Because of the material's quality and the inspired collaboration between songwriter, performers, and producer, July unfolds as a near-perfect song cycle.

This music glides across the ears, never indicating how deeply its hooks are sinking in; these songs wind up growing in the subconscious, suggesting how Matthews knows precisely how his obscure art works.

After the Burial might have a sound that's heavier and more mechanical than their prog forefathers, but that doesn't diminish the massive amounts of technical and creative power at work on Wolves Within.

Her use of country music as a way of getting these songs across is not only convincing, it's compelling.

Its freshness proves that ten years after their 2004 breakthrough, the band is as lively as ever and, in some sly subtle ways, better than ever too.

Held in Splendor shows that Quilt are defined, but not confined, by their affinity for the sounds of the '60s. Instead, they're using it in ways that may be slightly more down to earth but also cover more ground.

Expertly arranged and produced, and written and performed with smarts and compassion, No Way There from Here demonstrates that Laura Cantrell remains one of the best and most thoughtful singer/songwriters working in roots music today.

There's no filler, which isn't so stunning since this is an EP.

With The B-Sides, fans are treated to another side of the band with a collection of live tracks, acoustic versions, covers, and unused studio cuts. While you could always describe the band's sound as raw, there's a sense of practiced composure on their albums that's refreshingly absent from the acoustic home recordings of "The Queen of Lower Chelsea" and "Boxer."

Come to Life is aptly titled when it comes to Aviv's talents, and even if he didn't invent cloud rap, using the genre for such positive and poignant music is previously unexplored territory.

Fifth isn't much of a title, but the music is something very special, and this is one of the smartest and best-crafted pop albums of recent memory.

A lot of people have done the same kind of excavation and restoration work he has, but few have done it as memorably. Almost no one has done it with songs as good as these.

The whole affair is ultimately an exercise in late-'90s indie rock ephemera, and like countless other acts before them, Drowners seem poised to fade away before they burn out.

It's even bleaker, more industrial and decayed, than 2012's R.I.P. There are more moments of forward motion here than on that previous album. They're all captivating on some level.

In many ways, the demo sounds like a strong rough draft for the album that followed, with a bit less electric guitar punch and a shade more twang, but documenting performances that are essentially just as strong in terms of chops and commitment, while spotting the subtle differences in the arrangements, is where fans will have the most fun.

Though truly hypnotic and rich with fuzzy textures, Maui Tears keeps its spacy tendencies from fading into incoherent jamming with both intriguing songwriting and pinpoint production choices.

While Mmoss created a small but memorable body of work, Doug Tuttle proves their former guitarist has the talent and the vision to create music just as remarkable all by himself; hopefully, he won't have to have his heart broken again in order to deliver another set of music this engaging.

The fact that they waited eight years to make this impressive album demonstrates the patience and maturity of a band whose members wanted to wait until they had something worthy to say.

No doubt, Lord Steppington is a niche album, but whenever a combination of 3rd Bass and Adult Swim is required, this one shows its pimp-hand with some dry, elevated humor.

All told, Innocence finds Pontiak in a place both refined and vividly experimental, reining in their unhinged psychedelic guitar blasts and mind-melting production with some of their most nuanced songwriting to date.

There are several milestones in Kidjo's nearly 30-year recording career; Eve is certainly one of them.

The Green EP isn't a release that surprises and demands attention the way that Ambivalence Avenue and parts of Silver Wilkinson did; instead, it seduces listeners into a reverie that's more cohesive and satisfying than the EP's patchwork nature might suggest.

As a collection of unabashedly melodramatic, dear-diary poetic, and tastefully lush happy/sad dream pop anthems, In Roses delivers the goods with the sort of restrained panache that’s sure to win over the NPR crowd.

Moon's classic-sounding melodies and instrumentation have a timeless if deceptively simple beauty that's different in all the right ways from Raymonde's former band, and that's exactly what makes Snowbird such a worthy successor.

The album is like a gentle, sometimes terrifying solitary journey, a walk through foggy terrain with no absolute destination in mind, but one that takes the listener to places of new questions and different possibilities every time.

Miniature interludes tie it all together for that classic album flow, and with no filler or fumbles, Divine Ecstasy is a well-dressed and worthy addition to tasteful lofts, high-end headphones, and excellent album collections.

It's not common for a band to rock this hard and sound this smart at the same time, and the fact they've managed this accomplishment with a mere two people confirms Do Not Engage is both a solid dose of rock action and a model of modern efficiency.

While it would be a shame to let the Mendicants' future impede the progress of any new records by the group's flagship bands, this is a wonderful debut and certainly worthy of a follow-up album.