The takeaway from Takeoff is that good art is deliberate, enjoyable and actually takes effort. It's good to see he's capable of all these, can't wait to see what he gives us next.

Awe-inspiring and unforgettable.

Dionysus sounds both ancient and contemporary at the same time, and there are not many groups that can show so much reverence for ancient traditions from a modern music perspective. Their eclectic approach to songwriting goes far beyond contemporary music genres, and that is ultimately the record's biggest asset.

The last two Pistol Annies albums ranged from very good to brilliant; this album seems to be a breakthrough, a masterpiece that extends their already formidable gifts.

Ultraviolet is indebted to the charm of the natural world, but with it, Moran unlocks dazzling new ones in the process, keys jammed firmly between the strings of her instrument.

Sure, it would've been nice for Jenkins to offer even more such insightful commentary on this LP, rather than devoting the bulk of his lyrics to braggadocio. But this creative, star-studded album nevertheless showcases Jenkins' potential to fill the late Scott-Heron's shoes as a rap poet laureate.

Freed from the studio sheen that bogged down much of the material in the post-Berry years, the songs are given the room they need to breathe, and make a case for R.E.M.'s second act being filled with overlooked gems.

Starter Home is a mostly quiet album despite its many players.

While Keith Flint and vocal partner Maxim aren't as prominent as they sometimes are on this outing, the bludgeoning beats and aggressive synths remain, with perhaps even a bit of classic rock swagger thrown in early on.

Heavy on mood and light on melody, Stadium plays best as background music that you're instantly and repeatedly rewarded for tuning into, but it does little to demand the listener stay engaged, content to let you visit this strange and fascinating world at your leisure.

Psychedelically haunted and spiritually free, Life After Death isn't just an escape from the world we're confined to, it's a multi-dimensional confrontation, compositions conversational as they are challenging.

On Through a Wall, Single Mothers have managed to preserve something old and mix it with something new.

Ritual, is some of the best work the band have done so far.

Khalid delivers something to tide you over; Suncity is awash in that same energy that has kept him in the musical conversation.

This is eclectic, bold, inventive, masterfully played music conceived with a refreshing sense of curiosity and wonder at the potential of sound to invigorate the spirit. Fans of BADBADNOTGOOD should cue up to have their minds blown by this profoundly deep fusion of jazz, world music and hip-hop sensibilities.

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.

This is thoroughly traumatizing noise horror, and even with Halloween still a month off, it's hard to imagine a more terrifying album to come this year.

It's neat to hear Segall's version of these songs--revitalizing them and making them his own--and he certainly offered up a colourful mix.

Overall, the 12-track Resistance merges R&B, soul, electro and funk in a package that's compact and complete.

The album's only memorable line comes from "Yacht Club."

The album is an offering of loose yet plush stories that trigger memory and mood, and swim with the lithe astral synth and keys that Geotic always plays with.

By far their most dynamic offering, Daughters have pulled off one of the great comeback albums and further cemented themselves as a band with such singular creativity that they're nearly peerless. It may not sound like the album you thought you wanted, but the open-minded listener might find it's precisely what was needed.

Repeated listens reveal a deeply nuanced record that deals with grief and confusion the only way Robyn knows how--by dancing like nobody's looking.

Drama is softened by sincerity on the record, as NAO finds balance in the wake of chaos.

Sweeping and intimate all at once, Aviary never settles for comforting platitudes or dour resignation. It's honest, it's hopeful, and it's surely among Holter's finest achievements.

As a whole, it feels less like a sketchbook come to life and more like a laboratory of hermetic fusion jazz and avant-garde rock, which isn't to say it's devoid of charm.

Although a bit more subtle than her 2012 masterpiece Seeds, Overload still ranks among Muldrow's finest efforts.

A Wonderful Beast stands as a frustrating listen; a demonstration of what Calvin Johnson can do when he's motivated and what he can do when he's just fucking around.

Empress Of takes listeners into a rich sonic environment on Us, while placing careful emphasis on the emotional territory she ventures into. The universality Rodriguez has sought to embody the record with is present, yet the vulnerability she is known for remains.

This revised version offers fans a chance to listen closely to those musical constructions, at their most skeletal, revealing an often wondrous gestation process: just one that never quite compares to its own final product.

By the end of the project, Quavo Huncho begins to feel more like a mixtape, with Quavo popping out to add a few unenergetic verses and repetitive adlibs rather than a strong solo debut. Quavo Huncho's individual features provide more of a draw than every solo track combined, proving that Quavo still needs some time to grow and develop as a solo artist.

It is a good first showing, especially given the conception of many vis-à-vis the musical talents of one hit wonders. But it does have the feel of a first album, in that Sheck seems to still be looking for his style and sound.

Evolution certainly doesn't sound like anything they've done before. At best, Evolution could add a few more bangers to their roster and slip by unnoticed. At worst, it could knock the band down to Creed levels of self-parody.

It's a rare moment of ambitious sprawl in an album that's otherwise lean, loud, and a no-nonsense celebration of Cloud Nothings' strengths.

The solid Lovers Rock is a testament to Estelle's talent and career durability while paying homage to a genre that has withstood the test of time.

A challenging listen full of shifting, ephemeral environs marked by harsh, disrupting events, it's a deeply unsettling record about our ongoing becoming, and perhaps the science fiction soundtrack our brave new world deserves.

Broken Politics is an expansive and heartfelt collection of songs--a communication from within one of the most singular artists working today, articulating the nuances of where politics start for many: in one's day-to-day existence.

MassEducation is hardly a necessary addition to St. Vincent's repertoire, but it is nevertheless an interesting and worthwhile listen for fans.

Nothing groundbreaking, but a good modern soul album that draws on specific touchpoints--late '90 to early '00s R&B filtered by way of trap-minded beats--curated to today's audience.

On his terrific sophomore record, Wall paints a portrait of a mythic Canadiana, a western region of lonesome plains and grizzled frontiersmen, of rodeos and gunfighters, of hardscrabble existences and unlucky bounces.

This is a good effort from these two but could've been tighter. It's best when Lil Baby raps about his emotions, where the two once were and when Gunna brags about how far they've come since. But it's clear, they've still got farther to go.

While Bunny is fairly consistent across the board, there isn't much that sticks out here.

Jasssbusters' steady output of blue-tinted melodies make it an exceedingly easy listening experience.

ATW is perplexing in its ability to both continue many of All Them Witches' songwriting motifs while often (and sometimes simultaneously) subverting them altogether.

In its quiet drawl, Out of Touch is a perfect record for joining Kalevi on that beach: full of the foggy calm of letting the imagination run its own course.

At the core of Bottle It In, the 38-year-old husband and father of two offers his family the comforting illusion of his presence, a chance to hear his voice, and a reminder that they're with him, wherever he may be.

Goodman and Bevan's take does an adequate job of representing the variety that has spanned over the Fabriclive mix series, but unfortunately manifests as being somewhat unkempt.

Joe Strummer 001 is bursting with endearing, heartbreakingly excellent stories and songs about and by a guy with an endless passion to create and affect change. Here's hoping this series continues.

WAX is filled to the brim with equal parts sing-along sensibility and raspy vibrato--with a style and sound akin to late '90s Chantal Kreviazuk.

The Wake continues Voivod's musical legacy with a pulse-pounding album that stands alongside their classics.

All filtered through Davidson's signature brand of deadpan humour, this is a hilarious, challenging dance floor record, and you're going to have to take it seriously.

At his best, he updates the Allman Brothers, splicing in just enough of the Bakersfield sound, without sounding nostalgic or dated.

Their best album to date, Fall Into the Sun is the sound of a band rebuilding itself one song at a time and becoming that much stronger in the process.

High On Fire have been on a hot streak with their records in recent years, but their latest is far and above the strongest release they've put out to date. Their blend of thrash, tribal-sounding sludge and doom metal has fully flourished, but to see the band still stepping up their game this far into their career is a testament to the lasting legacy they've left in their wake.

abysskiss continues to keep Lenker's songwriting hot streak going--more than enough to tide us over until the next Big Thief record.

What makes this nine-track/45-minute LP so fascinating is just how many ideas Houck injects into it, throwing layers of piano, wordless backing vocals and ambient effects into the mix.

Masana Temples is a comparatively accessible release from Kikagaku Moyo, despite rooting itself in a reality outside of our own. The ease with which these tracks can be entered leaves one wondering whether this utopian vision--for all its gestures at peace--could be closer to us than we thought.

Fucked Up's latest pushes the boundaries of their sound far beyond what you would expect. Dose Your Dreams is by far the most over-the-top album the band have ever created and shows they aren't satisfied with pumping out subpar material or rehashing what they've done.

This is Logic at his best: making music that makes him happy. His comfort zone is infectious. If YSIV doesn't sell you on Logic, nothing will.

On a song-by-song basis, Sanchez leans into human moments to ground his bigger ideas in connection or struggle. That helps keep the more galactic concepts well-grounded.

Relationships with women are at the forefront of Tha Carter V, including a desperate cry for help from his mother on "I Love You Dwayne," which leads into the sorrowful "Don't Cry," featuring a chorus from the late XXXTENTACION. ... Despite the revelations, the album is not without its expected bangers.

With Autobiography, Jlin shows she might be incapable of creating anything less than brilliant.

After being out of the spotlight for years, Marshall hasn't lost her style. Producing Wanderer entirely on her own, you get the sense that she has ventured into new territory. Artists like Cat Power have all been wanderers at some point, but she is the one in control here.

For all these hits, there are more than a few tracks that slide by without making an impression. While Lauber's work often transcends the sum of its competent if unremarkable parts, things can sound a bit rote and unimaginative when they don't.

Digital Garbage is as blunt as it is thoughtful and the songs here truly rip at a time when some seem keen to let civility and common sense rest in peace.

Parasol Peak is a remarkable project and an auditory feat; you're unlikely to hear a more ambitious album this year.

These 10 dark soundtracks fail to chart new territory. They're not bad; they're just not challenging or frankly all that interesting.

If Obey contains a fatal flaw, it's that it can't quite balance these old hallmarks with its new flourishes in a way that feels totally coherent. But like any work of capable termite art, it still manages to set a particular mood that digs its way deep under the skin.

Although Another Life may be borne from the unnerving question of whether the world will be saved or destroyed by technology, the music contained within is still hard-hitting, at times danceable, and infinitely entertaining.

Quiet River of Dust Vol. 1 is a mind-blowing and extremely powerful record filled with strong songwriting and production touches that show Parry at the top of his game. A truly effortless collection of songs worth revisiting for years to come.

Hecker's clever ability to shift and adapt is clearly on display with Konoyo. A dreamlike song cycle, the album is more than an extension of the grandeur of Love Streams. It's a refined, focused exploration of traditions both adhered to and transcended.

"Dream Dream Big in the Sky," with its pat chord structure and surprisingly mundane lyrics, is the album's only true misfire. On the whole, however, For My Crimes is another intricate, emotionally complex folk record. It's what we've come to expect from Nadler after all these years.

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.

Metric have created from a point of questioning who they are as a band and what they have to give. Their new album is an exercise in dispelling that doubt.

This Too Shall Light is Amy Helm's second album outside of her group Ollabelle, proving further that risks pay off when you put your soul into it, and even within the unfamiliar, there is always light.

If Noname has one glaring weakness, it's a tendency to ramble without ever seeing the need to switch up her rat-tat-tat triplet flow. She does, though, have the rumpled, mellower-than-thou swagger to pull it off, and why complain when Room 25 is the prettiest rap record to come along in months?

In Another Life is a glorious return for Perri, an album that sits just outside of pop music. Any minor idiosyncrasies are downplayed by just how gorgeous and listenable these songs truly are.

On Infinite Moment, the Field proves that he's such a master of his craft that he can generate the same excitement from briefly moving outside the box as he can revelling back inside it.

Time will tell if A Million Dollars to Kill Me can match its predecessor--it hasn't quite for me--but its certainly another singular release in a career that's defined by them.

Sonically and thematically, the 48-minute downtempo project is impeccably cohesive, executive producers Singawd and Yakob tying a black bow on a deep list of contributing producers with brooding, layered synths and space to think. Auto-Tune appears heavily, and the guest list is firmly in the now.

Mountain Man cling to the ordinary, but are able to make it extraordinary.

Gave In Rest isn't just Sarah Davachi's celebration of ritual, it's a temple to her entire practice.

Some tracks, like "Doesn't Matter," are splendid on their own, without getting into a showy pop realm: what that song lacks in hooks, it makes up for with micro walls of sound and a choral climax, courtesy of some sublime layering. But others are better at a distance. ... Despite that, Letessier's evidently heightened confidence goes a long, long way on Chris, and its emotions and attitude pop with astonishing strength, even if the sound could afford to do so a little more.

The inevitable has caught up with O'Brien, who finds himself struggling to stay afloat on The Art of Pretending to Swim. The self-produced record dives into murky waters in an ambitious attempt to incorporate an electronic flair to an already complete set of folk tunes.

While Marked For Death felt more cathartic and Some Heavy Ocean felt more plaintive, there's no denying the emotional heft of On Dark Horses. This is another confident step forward by an artist who continues to dazzle us with new sides of herself.

By continuing to pare down their approach, Guerrilla Toss have crafted one of the year's most playful and beguiling pop records, an album that can claim a place with GT Ultra at the top of their catalogue.

That Richard Thompson has conjured these fascinatingly enigmatic yet clearly deeply personal words and melodies to match such refined, uncompromising music is a testament to his indisputable power as his generation's sturdiest warhorse.

The album is frustrating, with no middle ground, and the strengths don't quite make up for the weaknesses.

On Generation RX, Good Charlotte regain their connection with the Youth they claimed to be an Authority on by speaking to them, not at them. Funnily enough, focusing on darkness and dealing with it has provided them with a light to chase and pushed the gleam at the end of their tunnel farther into the distance.

Like anyone enjoying the early rush of romance, this kind of music can feel silly with hindsight. But if you're willing to have yourself transported back to a time when you felt similarly, Pale Waves will do all the heavy lifting.

We just need to sit back and enjoy it when a band like this comes around and puts out a record as big and fun as Master Volume.

Fresh, detailed and packed with surprises, every element of There Is No Elsewhere is carefully mixed. Their work--playfully branded "baroque-pop folktronica neo-classical something-or-other"--surprises and delights in equal measure.

Double Negative asks much of listeners, but what you get in return is positive to say the least.

Every song on here is an absolute gem, and while it does sound like some of Aphex Twin's previous material, that's probably the best compliment it can get.

The Goon Sax are able to balance melancholy with the excitement of shedding adolescence through the perfect conduit: pop songs.

For Ever is Jungle's Hollywood album, both in scope and substance. With it, the group affirm their place among the indie auteurs of the zeitgeist, and--perhaps more importantly--skilfully avoid the sophomore slump.

In darkness, Dilly Dally found their way back to one another and created light. Heaven is the sound of coming into your own.

The shifting, irregular momentum on Render Another Ugly Method is bold and rewarding, with many surprises.