Little Seeds has enough going for it that one hopes Shovels & Rope will start coming up with ideas that match their skill set, but this is not the album that delivers that breakthrough.

Due to its bright, open production and quirky presentation, Heart Like a Levee is a watermark for Hiss Golden Messenger. Seldom have hard times sounded this uplifting.

Green Day have nothing more in mind than righting their ship, and that's precisely what they do.

The colorful textures and lush arrangements are a change of pace. Some fans may miss the heavier guitar attack of Commune, but the band carry off this new approach like the true sonic explorers they are.

A cathartic yet poised album, one that weighs a ton and levitates.

Songs like "Star Crossed Lovers" and "Shadows" sound embarrassingly old-fashioned and make Gibb sound ancient. A more sympathetic production style and some focus would have made all the difference on In the Now.

Transit Blues isn't a jarring turn for the Dayton, Ohio band, but it provides enough newly inspired touches to warrant attention in the group's catalog.

Broken Lines' only downfall is that it isn't as cohesively arresting as its individual highlights. Having said that, those highlights pretty much eclipse this.

Taking into account Whibley's dramatic and life-altering experiences, the hits land harder than ever, resulting in Sum 41's most honest and sincere album yet.

Three underwhelms from beginning to end.

Jones' originals feel as elegant as time-honored standards, and all her covers feel fresh. The former speak to her craft, the latter to her gifts as a stylist, and the two combine to turn Day Breaks into a satisfying testament to her ever-evolving musicianship.

Barry Johnson still knows how to write a sharp hook; they are just dulled by the lifeless production and the cookie-cutter approach. Only a couple of the tracks land.

This is the sound of expert experimenters who commence with an economical, even polite inquisitive conversation before developing their dialogue to a point where total creative and emotional expression is set free.

These are nicely captured, feel-good staples that will likely have their best moments on-stage, contracting and expanding each night at the whim of the band. Where things get more interesting are on songs like Page McConnell's "Home" and "I Always Wanted It This Way," two tracks where Ezrin's classic rock touch and Phish's progressive tendencies neatly dovetail.

Altogether, the album's palette and Jacklin's cracking, pensive delivery land her in a sphere with heavy-hitters such as Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, with a touch of Lucinda Williams, making it a must for fans of thoughtful indie folk.

Preoccupations is a more coherent, more accessible set of songs that proves this band doesn't need an edgy name to attract the attention they deserve.

On Orphée, Jóhannsson expresses the need to let some things and people go to let new ones in with remarkable nuance, as well as the affecting beauty fans have come to know and love.

It would be easy to say that I Had a Dream That You Were Mine rivals Rostam and Leithauser's past work, but it's better to say that it's the beginning of a great partnership.

Atrocity Exhibition is Danny Brown at his least diluted, almost unrelentingly grim and completely engrossing.

Human Energy is an exhilarating showcase for Stewart's continually mutating vision of abstract pop.

Victor Axelrod's production is clear, dry, and accurate, and the final product is a superb example of a new band building something powerful from the sounds of the past. Dan Klein's passing means we may never get another Frightnrs album, and certainly not one with this lineup. But this is music about life, and the passion and gritty joy of Nothing More to Say are what make it essential listening, regardless of the fate of the lead vocalist.

I'm Glad Trouble Don't Last Always isn't Luke Winslow-King's happiest album by a long shot, but it feels like his best so far, and finds him expanding his musical horizons without losing any ground along the way. This is a top-shelf exercise in soulful blues with plenty to say to the lovelorn and the satisfied alike.

The kinetic force that was missing on Shelter is a welcome (re)admission. Combined with the intense lyricism and dynamic contrasts, it makes for Alcest's most "complete" album since 2007's Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde.

It's still troubling that one of America's best songwriters seems to have lost the desire to pen new material, but For Better, or Worse shows John Prine hasn't lost his spirit as a performer.

Impressively, Krell continues to find new approaches within his style; even though Care's clarity is the polar opposite of Love Remains, it feels equally true.

Yellowcard never feels treacly or forced. It's emo for grownups and a proper close for a band that wanted to go out on its own terms.

City Club may not be what fans were expecting, but it's by far the Growlers' most immediate and accessible collection of songs to date.

Banks packs enough energy and zeal at the starting line to duly lay waste to whoever was foolish enough to break her heart.