When the production magic keeps up with her boundless spirit, the songs reach a unique hotspot of fun and infectiousness that makes all of Doja Cat's disparate impulses gel into an exhilarating whole.

Both economical and richly evocative, Former Things is as brilliant and sharp as a diamond -- and it's the first LoneLady album that could honestly be described as fun.

With Dacus' warm vocals and melodies leading the way throughout, Home Video is an engrossing set steeped in life lessons and nostalgia.

At only 23 years old, she already has four albums to her credit and while her talent is obvious, a touch more vulnerability wouldn't hurt.

Although all this could have resulted in Hiatus Kaiyote's wildest and most triumphant material, Mood Valiant is intimate and romantic more than anything else.

A Color of the Sky trades immediacy for intentionality. The album at times brings to mind the slow-moving immersive sound worlds of bands like Low, Talk Talk, and Mazzy Star, with Lightning Bug again expanding on familiar inspirations to craft an intricate and beautiful personal expression, only softer.

Preacher's Sigh & Potion sounds a bit jarring at first, but it makes more sense considering Dear's family background, and it does have a kind of rootsy, lived-in charm the more time one spends with it. Even if the songs don't always work, at least they feel like earnest personal expressions rather than forced, miscalculated "who is this even for?" hybrids.

Modest Mouse's finest work since Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

All of this would merely be bubblegum pop fun if not for the band's knack for writing the kind of Hypercolor, stadium-sized singalong anthems that make up much of Greatest Hits.

As with Cabral's previous album, The Turning Wheel has several standouts along with a handful of other tracks that don't leave as much of an impression. However, this is undeniably her best-produced work yet, and clearly demonstrates her impressive growth as an artist.

While the set is a bit of a chore at 19 tracks (24 on the deluxe version), it's still not as bloated as Culture II. Yet, it could use some trimming if only to clear the clutter that distracts from the solid highlights.

Booth manages to ground this music while attempting to push it into the stratosphere, a duality that intrigues and chafes in equal measure, so it's good that he's buoyed by a band who give him a sympathetic bed, which is a comfort not only for the singer but for the listener as well.

Like Squirrel Flower's debut, Planet (i) is a journey through an ever changing landscape and marks a noticeable creative step forward for Williams.

Baptize hits hard early on with a trio of nosebleed section-aimed sonic missiles: the pummeling title cut and its equally unrelenting successors "Save Us" and "Underrated." Therein lies the rub. What follows is no better or worse, just largely the same, with Saller delivering post-hardcore banalities with gusto and the band peppering those surface-level maxims with blazing riffage and fist-pumping gang vocals, ad nauseam.

The care and intention applied to all aspects of Earth Trip make it the lightest set from Rose City Band to date, sustaining a mood that's consistently joyful and relaxed, even through various fluctuations in energy and emotional intensity.

Outlaw R&B suggests Danny Lee Blackwell hasn't completely turned his back on the Myth of a Man experiment, but he knows the right amount of dirt can give music some valuable texture, and this music is all the more enjoyable for its increase in grit.

Menneskekollektivet is more of an experience than a set of songs to be consumed passively, but it's a richly rewarding listen for those who give it the attention it deserves.

The nearly hour-long running time drags somewhat, and some songs could have been left off the final cut. Still, The Voice of the Heroes is carried primarily by Durk and Baby's chemistry as they adapt to each other without either of them watering down their individualistic styles.

At a brisk ten tracks, Ancient Dreams is a quick dose of what makes Marina great: heartfelt honesty from a fellow misfit consistently pushing the boundaries of pop.

On Mother Nature, Kidjo delivers not only an infectious, danceable transcontinental showcase for the African continent's musical influence on global traditions, but emphatically proclaims it a primary engine in pop's future.

Thematically inward-gazing, Lung reflects on matters of loneliness, substance abuse, and mental health, though the music comes across as inspired rather than overtly dour.

While Kings of Convenience don't cover fresh territory with Peace or Love, they do what they do as impeccably as ever here and offer a handful changeups and hummable tunes along the way. It should serve as a welcome return for any established fans.

Present Tense seems like a very good but somewhat straightforward Facs album until the last two tracks. The band took a more experimental approach to writing and recording that stands out on "Present Tense," where backward drums and cryptic observations ("all life remains kneeling in love") take on an almost spiritual dimension that feels equally ominous and optimistic, and on the brilliant closer "Mirrored," which brings the album full circle by adding a metal-tinged doom to the heaviness the band hinted at on the opening track "XOUT."

Having been in the game for ages, Jones and Miller remain as keen to discovery as they've always been, and their debut full-length is engaging in the way it constantly teeters between the familiar and the unknown.

A debut album that maintains a warm, analog feel and the nuanced vocal performances of a seasoned performer.

An album that offers familiar comfort even if it doesn't precisely sound like any previous Crowded House record.

Nowhere Generation may lack the nervy zeal of peak efforts like Siren Song of the Counter Culture and Appeal to Reason, but it most certainly has the gravitas.

It's the kind of big, unabashedly emotional album that people make memories to, and some of Wolf Alice's most confident and fully realized music.