Bardo Pond seem to be on an eternal, destination-free odyssey, and Vol. 8 is another strong stop on their trek.

Throughout, the album's stories, turns of phrase, and underdog romanticism loom even larger than its melodies, but what leaves the biggest impression is that barely restrained revelry.

Resolve is easily Ackroyd's most confident and mature statement. She remains devoted to lyric melody, but her re-combinations of sounds and textures inside these compositions are almost compulsively listenable, even as they move toward the undefined--and untamed--musical border she seeks.

While that's brief by 21st century standards, it's plenty and proper on a collection of songs framed in kinetic, inspired performances by one of the greatest soul bands to emerge in decades.

Walk Between Worlds offers further proof that Simple Minds can flaunt what they are because they finally understand just who they are.

Their new way of constructing songs and the more open nature of the sound have done nothing to blunt their emotional impact, and Microshift ends up being just as powerful and cathartic as previous works while being richer and more musically satisfying.

It stands with their best work--some songs would no doubt end up on a greatest-hits collection--and in that regard is some of the best pop music anyone could hope to hear in 2018 or any time after.

They're working on keeping the flame burning, and Black Coffee may be their most effective testament in that effort to date.

Themes of nourishment, transformation, and compassion thread through meandering and often lengthy tracks like "Kukkuripa," "Aery Thin," and "Gull Rock," the latter referring to the distant rock hulking out of the Celtic Sea's golden horizon on the album's cover. For their part, the five other members of Red River Dialect add their own distinctive voices to the conversation, swelling and jangling together in loose formation to create a musical landscape that, if photographed, might look very much like that sea-encircled rock, dark in its own solidarity among the sun-crested waves.

Trinity Lane is honest, well-crafted, and hits an emotional bulls-eye: it's Lilly Hiatt's strongest and most moving work to date.

Love Jail isn't magnificent by any means, but it is stronger than its predecessor. Dommengang's much improved songwriting, relentless pursuit of more spacious atmospheres, and richly textured backdrops inside the hard rock cave provide ample evidence.

Rifles and Rosary Beads is unlike any other record. It edifies and empathizes with the experiences of its participants in delivering brutal yet tender truths; it confronts listeners to embrace without judgment the struggle of war survivors, while experientially relating the extended fact that over 7,400 veterans commit suicide each year. Gauthier and her collaborators look into the gaping maw of war, its trauma, isolation, rage, and loneliness, to reveal the human faces and hearts of its witnesses. Popular music can do no more than this.

Die-hard fans may appreciate the musical switcheroos on The Worm's Heart, but others may not understand the need for them.

With enough highlights to form a single digestible effort, Migos could have delivered another culture-defining classic with just a little trimming. Instead, they've taken what should have been a potent, big league statement and diluted it.

The album finds them delivering music that feels fresh and inspired; this is what Turin Brakes do, and Invisible Storm shows they continue to do it quite well.

By turns gentle and bold, traditional and boundary-pushing, The Thread That Keeps Us is another fine example of Calexico's ever-broadening horizons.

The Official Body is a frequently dazzling example of how resistance can be fortifying and even fun.

Whether they're sophisticated or visceral, Shame's energy and confidence makes Songs of Praise an exciting debut from one of the most vital-sounding British rock bands of the late 2010s.

Even with thirty-plus years behind them, Corrosion of Conformity can still reach the nosebleed seats without sacrificing any integrity. It may all feel a little familiar, but it still burns going down.

All in all, Between Two Shores is an effort that will please his fans while showing he's still learning new tricks in the art of record making, and he's putting them to good use.

A skillful debut by musicians with notable prior credits, they've settled into something intriguing and distinct out of the gate.

The Limiñanas sound like they're too cool and nonchalant to even have a phone, much less use one to make a less than great record.

While Cook's credentials are undeniably impeccable, they don't outshine her talent, and she just keeps getting better.

Could It Be Different? is an exhilarating album that hits hard on the emotional front while making sure to move feet at the same time. It's a small step up from their previous works, with stronger sounding and with sharper hooks that help make it even clearer that the Spook School are one of the most exciting and important bands of their era.

Kacirek and Müller are credited, but it's difficult to discern their contributions to the piece. The title All Melody seems to refer to the singularity of the sounds combining together. It also suggests that while empty space is often a major element to the album, what is present is entirely melodic, and purely based in emotions.

Dream Wife have seized a certain energy that is undeniable and--despite the myriad inspirations and easy comparisons--feels so fresh and alive, enough to make their trailblazing influences proud.

It's art with a beat, noise with hooks, and more proof that No Age are one of the great slept-on bands of their generation.

Much of the time, Freedom's Goblin plays like Ty Segall's version of the history of rock & roll as seen from his perspective, and it's as idiosyncratic and exciting as you would expect. It's also some of the very best music Segall has given us to date, essential for fans and strongly recommended to curious newcomers.