London Brew is wonderfully eclectic, strange and beautifully realized. In keeping with its inspiration source, it's a vanguard electric jazz album, abundant in communication, immediacy and imagination.

If the Hold Steady sound a lot more polished and accomplished in 2023 than on 2004's Almost Killed Me, they're gained far more than they've lost in the course of their evolution, and The Price of Progress finds them writing and performing at the top of their game.

Miracle-Level is about seizing the opportunity to come together to create music and change -- a message that, like their other 2020s work, is just as eternal as it is timely.

While Continue as a Guest may not have the immediacy of career standouts like Twin Cinema or even Brill Bruisers, it succeeds more subtly on its own terms and begs for repeated listens.

Collectively, boygenius feels heftier and hookier than Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus do on their own, and this collective instinct towards immediacy pays great dividends: it's bracing to hear such introspective singer/songwriters embrace the pleasures of a united front.

While it's admirable that they're not content to simply rehash older material, the riskier new material sometimes hits its mark and sometimes flops. The edgier tracks on Different Game will appeal to die-hard fans and those following the Zombies' entire journey, but might register as confusing for casual listeners. As ever, all the surrounding details are reduced to afterthoughts whenever Blunstone sings.

Pure techno at its most exciting.

True Entertainment often feels like a culmination of Dutch Uncles' music. At its best, it finds them growing into the kind of cult-favorite act that would have inspired them at the beginning of their journey -- and that makes it a true testament to their creativity.

Whether it's with the themes of romantic heartbreak and bodily autonomy, or the global boundary-pushing musicality at play on Mélusine, Salvant's work is transcendent.

While 93696 will take several listens to entirely comprehend the wealth of ideas and techniques on offer here, it is more than worth the effort and time. When absorbed, it results in all-encompassing, immersive, aesthetically and musically sensorial experience, and Liturgy's crowning achievement to date.

The Town That Cursed Your Name is yet another step forward in the rapid and ongoing evolution of the Reds, Pinks & Purples. Donaldson's songwriting is brilliant and intelligent as always, and its wry charm shines through no matter what new direction he takes with his tunes.

Interestingly, five decades into his career, Billy Valentine & the Universal Truth may be the record that finally introduces him to a national audience, simply because it's the protest-soul album we need most right now.

The sense of fun that buoyed Loner and Superstar is muted on The Art of Forgetting, but the intelligence and songwriting chops are very much there, and this music brilliantly merges form and content, an exercise in pop music as therapy that's intensely personal and easily relatable.

A remarkable debut album, Yian's reflections on growth cement Chua's identity as an artist capable of deeply personal, honest, and beautiful music.

Where their previous record resembled the cozy reunion that it was, Celebrants is a more defining statement from veteran players whose chemistry remains undeniable.

A difficult, but defining statement, made at the height of their powers.

Gore and Gahan transform tragedy into something profound and universally relatable. Though not their most immediate offering, Memento Mori is their most heartfelt, thoughtful, and moving statement in decades.

So Much (For) the Stardust is a gloriously welcome return to form.

Lana Del Rey has honed a style so unique she’s almost a genre unto herself. Full of brilliant strides forward, Ocean Blvd. is a crucial chapter in Del Rey’s ongoing saga of heartbreak and enchantment.

While the energy level feels drastically different between the album's clubbier first half and its slower second, Friday's music is always dramatic, honest, and futuristic.

Closing on the soaring, bittersweet ballad "Performer," Black joins the ranks of other pop chameleons on an impressive and engaging reinvention.

Drag on Girard isn't a minute too long or too short. It's another invigorating chapter in Purling Hiss' ongoing saga, and their scraggly guitar rock is in its finest and most exciting form for the album's entire duration.

Under an Endless Sky is not the United States of America, nor does it need to be. This is music that confirms Dorothy Moskowitz is a seeker looking forward, and what she sees is well worth hearing.

September November is a collection of songs that says, "We're Still Here!" a subtle but vitally important difference, and the Long Ryders make us glad that they were alt-country before there was alt-country and haven't thrown in the towel.

On With Love From, Aly & AJ establish themselves as first-class artists, and it will be fascinating to hear where they go from here.

Moving On Skiffle is light and lively, an easy record to enjoy.

Altogether, Ben feels like the first time Macklemore has truly let listeners into his inner world, showcasing his underrated lyrical skills and enough varied production to keep the album moving forward toward a hopeful finish.

An aptly titled set that's more engrossing and intimate despite its much longer procession of guest collaborators.