Ten spiny noise-pop jams that occasionally resemble New York contemporaries DIIV, and even bits of early era Cure, in their moody guitar styles.

Rather than a dry, scholarly guide to the Thankful Villages, Hayman's warm snapshots represent a fading vision of rural Britain, and it's a tribute he gives with great respect and tenderness.

This is a beautiful, expertly paced release that logically fits in with both artists' Editions Mego discographies, both as solo artists and with Fenn O'Berg.

Without question, Jambinai are strikingly original, combining disparate elements into a unique, bewildering sound that resembles no one else.

This music is powerfully intelligent without sounding the tiniest bit pretentious, and imaginative without losing a bit of downtown grit. Blood//Sugar//Secs//Traffic is a blazing cool rock & roll assault, and a record that confirms greasy thugs can have a future after all.

Mumford & Sons proceed with intention, making this into a listen that's not only more compelling than their 2015 full-length, but one that suggests ways they could grow.

While the added mainstream polish, hooky melodies, and guidance from blink-182's bassist do make No Grace sound distinctly like a big pop-punk record, PAWS' attitude here is ultimately more sober as they trade in some of the wit and exuberance of their earlier outings for more adult-oriented themes.

With its emphasis on exploring atmosphere over the artful, structured pop of his prior releases, Blood Moon stands alone in Craft's discography to date. Recommended for late-night introspection whether under shelter or, even better, lying out under the stars.

Though darker than her previous albums, Undercurrent is also more resilient. Jarosz reaches through her musical and personal histories with vulnerability and willingness. She comes out on the other side with songs that possess narrative savvy, melodic invention, and a refreshing sense of self-assuredness.

With The Digging Remedy, Plaid remain eclectic as ever, keeping their oddness and exploratory nature intact.

The album retains Dear's personality while dutifully serving its function.

It first impresses with its savvy, swinging retro vibes, but it resonates thanks to those strong, enduring songs.

At times, Hollingworth and Walton's freewheeling experimentation gets a little too chaotic, but I, Gemini is an adventurous debut filled with moments of surprising beauty and humor.

On the whole, the produced numbers are better than the unadorned cuts: Bugg's nasal twang gets buried underneath the gloss and the hooks are pushed to the forefront. The whole thing adds up to a bit of a mess, not in the least because Bugg's schtick was his authenticity.

This album is not going to give Gojira any big pop radio hits, but it will certainly broaden their appeal outside of the death metal ghetto to more general fans of metal and hard rock.

Eyeland's willingness to break the Dust Bowl minstrel mold is admirable, and it has enough moments that resonate to win back fans who may have drifted off to greener (or more sepia-toned) pastures during the band's long break from recording, but those listeners will have to be willing to sift through an awful lot of sonic detritus to find them.

A visceral work that shares the immediacy of classic punk and confessional singer/songwriter fare at once, Puberty 2 takes listeners behind closed doors with the kind of no-holds-barred lyrics that are likely to leave a lasting impression.

While case/lang/veirs doesn't approach the greatness these women have managed on their own albums, it does offer more than a few beautiful moments they could not have achieved on their own. The result is a fascinating, rewarding experiment that deserves to be repeated.

Ultimately, The Getaway is a nuanced album, rife with journeyman craft and poetry, that proves the Red Hot Chili Peppers still have plenty of their own creative fire.

A heavy album that doesn't pander to what's PC, what's on the radio, or what safe, suburban America believes.

Inspiring and forward-looking, this album proves that at 25, Katatonia are still restless and refuse to rest on their laurels.

It never gets boring, it moves quickly, and it often hits lofty heights where the melodies, music, voices, and beats all combine as one to do what the best dance music does: Transport the listener to a sweaty, uplifted dancefloor packed with like-minded revelers.

Union and Return is as much a continuation as it is a fresh start; as much as Wyatt's old approach might be missed, he doesn't need it to make compelling music.

The Glowing Man seems sadder, gloomier, and more disturbing than the more hopeful To Be Kind, but the band have always embraced many positive and negative elements in their work, and they all add up to an extremely powerful expression of nearly every human emotion.

Bacteria Cult needs a little time to get into your bloodstream before it can be reckoned with, but ultimately, it's an infection worth sweating through.

Wrong Crowd is a far more sprightly affair that not only takes smart stylistic detours, it often treats malaise with a wink instead of a sigh.

Half the fun of the album is listening to the oddball ways he twists words and sounds into his own slack language. The other half is taking up oddly cozy residence in BRONCHO's unique world of underwater doo wop, naptime pop, and energetic inertia.

Last Year Was Complicated feels assured in a way its eponymous 2014 predecessor did not.