Loveless may have left the twang behind, but returns with one of the most powerful, moving and musically sophisticated offerings in a career that is clearly still growing despite, or perhaps because of, any self-doubts.

Though some longtime fans may feel as though some of the imperfections that adorned Toledo’s original DIY bedroom release are lost in translation in this gorgeously polished release, in its new iteration Twin Fantasy is a deeply moving statement from one of indie rock’s freshest young voices.

Robbie Fulks at 53 might be a kinder, gentler version of the rascal of old, but one who has perfected balancing touching, reflective ruminations and a sardonic outlook with effortless aplomb.

Lyrically, Bowie it at his best here when he dives fully into off-kilter impressionism and ponders the uncertain present and apocalyptic future.

Isbell revisits favorite themes with powerful results.

U.F.O.F. is a beautiful album, but one that finds Big Thief a little more willing to push their limits, both in terms of abrasiveness and grace. Perhaps Big Thief are no longer a secret, but they continue to draw the listener ever closer.

The second, slower side is the less immediate of the two, but the one that features its most jaw-dropping moments, namely twin seven-minute monoliths “Sister” and “Woman.”

This is, in every way, a crowning affair, one that’s destined to be considered a high point in Carlile’s ever-expansive career. It’s little wonder then that In These Silent Days consistently speaks volumes.

Her 11th studio set, Blood (produced by Kenny Greenberg) is as inescapably devastating as it is cathartic, liberating and beautiful. ... Blood is an irrefutable masterpiece.

The album captures a shared sense of both isolation and optimism with melodies and harmonies that soar assuredly, building on an ornate orchestration that allows songs such as “Deep Water Swim,” “Laughing Gas,” “No False Gods” and the title track resonate with such haunting yet harrowing designs.

The songs are solid but the disc is greater than the sum of its parts as it congeals around Hubbard's confessional, often personal memories.

This is music that fascinates on first listen but requires multiple spins for its complexities and idiosyncrasies to take hold.

This album is harrowing and not for the timid, but those who stick with it will be treated to a truthful, moving journey and a master class in songwriting to boot.

The Fragments box set offers enough weight and return to justify its weighty price tag. The remastered version of the original album is simply stunning, bringing clarity to the source material that wasn’t as evident before. So too, while repeated versions of certain songs may sometimes seem redundant, they are well in keeping with any Dylan devotee’s desire to peer well below the surface while gathering clues as to the germination of Dylan’s genius.

Choose the edition based on your appetite for this remastered/reissued meal. In any version, these sonically refreshed songs are well worth hearing, or reacquainting yourself with, and are an integral chapter in the Beach Boys’ long, influential history.

Joni Mitchell is working in a basic acoustic folk idiom here, albeit with some wonderful compositions. While the “buyer beware” warning isn’t needed since the contents are clearly noted in the box’s title, suffice it to say this is geared toward historians, hardcore folkies and/or Mitchell fanatics; basically those willing to fork over nearly $60 to explore her musical back pages.

There is a vibrant exuberance to these performances that, like its old-school audio, feels alive and fresh making the Mavericks one of the few bands better in their second act than in their first.

Be The Cowboy is a standout because of its restlessness, Mitski winding each lonely melody through the peripatetic music and always landing someplace unexpectedly moving.

Del Rey has certainly carved out her own niche in the world of singer-songwriters, much as the quasi-namesake of Norman Fucking Rockwell! did in the art world. This shows her refining that approach, adding a few new brush strokes here and there, but still providing a unique and fascinating tableau as a whole.

Many [of the demos] prove that producer Gus Dudgeon knew how to tweak the material, which had a tendency to get long-winded. ... Eight live selections from London’s Royal Festival Hall, recorded around the album’s release, confirm how tough John’s four-piece was. ... These songs still sound terrific, reminding us just how vital and prolific an artist Elton John was in his prime.

Nile delivers one of his finest and most passionate projects with American Ride.

The Day The Earth Stood Still easily measures up to every one of Nile’s preceding efforts—taut, tough, and tenacious, and driven by sheer grit and gravitas, as well as passion and purpose.

The Suburbs ends on a dark, dystopian note with a little 90-second deconstruction of the title track, leaving you to wonder if the "screaming" alluded to earlier might not always be the joyful kind. That kind of ambiguity is what makes Arcade Fire's deceptively simple music all the more intriguing.

All in all, it’s a sumptuous box set and one that’s mined with obvious depth and devotion.

Rejoice in the music of Beggars Banquet that sounds as vital today as when it was released five decades ago. But unless you’ve got money to burn, it’s best to stick with the existing versions of one of the Rolling Stones’ most immersive and enduring works.

While some may complain about the ballad vibe that envelopes most of these ten tunes, there’s no doubt that The Secret Sisters, and their famed production and musical support team, have tapped into a well, secret sauce that makes this beautifully conceived, often introspective but never insular rootsy folk and pop so unique and immediately likeable.

From an Old Guitar may be a stop-gap release during the pandemic, but it’s also a consistently enlightening and even inspirational listening experience.

22, A Million occasionally confronts and challenges with its willful weirdness, but Bon Iver can still locate that lonely cabin, if only in spirit, when Vernon really wants to dig deep.

This may be a side project or a one-off, except in many ways the sum exceeds the (very distinguished) parts in terms of emotional effect.

Beautifully-balanced and well-paced.

Since PJ Harvey is a veteran artist who, in her 20-year career, has yet to either make a bad record or repeat herself, to call her latest, Let England Shake, one of her strongest efforts to date is a bold statement, but it's true--this a brilliant record by an artist impervious to aging.

At its best, it’s a reasonable recap of their strengths kicked up a few notches for the small stage they hadn’t played in far too long with a tight band and generally stripped down (no horns, backing singers) lineup featuring then new guy Ron Wood. Those looking for “satisfaction” won’t hear that tune but will get gratification from the majority of this long sought-after audio document.

Remind Me Tomorrow actually does take a less-is-more tack in terms of its lyrics. Yet this album manages to be striking even when the words are minimized or backgrounded. Van Etten may be transforming, but she’s still triumphing.

This dream of an album sounds like little else currently in the pop field, and the fact that it’s a debut from a relative newcomer makes it even more impressive.

The performance careens from tight, frantic and professional to shambling, erratic and wobbly... basically your typical Replacements show. In that respect, this is historically important since it finds the group at arguably their most incisive and edgy.

Are We There is definitely an album that will reveal itself to you with closer attention and multiple listens, as opposed to Tramp, which was a little catchier with its obsessions right from the get-go.

Bon Iver is a marvel.

It’s intimate and sprawling, personal and universal, affectionate and daring.

Third time the charm? Based on the shimmering Mint Condition, it deserves to be.

On The Hypnogogue, the quintet creates fluid moods, moving in idiosyncratic directions while maintaining the shadowy gaze that has defined The Church’s style. Still, a few more songs like the relatively pop-oriented “C’est La Vie” would help elevate and energize the album by varying its consistency.

Mitchell put a permanent stamp of approval on her already sparkling reputation with the gorgeous and striving Young Man In America.

Naturally, Dylan aficionados will likely view this once again as part of a holy grail, but even the casual collector may see the need to add this to their collection. Springtime In New York could be considered one of the richest seasons of all.

Both as a songwriter and as a performer, Laura Marling has never soared so majestically.

Familiar but undeniably brand new, Halcyon Digest is forty-six minutes well spent--a loop that can repeated as many times as you'd like. Stay patient. If you skip out on a track, you'll be missing something.

A welcome if particularly edgy comeback that positions the album as Cook’s finest, most riveting and intensely personal work.

It’s an excellent way for new fans to have a pure entryway to their music, and the only possible appetizer before diving into the extras that come next: some an acquired taste, some amazing snapshots in time and some quirky bits that will probably only get a nostalgic spin or two.

It’s a fine line between revival and parody, and he walks it well, cowboy boots and all.

Lambert’s new record is a challenging statement from one of the very few female singers that has a stage to be widely heard. That her statement manages to weave together nuanced humor and sarcastic wit with huge pop hooks only makes it that much more impressive.

With A Kind Revolution Paul Weller adds another exciting notch to his belt of terrific, under the radar (at least in the States) projects that have made him a singer/songwriter with impeccable credentials who never rests on his already impressive laurels.

Short but potent and powerful set.

Collectively, they reflect the life’s work of a tight, hardworking/hard traveling act that plays by its own rules. And, judging from the almost three and a half hours of music here, one that continues to improve with age.

Not everything on Final Farewell hits the mark – notably the partly spoken word We Are Here, a commentary on the impact of social media, which feels both glib and uncharacteristically unsubtle – and at just 31 minutes, it certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. Overall though, this is a rich, warm, sometimes quite moving record which proves Peggy Seeger’s (and Dylan Thomas’s) point that old age does not have to mean going gently into that good night.

Crowell’s brutally honest musings on his life and loves is a case-study that makes the reflective Close Ties a poignant and emotionally affecting portrait of one of American music’s most captivating, talented and honest artists.

For how uncharacteristic it might seem for a band whose greatest gift, all along, was nuance, this louder take suits the band brilliantly.

While the set of songs on this album may not count among the best of McCartney's career, they definitely provide a pleasurable listen for both casual fans and ardent supporters alike.

None of this breaks musical barriers. Still, Cocker’s assimilation of some obvious influences noted above hits a sweet spot that makes Beyond the Pale, some of which was apparently recorded live then enhanced with overdubs, impressive, often moving and hypnotic. Hopefully he can follow it up faster than the time it took to get here.

Unlike Bruce Springsteen’s similarly rootsy and far peppier tribute to Pete Seeger, this fine ballad heavy collection probably won’t attract the attention its compilers are hoping for and garner the posthumous stateside appreciation MacColl deserves.

Nothing is rushed. Listeners should prepare to hunker down for 45 minutes to absorb the hypnotic and often mesmerizing U Kin B the Sun in a single, uninterrupted sitting where it hits the hardest.

John has always had that deep gruff rasp, but backed by raw swamp boogie with lots of baritone sax, creepy female backing vocals and treated keyboards, he's sounding as dangerous and spooky as when laying down the gris-gris on "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" back in 1968.

It’s not just a rousing bookend to a remarkable, late-starting career, but a terrific and moving soul explosion that stands as one of the finest in her limited yet extraordinary catalog.

Those new to, or unfamiliar with, Bowie’s expansive catalog would do well to start here and older followers who have lost the plot, especially over the past ten years, can catch up to one of the most consistently challenging artists of the past five decades.

A few highlights such as the soaring, dramatic title track are spread over an expansive 70 minute playing time. But there isn’t much you’ll revel in as timeless art criminally neglected to the dustbins of R&B obscurity.

Neither easy listening or abrasive, Simple Songs is the sound of O’Rourke spraying his idiosyncratic fairy dust over a genre he clearly appreciates, albeit through the lenses of his own somewhat eccentric vision. Once you get into his groove though, it’s easy to appreciate the artist’s tenacity and often volatile vision.

Those who dismiss his vocals as monotone are missing out on the soulful power he brings to “Did I Ever Love You” or the sly humor he ladles on “Slow.”

As diverse as ever, this is the kind of comeback every once-defunct act strives for but few deliver with the consistency and sheer enthusiasm exhibited here.

A brilliant record that serves as a perfect blueprint on how to make something new out of something old.

It’s difficult to see where Dry Cleaning goes after the defiant line in the sand drawn here. But for those willing to follow them, and especially frontwoman Shaw, it’s likely they will blaze an idiosyncratic path in the music sphere, similar to what they have accomplished on this rather remarkable, often powerful, and always challenging, debut.

While eight have appeared in different versions spooned out on releases ranging from 1976’s American Stars And Bars, Rust Never Sleeps from 1979 (three tracks), Decade (the Nixon diatribe “Campaigner”) and one even as late as 2010’s Le Noise, there is an intimacy and rawness to these performances that is riveting and subtly powerful.

The Odessa Tapes shows this was from the start a talented band, one with a clear vision of itself, that was going to Nashville with pride in its performing abilities and material.

It’s another classy notch in LaVere’s slowly growing catalog belt and shows her boundary pushing, restless artistry results in music that’s heartfelt, reflective, challenging and consistently compelling.

His obvious joy and dedication to this classic approach is contagious and the secret sauce that makes Hunter’s seventh release arguably his finest.

Living in a Burning House‘s 13 songs pay tribute to his influences without sounding like any of them.

This album is just more evidence that few have ever been as fluent in that tongue as Paul Simon.

With Way Down in the Rust Bucket, Young affirms a vision and vitality that showcases him at his best, the lesser contenders be damned.

Mermaid Avenue project is essential for showing that Woody Guthrie could illuminate what was going on inside of him as well as he could detail the plight of his fellow man.

These acoustic performances are laid back but sizzle with the soul of the blues.

For most veteran bands, the beast is complacency. The National slays it here and stays on top of the rock world in the process.

He’s in fine voice throughout, and even if these performances aren’t always iconic, they’re personal and often touching, even in front of some rowdy crowds. ... A compelling listen and historically significant.

Yola can hold her own with the best, and it’s likely this terrific album will end up as one of the most impressive debuts of this or recent years. Its combustive combination of talent, songwriting and sympathetic yet bold production makes Yola’s release one of the finest soul/country fusions in recent memory.

Even on slower material, like the teary closing six-minute ballad “I Think About You Daily” featuring stressed, experimental strings arranged by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, Hynde injects so much riveting emotion that few will be disappointed.

The result was a rich listening experience, as Swift flew past the mark she set for herself with ease, daring to look further inward than ever before.

The words are as woodsy and quaint as ever. Pecknold seems to take his inspiration from classic British poetry, and rarely refers to objects, characters, or events that would place him in the 21st century, relying instead on imagery like old stone fountains, seeds, keys, sand, and the night sky.

There’s fascination found in ever single setting, and his new album, Patience, is no exception.

Semper Femina is a concise, dynamic statement from the English singer-songwriter, mixing breezy 70’s country-rock melodies with claustrophobic, fingerpicking folk, often on the same song.

This terrific batch of songs needs no such handicap to be recommended as a perfect way for newcomers to start a musical relationship with Clark’s burnished Americana or for existing fans to continue theirs.

These dozen performances will make listeners reassess songs some already know. But more likely they’ll be stunned at how LaVette revitalizes and shape shifts them into her own soulful reflection.

The end result is a festive power pop brew, a combination that mines instinct and intelligence. It’s fair to say then that Seeking New Gods is indeed a truly divine experience.

Griffin digs deep into introspective lyrics, some with historical references, to display her distinctive vocals and original songs with stripped down arrangements that use space and the silence between notes to create shimmering music you won’t soon forget.

He can do a tender, dreamy pop song, or he can plug in and just get straight to rocking. And anything in between is fair game.

This is a master class on how to create a re-issue that covers and expands upon essential and ultimately timeless music made by one of rock’s true icons. It’s the final word on arguably Bowie’s most experimental years and an important historical document presented with boldness, integrity and dignity, all elements reflected in the artist’s work and ever evolving art.

Once you get past the at times overwhelming sweetening added to make Cooke more palatable to a larger audience, you’ll be hypnotized by the singer’s creative phrasing, timing and sure sense of dynamics. Previously unheard selections, along with stereo and mono mixes, make this an essential item for the Cooke collector. And because these songs are from the once lost original tapes, this music has never sounded fresher or more alive.

To their credit, Dry Cleaning is not compromising their often prickly art. Rather, like the most resolute artists, with the provocative and relentless Stumpwork, they admirably move their boundaries further afield regardless of appealing to a bigger audience.

He comes across as a man still deep in the throes of religious and romantic upheaval, invigorated rather than intimidated by the nearness of death.

To say it sounds like another great Sparks set might be damning it with faint praise.

There is a chilly, somewhat detached vibe that often overtakes the material, making it a challenge to unpack each of these dense selections on an album that’s easier to appreciate and admire than enjoy.

There is no rock here, although the prog nature of the music incorporates those influences, yet the album never feels bloated or one-note.

Duster have finally found their audience in 2019, and their self-titled album shows that the band still has a lot left up their sleeve.

Despite a few missteps, Volunteer is a worthy next chapter for a group that continues do its best work when finding new ways to tell old stories.