushing things further.

Polymer is one of Plaid's most successful hybrids of organic and artificial sounds, matching its ambitious themes and concepts with enlightening music.

While it might be easy to slap tags such as Fourth World or techno-primitivism onto Leon's music, his Interplanetary Folk concept seems to encompass a much grander scheme, and The Canon proves to be just as visionary as the first volume.

The album drifts by with a bittersweet solitude, like a more innocent reading of Satie or a less distraught take on the piano ambience of Eluvium contemporary Goldmund, reflecting on the most dream-like aspects of childhood with these warm but distant piano pieces.

It's a moving album throughout, one by a multifaceted musician whose songwriting outshines even artful arrangements.