Recorded alone by Malkmus with the support of a stack of synths, drum machines, and a handful of guitars, Groove Denied doesn't fundamentally push at the boundaries of his music. Whatever electronic influence there is here, it's grounded in a stylized nod toward the pioneering, eerie analog experimentalism of the post-punk era.

As a whole, Hexed may be CoB's most diverse and expansive-sounding album to date, ranging between their roots sound and adventurous experimentation. The synthesis approach found here makes for a compelling, deeply satisfying outing.

While there's not any major conceptual through-line here, one of the most impressive aspects of Five is the album's balanced flow, which evokes the A- and B-side aesthetic of the vinyl age.

It's a brilliant debut and immediately vaults Ashworth and SASAMI to the head of the class of 2019.

Against all odds, Weller has delivered a live album as quietly adventurous and resonant as the studio album it supports.

The focal point of the EP is the jaw-dropping "I Need You," a nearly ten-minute epic blending the type of lush, dreamy synths she's been known for with rough, forceful breakbeats, as well as her first vocal performance since her transition. ... The EP's other two songs aren't quite as emotional, but they're still highly enjoyable house tracks.

The music on Smells Funny explores both margins and interiors; this band keeps reaching for an as-yet-unknown sonic terrain where the genres they engage no longer matter as separate entities.

The sound isn't a throwback to their first (or second) great era so much as it reflects the best qualities of their more mature work, and if it's not quite what some folks may have hoped for, it's a pleasing and well-crafted set that reminds listeners this band is still vital and productive.

Waterhouse's approach here is as painstaking as ever, and the writing is on par with the best across his discography. What puts this set over the top is his performances, which are more spirited and less mannered, consequently less like those of an entertainer.

A winning combination of his long-standing and more recently developed gifts, This Is How You Smile is a culmination of Helado Negro's work and completely relevant to when it was released.

By foregrounding her lyrical intent and offering no room for interpretation, Morris winds up with songs that feel less imaginative than their execution, a flaw that is by no means fatal but does mean that Girl plays on a smaller scale than intended.

Donnelly never wavers in her directness or honesty, but doesn't equate strong statements with volume. Instead, her well-constructed and sometimes weightless songs crush their enemies with a knowing smile and a gentle fist.

Two decades after her debut, Still on My Mind stands impressively strong, a late-era peak that is refreshing in its fearlessness and comforting with a familiarity that doesn't rest too heavily upon the past. Considering the long gap between albums, Still on My Mind is more than worth the wait.

The first album from the rebooted Test Dept. is an update of their '80s aesthetic, with metallic percussion, dramatic samples, and aggressive, political lyrics all forming the basis of the group's sound.

In all respects, Sundara Karma have come out with a winner, mining choice bits from rock's mighty canon and fusing their own quirks and imagination to a complex but engaging set of songs.

Some portions sound raw enough to have been generated on the spot, prioritizing feeling over "proper" songs. Certain tracks offer little more than riffing and moodscapes, yet all 19 are shaped into a concise flowing whole with subtle twists and turns.

Abandoning sculpted hooks for rambling poetry that surges as much for punctuation as emotion is a canny move by Palmer: it forces attention on the lyrics, since the rest of the record feels deliberately amelodic. As such, There Will Be No Intermission is an album designed to demand attention, even if it doesn't necessarily command it-it's too obtuse and willful for that.

Sucker Punch is a masterful debut from a promising talent unafraid to just be herself.

Guitar slayers notwithstanding, Nobody Told Me is a hallmark Mayall date, chock-full of great songs and performances that underscore his considerable (and well-deserved) reputation.

The glimmers of brilliance captured on Sky Blue are just as equally dazzling and devastating as van Zandt's story and the rest of the masterful catalog he left behind.

Inferno is among Forster's strongest collections. Its songs are delivered with wry wit, subtle yet biting insight, and unpretentious poetic language. Combined with elegant, understated melodies that intuit rather than insist, this is a set of tunes that affirms life with earthy wisdom, vulnerability, and steely determination.

While TEEN have covered all of this ground before, this is some of their most cohesive and satisfying music. As its title implies, Good Fruit is the result of thriving after hardship, and its sense of accomplishment is especially sweet.

While fans of Royal Trux's inventiveness might find more of that in Hagerty's and Herrema's solo work, White Stuff is still another entertaining part of a reunion that once seemed impossible.

There's more than a hint of soul and gospel, tempered with arty arena rock that's drawn equally from U2 and Peter Gabriel--but the overall feeling isn't anguished, it's consoling. It's a subtle but notable shift that lends emotional gravity to a singer/songwriter who already favored weighty topics.

The Black Album feels like the most fully realized latter-day Weezer album: it may flagrantly draw from old and new elements of pop culture, yet it belongs to its own feverish world.

Much like Lotic's astonishing Power, Death Becomes Her is an urgent, forward-thinking work which fearlessly celebrates nonconformity while pushing the artist's innovative craft to a new level.

Vynehall's DJ-Kicks plays like a set by adventurous college radio DJs eager to show off every record that's been exciting them lately.

The resulting album has a fuller sound, though it's still distinctly intimate. Lyrically, Placeholder explores various relationships--good and bad--which is reflected in a musical demeanor that's both melancholy and sweet.