If In Another World doesn't quite feel like a classic Cheap Trick, blame that on the group's dogged adherence to their old blueprint; they follow it so closely that they don't allow room for adventure, mistake, or fashion. Maybe that means the album doesn't quite seem fresh, but it does hit its marks in a reliable, satisfying manner.

Technical precision and introspective lyrics mark this album as their most rap-centric project thus far, inspiring both concentrated head-nodding and the thrill of the rush as each emcee's verse impeccably weaves from one to another.

The pair find comfort within each other, yet they cannot shake the yearning for other people and places, a complex set of emotions that were quite universal during 2020 and 2021 and are richly conveyed on this soulful, searching album.

Lovato's frankness is disarming, forcing a listener to reckon with the depths of the singer's distinction, yet the album works best when it veers toward lighter territory, letting the slick R&B rhythms and sugared hooks carry Lovato's emoting.

Clamm's storm of cathartic energy disguises how intricately constructed the songs are and makes Beseech Me both exhilarating and engaging.

More Geddy Lee than Robert Plant, Josh Kiszka commands attention then alienates; his wail is the weak link in a group who is getting better at their period-accurate cosplay.

Made Out of Sound is their third studio album together, following 2018's acclaimed Brace Up!, and it's their most refined collaboration to date.

A few of the first names that come to mind with this sort of thing aren't here. Whether due to familiarity, licensing restrictions, budgeting, or taste, the exclusions are of no consequence given the depth and range of what's on offer.

While '70s and early-'80s pop informs all of Music, there's still something contemporary and deeply sincere in Benny Sings' songs. He's a quirky indie rocker drawing upon his vinyl heroes for inspiration and reassurance.

SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE make willfully unorthodox music and seem to dare listeners to keep up with them and make sense of their art, but those who make the effort are rewarded by the band's unbridled creativity and warped yet radiant sense of optimism and excitement.

Holley's observations are as powerful and poetic as ever, and White and his band simply sound out of this world, making Broken Mirror a spirited, magnificent collaboration.

Despite the lengthy dormant period that preceded it, As Days Get Dark is a perfect document of that beauty, offering a listening experience as chilling, nihilistically funny, and emotionally overpowering as anything the band produced before it.

The soft focus of Under the Pepper Tree is alluring, even soothing -- a record that could calm the nerves of frazzled parents as they put their child to sleep at the end of a long day.

Plugs 2 is a typically intense, lyric-heavy offering from the skilled emcee. Combined with Fraud's nostalgic, sample-filled backing, the short set feels like a time machine to the golden age, only updated for the 2020s with crisp and impeccable production.

Each one is more exploratory and/or less commercial than any of its counterparts. This is evidenced most strongly by the bleak post-punk electronics of Perfect Mother, whose "Dark Disco -- Da-Da-Da-Da-Run" convulses like an outgrowth of Throbbing Gristle or Cabaret Voltaire (and was previously excavated by the Minimal Wave label). Starker still and more alien is an alternately thudding and twinkling cut from R.N.A.-Organism.

La Femme's passion for seeking out new (or vintage) sounds to add to their omnivorous pop is contagious, and never more so than on Paradigmes.

While Homecoming is missing some of the eccentricity and intimacy that made Lung Bread for Daddy so powerful, its frankness and playfulness proves Du Blonde can give her music a pop makeover without losing what makes it real.

Gomez has grown significantly as a performer since her early Disney years and Revelación further underlines that transformation.

Walker may tip his hat to Chicago's experimental underground or prog behemoths like Genesis, but with this release, he's very much his own man.

They know exactly what they're doing, and the risks they take result in a debut album that brings a fresh energy to post-punk that's equally challenging and rewarding.

Many of the EP's six songs began as ideas while the band was recording The Main Thing, but instead of the crisp production and defined hooks of that album, Half a Human harkens back to the hazy dreaminess of the band's earliest days.

If the final track is an act of public mourning, the rest of J.T. is the loving and appreciative celebration Justin Townes Earle's music deserves.

Just as it seems like it's about to spin out of control, the band regain focus and add strings that shift it closer to a vaguely country-ish lament, then end the suite with the sounds of distant explosions. ... On the second suite, wayward drums and haunting strings tumble like a ship rocking from side to side, then the group locks into a steady, churning rhythm, slowly getting heavier and hotter until it all seems engulfed in smoke.

With Kids, Erez makes a significant leap forward from Off the Radar. Though she still sounds like an outsider, the skill she displays on these songs suggest she shouldn't be one for long.

Altogether, The Bitter Truth carries listeners on a journey both familiar and fresh, recapturing the heavy-yet-melodic hallmarks that made Fallen one of the most successful albums of the 2000s and pushing Evanescence into the future with a graceful maturity and worldly perspective.

Embodying hard times as well as the way friends lift each other out of them, Oh No also exemplifies the drama, mystery, and deeply felt emotions that have made Xiu Xiu a vital musical force for decades.

Is 4 Lovers one of Death from Above 1979's most balanced and stylistically engaging albums.

More soothing and fulfilling than thrilling, Deacon revolves around the idea that love doesn't have to be a burden. It's a realization that serpentwithfeet transforms into a beautiful, fully realized work of art for his audience to savor.