Iron Reagan may be kidding some of the time, but when it comes to the music, they're not joking even a tiny bit, and Crossover Ministry will give your ears the swift kick they've been dreaming of.

What began as an extension of post-Phil Lynott-era Thin Lizzy has become something far more nuanced, and with three solid studio albums now in their rear-view mirror, it would seem that Black Star Riders have successfully managed to embrace the past without losing themselves in it.

All of it adds up to an album that feels quietly hopeful, making it a tonic for troubled times.

Over seven tracks, the enduring Gainesville quintet remains reliable, delivering trademark "whoa-oh"s and horn blasts that surge with an undeniably positive vibe.

Fans will appreciate the new directions and there's enough on W:/2016ALBUM/ to introduce curious new listeners to the mutable world of the mau5.

It really sounds like a basic Moon Duo album, which is still a good thing, but just not as special as it could have been if they had taken another step like they did with Shadow of the Sun. This feels less like a step in any direction than it does a pleasantly trippy holding pattern.

None of it is particularly light. Sampha's exquisite melodies and detailed productions nonetheless make all the references to longing, disturbed sleep, injurious heat, and shattered glass go down easy.

Sometimes, it sounds like Surfer Blood don't know exactly what to do next--which is understandable, considering the massive changes and losses they've experienced. However, there are enough promising moments on Snowdonia to suggest that they'll figure it out.

There's a palpable sense of real listening, of generously shared creativity. Ultimately, it's that synergistic spark that makes Thile and Mehldau's collaboration sound less like a one-off experiment and more like the start of a lasting partnership.

While it doesn't break any new ground (for the most part), All These Countless Nights is an enjoyable listen for fans of radio-friendly hard rock that plays it safe.

Sure, they're not breaking the mold, but with After the Party, they manage to toe the line between subtlety and vigor, aging into their next phase with another solid release.

Undoubtedly, these re-workings are a deliberate gesture to signal the 20-year gap that now finds our heroes in middle-age. ... Being the filmmaker that he is, Danny Boyle was never going to allow the music to be entirely nostalgic, and one of his most inspired contemporary picks is Fat White Family.

Far from ordinary, Pure, Beyond Reproach is a trippy, dreamlike album that finds Egyptrixx further abandoning dance music conventions, resulting in some of his most fascinating work yet.

McClinton doesn't try to reinvent the wheel on Prick of the Litter, but he doesn't have to; his voice, despite his age, was made for songs like these, while the charts and band performances are equally inspired. This is a memorable date in a catalog full of them.

All told, Gods of Violence proves well worth the wait. Kreator proves--yet again--that the kids still have a lot to learn when it comes to keeping thrash viable.

Austra may have traded some of Feel It Break's compelling rawness for a more polished approach on Olympia, but Future Politics' rare balance of poise and intensity makes it their most accomplished and emotionally satisfying album yet.

Thomas' atmospheric pieces are just as compelling as his songwriting, however, and anyone intrigued by these tracks should check out some of his many extracurricular projects, particularly the dark, jazzy free-form explorations of Billowing and the Krautrock-inspired instrumental pop group Hydropark.

Perhaps the most engaging thing about the album, even more than dazzling tones and free-spirited showmanship, is that he creates so many singable earworms, each provided by the guitar.

C U L T U R E propels the Migos three into the mainstream with a collection of woozy trap gems that is a peak in their young careers thus far.

The 2017 installment of Kompakt's ever-reliable Pop Ambient series serves up a typical assortment of wintry, occasionally somber, always reflective ambient pieces.

Anything Could Happen effectively channels the best of what Tommy Stinson brought to the Replacements, and this unexpected Bash & Pop "reunion" has made an album just about as good--and every bit as much fun--as their minor classic from the '90s.

Slightly disjointed and lopsided, Myths 002 is nevertheless a fun, worthwhile venture.

One jaunt through the bracing and surprisingly sweet at times Ty Segall is proof enough that he's run out of neither [gas and/or ideas], and it doesn't seem like he will anytime soon.

If they remain a little constrained by their formalism--they're so determined to be part of a tradition they can often be swallowed by it--it's nevertheless hard not to admire their ambition.

By letting go of a little of their rage, Cloud Nothings let more light and shadow into Life Without Sound with promising results.

Lemon Memory is a subtle, yet solid step forward for Menace Beach as they move to separate themselves from a now-crowded field of '90s-indebted acts.

While the album makes more of an impression as a whole than do individual songs, it makes a lasting one.

This is smart, passionate music, as strong musically as it is lyrically, and like so much of Eitzel's work, if it isn't always hopeful, it's full of a humanity that shines out through the darkness.