With Ribbons, it is clear that Bibio is trying to take the best parts of his music over the years and bring them together into one concise, but eclectic, album, and on more than a few moments, he succeeds beautifully.

While there are tracks on No Shape that bow in that direction. But these nips and tucks to the Perfume Genius sound serve a common goal: showcasing Hadreas, who shines bright like a diamond throughout.

Simply put, Bushcraft is the best Converge worship since the Power and the Glory dropped Call Me Armageddon in 2004.

An arresting song cycle that reveals a three-dimensional version of the modern folk singer.

True to Elverum's artistic instincts, the record captures a moment in time that neither he nor the audience will ever be able to recreate, which is ultimately a blessing for everyone involved.

Despite the barebones recording techniques and instruments--East German drum machines, a toy Casio and a Soviet-made Faemi organ, all recorded and overdubbed on primitive Tesla machines--the sounds on The Lost Tapes are immersive, complex and also difficult to classify.

The return to a more electronic-based production style is a welcome homecoming, allowing every pluck of the guitar and gentle synth stroke to speak for itself. Infinite Health is medicinal music for the soul. Santé!

Richard aims for an experimental vibe that has already been coopted by the mainstream pop and EDM, but Redemption nonetheless by revelling in triumphant themes of love, life and sexual identity--and does so in a way that's delightfully thoughtful and honest

While the execution has become more precise, more considered, the gigantic, swooping structures of the songs remain as thick and muscular as the Midgard Serpent, undulating around and encircling the world.

Not only is Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' loaded with hits, but it also draws attention to Cudi's renewed sense of self. Cudi has finally slayed his demons, and he sounds all the better for it.

Scott Walker is one of the true geniuses of modern music and the treasures are as rich as ever for those prepared to go the distance.

The great flaw of this album is that it isn't a concert, and the listener is not right there with the band; it feels disconcerting to be listening to an album of alternately rollicking and mournful populist sing-alongs while alone in one's living room.

Titans of Creation boasts complex guitar and bass work, mechanically precise drumming, powerhouse vocals and crisp, clear production that still manages to leave the razor-sharp edge intact, with songs that will be exciting to hear live.

The fiercely independent musical spirit that animated her two most recent, deeply personal full-lengths is still strong.

There's something inexplicable about Purity Ring's marriage of Montrealer Corin Roddick's haunted, bass-heavy hip-hop-tronic production to Haligonian Megan James's prim alto croon, something that transcends what is traditionally accepted as "good" music.

In the face of enormous loss, Ghosteen finds comfort in what worldly wonders remain. It surely ranks among Cave and company's most ambitious efforts, and maybe among their most affecting, too.

This is an intriguing album that doesn't allow the listener the placid, breezy experience that some instrumental albums permit.

Here, Unsane deliver the goods with efficiency and reliability.

Tooth demonstrates Raime as multi-dimensional musicians, even if you have to travel through a black hole to get to those dimensions.

UMO definitely have hit their stride with this record, solidifying their place as one of this era's premiere groove-rock bands.

A seething but persevering energy flows intensely CACTI.

It's a successful return for Ms. Jackson, a grown-ass album that refuses either to pander or wallow in nostalgia.

Overall, From Capelton Hill is a brilliant reminder that it's totally fine to rely on your strengths and build on them to produce beautiful music without having to constantly reach for new tricks.

In roughly 26 hypnotic minutes, Eternal Turn of the Wheel creates a swirling vortex of eerie imagery, like dark earth spirits rising and taking possession of musical tech, infiltrating the modern world.

On its own, this album is a solid addition to an impressive back catalogue, but the fact that it's part of a triple-run of releases only adds weight to it.

Deceiver of the Gods gives us everything we expect from the band, along with a little old-fashioned metal revitalization.

Whatever Scott has gone through on an emotional level, Woman finds her at a life stage where she seemingly maintains a balance between optimism and pragmatism, a worldly perspective that informs one of her strongest full-length efforts in a minute.

A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings might not be an earth-shattering departure from last year's full-length debut The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us, but it's a loud and beautifully fun ode to young outsiders falling in love, getting fucked up and revelling in their weirdness--and that's advice as good as any.

Two-and-a-half-hour compilation Tunes 2011-2019 works its way backwards through the last decade of Burial's output, but like many of the producer's post-Untrue undertakings, it generally resists neat and tidy execution.

With a runtime that clocks in at just under 40 minutes and very little banter found in between tracks, Fever 121614 doubles as a great starting point into Deerhoof's extensive back catalogue and a showcase of the band's live strengths, all in one thrilling listen.

The Iceberg ultimately delivers a rich yet digestible musical main course worth more than one helping. If you've been sleeping on Odd, it's time to wake up.

Cohesive and eclectic, Ancestral Recall is a sonic expedition to remember.

Hearing these two famously unrestricted musicians distil their maximalist instrument vernaculars to primal fits of abstract brutality makes Full Bleed is a fascinatingly insightful record.

With Afraid of Heights, Williams has achieved a rare type of punk rock maximalism, crafting a massive, buzzy record on his terms.

III is a record that fluctuates between the joyous and the melancholy over and over, making those many contrasts of dark and light all the more impactful.

Before the World Was Big hears Girlpool unapologetically channelling some big feelings in a way that sounds brash without being bratty, and emotional but not without an empowering message.

These songs are infectious enough that they ought to catch just about anyone's ear.

Belong is a welcome addition to Jay Som's discography, and will undoubtedly solidify her reputation as your favourite pop singer's favourite pop singer.

The songwriting is more refined and consistent yet subtly surprising, and the production is smooth yet punchy.

Souled Out is an intriguing record from an intriguing artist who has tapped into the zeitgeist and delivered something that is both reflective and forward-looking.

With her sharp pen and a deft balance of traditional and modern sounds, Middle of Nowhere is a reminder of why Musgraves is a lone star of her calibre.

Paint My Bedroom Black is a shiny and haunted — but unwaveringly hopeful— collection that sees her carve out her own kohl-liner rimmed space in the modern pop pantheon.

It's a cerebral style that takes a certain willingness to go along with, but if you do you'll come away with an enhanced notion of what contemporary techno has to offer.

It's a slow album, but through multiple listens, we're treated to the same complexities, but personal and musical, that have made him such a fascinating figure throughout the past decade.

Ghostface's usual penchant for free-associative wordplay is a bit hemmed in by the structure, but he gets plenty of help to ensure the storytelling remains compelling.

Despite complex construction that in the wrong hands can drain music of potency and impact, Malone, Railton and O'Malley sculpt otherworldly soundscapes and craft microtonal realms worth return expeditions, where timbres and harmonics flicker, ripple, scrape and hum — always converging and diverging, Does Spring Hide Its Joy is a beacon of possibility.

Love Me is a gorgeous album, through and through.

Delete the rest of the interludes and you'll have a worthy sequel to Deltron's debut.

Soused is a powerful and arresting album that will appeal to fans of Scott Walker's later work.

Omens is more of an extended jam session, with the four dudes of Elder playing off each other's musicality, never getting ahead of themselves or losing the plot.

Cancer For Cure is El-P's most accessible album yet, and with the right push it could be his breakthrough release.

Varied in style, but with a unified vision, Family Portrait is a big success for Ross From Friends, a very personal and authentic piece of work.

His ability to make sonically adventurous, emotionally rich pop has made him a perpetually welcome presence in a crowded field and made Care another triumph.

The charm of Chromatics has always been their ability to create musical pastiche that winks at parody, but is so thoroughly and consistently within a world of their own redecoration that authenticity is never an issue. With Closer to Grey they've managed to harness the full energy from their chill fusion into their most ornately framed creation yet.

Instead of collapsing under any pressures with his new band, Mercer enthusiastically pushes back with this album, shrugging off any doubt that he is done reinventing himself as an artist.

This is beautiful stuff and my favourite yet from Deepchord.

Starmaker is a world unbound by time and gravity, a fantasy borne of solar winds. If this is where country music is headed, we should all be so lucky to be invited along for the journey.

That's part of what makes Sorry 2 so much fun: it's inconsistent, flailing and completely unpredictable.

Between its laid-back vocals, surf guitar and stomping percussion, Born Under Saturn makes a strong claim to being your ideal beach or road trip companion this summer.

Handling the production duties on What's Between is the Haxan Cloak, whose own cavernous soundscapes are perhaps the most metal thing in electronic music these days. The pairing is apt and the results are fantastic.

There is a comprehensive exploration of musical avenues and ideas, as well as a pleasing juxtaposition of an overarching concept and sound design.

Styles finally sounds at home in his role as a pop megastar. Settling in nicely on Harry's House, he manages to hit a sweet spot in between One Direction breakout star and modern-day rocker.

TOPS like to keep listeners on their toes. Their music is undeniably beautiful and, for all its subtleties, often immediately rewarding.

Swapping out the distressed warning signal that slides in midway through with shrill synths that run the rest of the song, the adaptations across Woman Worldwide offer a live experience without the cost of admission, and a well-crafted look at some of Justice's best.

Ultimately, variety is good for the album, but here's the thing: Martha's own songs can be completely riveting.

Warm Chris is neither refined nor contained: it wanders and wonders, affirming the sheer joy of curiosity.

Moh Lhean is a stellar album that serves as a portrait of the artist as a not-quite-so-young man who's still finding weird new ways to pose age-old questions.

The diversity of Future Brown never once feels overwhelming, making the trip through these sounds from a futuristic dance floor satisfying throughout.

Sol Invictus isn't perfect, and it's not their best work, but Faith No More creaking with a little rust and blinking cobwebs is still a glorious thing.

The album doesn't quite match their punishing live show, but neither does it betray their purpose or message: to fiercely silence the white noise of psychosocial oppression. It is one missive they convey without ambiguity.

Stormzy finds balance on This Is What I Mean and delivers a record with clear intentions and messaging. While it's unlikely to please the entirety of his audience, those who find this record in the pits of depression, lost spirituality, heartbreak or falling in and out of love will undoubtedly be moved.

A saviour of lost noise, it's plunderphonics at its finest and most process-oriented, data and the digital transmogrified to something warm, nostalgic, tense — and, above all, timely.

An album that is layered and diverse in its sound palette and execution, with something for appreciators of the many different flavours electronic music has to offer.

This is her best album yet.

[An] explosive and emotional debut.

He remains one of the few songwriters who can capture the indelible marks we leave on one another ("Good While It Lasted") with impressive verisimilitude, plumbing the depths of human emotion in a mere quatrain. Even at his most didactic ("Don't Be Tough"), he comes across as an old friend gently leading the way.

Isolation works because Uchis displays impeccable command over her voice and her style. She bends genres to her will rather than allowing them to absorb her identity, making for an impressive effort that will only improve as it ages.

While her debut featured plenty of catchy tunes, Sees the Light captures Goodman in a far more confident mode, showcasing her wit and personality.

Final Transmission feels like an intimate farewell letter to a lost friend, and a fitting tribute to former bass player Caleb Scofield.

Although Sprinter is a singular vision, it won't help rid her of the PJ Harvey comparisons, proving Torres to be musician unafraid of comparison, but even less afraid of compromise.

The album is riddled with feeling, and there is an adamant sense of joy.

On Memento Mori, Depeche Mode turn this philosophical reminder into a beautiful, raw, and passionate rebirth.

Uptempo or down, Shane's performances were maximum R&B before the term was coined.

The album can so ricochet because of Folick's sprawling vocal range, which can quiver at atmospheric, Sinead O'Connor altitudes only to plummet into St. Vincent growls and skips.

Tying ambient soundscapes, borderline IDM and subtle snapshots of traditional music into a coherent, yet distinctive, body of work, this auspicious debut forecasts a promising future for Yu Su. Anyone would be happy to hop in a boat and sail these waters for hours and hours.

A tight 12 tracks that show the artist at his most approachable, romantic and optimistic.

With subtle rhythms and interesting melodies, In The Magic Hour delivers both lightness and depth in one hauntingly beautiful recording.

An even stronger effort, one that avoids the sometimes-frantic pace that marred that earlier album a little.

All in all, The Now Now feels fresh and present. Gorillaz have performed a type of sonic reset by stripping back their cast of collaborators, yet it exemplifies the strength of the songwriting at the group's core.

By shedding any cool pretence and steering directly into the skid of adult alternative cheese, the Killers have followed a lifetime of perfect songs and made their first truly great album.

For as often as Impersonator threatens to dishearten, it's anchored by an equal and opposite force: a humanity so earthbound and maternal that it washes away your petty sorrows in a birdbath of optimism.

On Talk Memory, BADBADNOTGOOD find likeminded collaborators ready to challenge and compliment them at every turn, resulting in a new evolution for the trio.

Maribou State's new LP delivers a musical mosaic that stays true to the roots of downtempo, while exploring new ground through diverse influences and styles.

µ20 gives this now-classic label the classy tribute it deserves.

On Amatssou, Tinariwen adds to their amazing range and melodic flexibilities through collaboration, allowing some of their biggest admirers into their majestic, fully realized world.

McCombs tries on many different hats, but has the skill to produce mostly positive results.

This album — through its stirring, stripped-back guitar music and syllabus of cultural touchpoints — limns a path to that solace, and locates it alongside the toil and trouble that underlies rock 'n' roll's still-unfolding history.

ARTPOP is a dynamic, memorable album that, while it fails to unveil the girl behind the aura, reveals a performer who finally sounds as invested in her art as she is in her image.