She crafted something challenging, mysterious and memorable. Gorgeous was simply a by-product.

With strings, thoughtful arrangements, backup vocals, and rich production plus David Berman's inimitable wordplay and phrasing, Purple Mountains is a true masterpiece.

Fussell has created a world of supernatural, natural and mundane forces on this record that gets better and better with each listen.

This back-and-forth is carried along throughout Arca, demonstrating that Ghersi hasn't lost his fondness for tempered electronic cacophony (see "Castration" and "Whip"), but has expanded his palette, to mind-bendingly gorgeous results.

On You Will Never Be One of Us, Nails are simply on another level and, though others will have a tough time reaching it, they should all still aspire to it.

Summertime '06's coming of age tale is complemented perfectly by production that finds the nuance in Staples' stories and matches it, couching Staples' rhymes in a way that the streets can understand best.

Vulnicura is a well-crafted antithesis musically and thematically, resulting in the most compelling effort she has put forth in years.

SZA is the full package in terms of artistry: killer singing and songwriting abilities with a distinct perspective on life, love and destiny. CTRL is craft in action, a uniquely excellent album from a uniquely excellent artist.

This is a gorgeous album.

This is an intense, unsettling work from the Canadian musician and if it doesn't quite reach the heights of Ravedeath, it's mostly down to Virgins lacking the fluid album arc of the former and not because the tracks are any less powerful.

The album is all the more impressive because her words and music are meticulously calculated, expertly arranged and still filled with feeling.

As her own boss, she doesn't need to request "let me do one more" to anyone but herself — and across these 12 tracks, she quite literally owns every aspect of her sound.

This record is just as unique and innovative as each album before it. It's truly and honestly a breath of fresh air, it's just once again under the helm of the producer who fleshed out their unmistakable and haunting sound in the first place.

On Electricity, Ibibio Sound Machine manage to come across as enormously focused and imaginative while staying true to their wildly diverse, free-flowing modus operandi.

This is the album on which Daft Punk are truly and convincingly "human after all." And on this toweringly grand achievement, they've never sounded better.

Overall, soil is a courageous effort where serpentwithfeet's bravery pays off.

It is too early to call this the band's best work, as there is so much more to come from this band going forward. For a heavy album full of unexpected surprises, We Are Always Alone is an ideal second full-length from an up-and-coming band.

Shall We Go on Sinning So That Grace May Increase? is an journey of an album for The Soft Pink Truth, as emotional as it is adventurous.

Throughout, D'Agostino's words are intricate and so tangled in detail that the stories are obscured; it's more like flipping through a photo album without footnotes — you're not told the story, but you feel the impression it leaves on you.

Groovy and scintillating, but with depth and meaning to spare, In a Poem Unlimited is U.S. Girls--and pop music--at its very best.

On Is Survived By, they've outdone themselves.

Innocence is Kinky is by turns surreal and hyper-real, a Lynch-ian underworld of avant-pop, alt-lit poetry and potent sexuality.

With Forever, Code Orange have put together a record that few others in the genre would have the nerve to attempt making, and have found a number of ways to stay engaging across the set without losing any of their previous weight or momentum.

This is a fluid expression of both jarring and accessible concepts that hit you square in the jaw. And like the two previous albums, these Scots still sound like nothing else out there.

Despite a three-year hiatus, Claro Intelecto continues to generate quality, masterful releases.

This is the 11th album from the now 50-year-old, and may just be his best.

The album's only real shortcoming is that the Chris Motionless-featuring "Slaughterhouse 2," a sequel to the Garris-featuring original on Motionless in White's latest studio effort, feels slightly underwhelming in the shadow of its predecessor. It's a small misstep in an otherwise robust collection of songs.

Shore finds them exploring vaster range than before. No longer do they sound burdened by the need to commit to a particular mood; Pecknold sounds freer than ever to be himself.

The Damned Things explore a more alt side of rock'n'roll on High Crimes. One thing you can be certain of, however, is that the music is as intriguing as its unorthodox lineup would suggest.

A dozen listens to Train on the Island, the New Zealand songwriter's mesmerizing fifth record, will yield a dozen interpretations, a century's worth of pondering and re-pondering condensed into 40 minutes.

McMahon's most deeply personal work to date.

Royal Thunder borrow elements from many different sounds, but they've found a way to emphasize the parts that make them unique. In an industry full of cookie-cutter sentiment, it's refreshing to find a band with the courage to wear their heart on their sleeve as boldly as they do on Wick.

The album is dripping with gritty, assertive synth work so gravelly and heady it plants itself deep inside you.

Accentuated by the pair's newly honed synchronicity and Carlile's expert production, the Secret Sisters' lofty ambitions for this record ring out clear and true.

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.

It's an emphatic step forward, a gorgeous album that, rather than running from it, reflects our fractured world back at us.

It's a new band, a new sound, but the same old, marvellous songwriting. It's a killer combination.

For both Bedhead fans and casual record collectors, Bedhead 1992-1998 is a fascinating (and comprehensive) look into one of indie rock's great forgotten acts.

Rawlings-Welch are so good and natural in their borrowing that Nashville Obsolete evokes familiar sepia-toned moods almost without ever sounding worn-out or dated, the only exception perhaps being "Short Haired Woman Blues," on which the tempo feels sluggish.

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

Emily Alone is a landmark LP, recorded swiftly to perfectly capture urgent beauty and raw authenticity in its purest forms.

Heavy Heavy may be a little too sweet for long-time listeners, but its massive choruses, strong hooks and ecstatic sound too timely and too powerful to deny.

Nightmare Logic showcases Power Trip at their strongest yet, and packs its 30-minute runtime with songs that push everything they have done right so far to an entirely new level.

Roísín Machine is among Murphy's best works, a showcase for one of dance music's most endlessly fascinating figures

This is the kind of music that, in 20 years, we may look back on as a pivotal point in changing the trajectory of the pop music sound.

With Bécs, Fennesz achieves the near-impossible, crafting a musical sequel that retains the energy, vision and flow of its predecessor.

From Jagger's playful banter ("Everything alright in the critics' section?" he asks sardonically) to the band playing quite tightly around Charlie Watts, as he messes beautifully with time and space so that the Stones can transcend them both, the band innocently gave Toronto and the world something incredible to talk about for four decades and counting.

Remind Me Tomorrow is not only a reminder of the power of love but also features some of Van Etten's finest work to date.

Her strongest body of work to date.

Natalie Prass is a beautiful record that does best when it prods the sweet ache of failed romance.

Sturgill Simpson has been running in a different direction for a while, and with A Sailor's Guide To Earth, he's finally arrived in another world.

Are We There cuts deep into the skin of its creator and finds Van Etten more exposed than ever.

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.

Smith is vague about where he lands on his quest for contentment, but Where’s My Utopia? manages the old trick of making the personal universal, while hanging on to the righteous fun that drew so many in in the first place.

He and his band are making truly tremendous guitar rock in a manner that is peerless in this era, and from anywhere on the globe.

It admittedly spends a lot of time in a downer mode--a more light-amidst-the-dark feel would feel nice--but this sophomore effort remains affecting and affirming in its own quiet way

The Longest River sounds like it wasn't written to impress anyone, but impress it does. It's an intriguing debut.

The band have played it relatively safe, changing little from the upbeat pop-punk formula established on 2014's Wishful Thinking, but have still managed to cram some undeniably catchy moments into this new set.

Kacy & Clayton craft timeless and detailed folk songs on Strange Country, an album that more than promises the duo's staying power.

Elaborating on the foundations that have propelled Four Tet through his 20-year career, Hebden allows the sonic palettes from records Pause and Rounds to bleed into textures born from transfigured field recordings and sonic artefacts that epitomize the producer's discography while refining his sonic identity.

Lucinda Williams is an artist with the confidence to say what needs to be said, and the power to back it up. On This Sweet Old World, she might be repeating the words, but she's hardly repeating herself.

On the rich, rewarding Sparrow, the singer has found the perfect marriage of songs, arrangements and performances. In the process she has also crafted a captivating Southern Gothic country-soul masterpiece, one that can stand proudly next to the timeless works that inspired it.

While there are certainly moments of outright noisy abandon, Richter incorporates enough subtlety and tension into the proceedings to make these diabolical sound sculptures bleed with a raw beauty.

Mint Condition is an incredible country-folk album, not only due to crisp and clear storytelling, but Spence's mesmerizing vocals, which have a unique sound of their own, with a hint of Dolly Parton, Lee Ann Womack and Ashley Monroe mixed into one.

Guitarist Reine Fiske joins them, fitting in seamlessly: the power and energy they work up on "Skink/Fugl Fønix" could power a train. Despite some slow spots, the two volumes of Psychedelic Backfire show Elephant9 as an engaging and exciting live act, a dazzling mix of rock rhythms and jazzy interplay.

The band have put a lot of work into refining their sound and making it bigger, fuller and bolder. There's more harmony, texture and structure in every song, and the choruses are huge and uplifting.

Outside Child as a whole exhibits a lust for life in spite of its trials.

If there was ever any acquiescence to the particularities of one or another mode of creation on the part of Davachi, The Head as Form'd in the Crier's Choir is a sign that that is now over, and that she's freed herself to fully embrace the impulses that have made her work so rewarding all along.

By toeing the party line--one that many critics and fans have completely rejected--Made in California paints a false picture of one of rock's most enduring and puzzling acts.

Given time to breathe, to live, to coast, with Shade, Harris has found a new stream to navigate, but with distance, it's clear Grouper doesn't have to commit to one world or another to enjoy their comforts. Maybe we don't need just one Grouper either.

Unlike their first and, let's be honest, irritatingly indulgent live recording, Sonic Death, Walls Have Ears presents Sonic Youth as resourceful, patient and secure in their esoteric songcraft.

There is craftsmanship here, but its genius lies in letting the raw quality of his sound speak first rather than arranging it into something new.

His fifth studio album, second in a scheduled trilogy of albums and first in seven years. Yet here we are, with tracks evoking previous efforts while remaining fresh to the ear.

Tracyanne & Danny is a deftly-produced, heartfelt album, highlighting both Campbell and Coughlan's best qualities, setting the bar high.

Jericho Sirens is truly spirited rock'n'roll that hits you directly, but it's also enigmatic and increasingly rewarding the deeper you dive. The arrangements are mighty and confident, while the cast of characters and scenarios are compelling and provocative, anchored by Froberg's impassioned screaming and cool articulation. Comebacks are complicated, for bands and fans too, but this is one for the ages.

Fay has lost none of his ability to capture the wonder of life in his words.

Despite clocking in at a whopping 70 minutes, Car Seat Headrest pack enough hooks in to avoid lagging, thanks to Toledo's practice with his lengthy yet phenomenal earlier albums Twin Fantasy and How to Leave Town.

Despite Snocaps' supergroup pedigree, their debut album feels less like boygenius-style star-making moment and more like a low-stakes romp. With a spirit of fun and camaraderie, this feels a bit like the rock-leaning cousin to Katie Crutchfield's band Plains.

Not only is Gas' Narkopop a top candidate for best microhouse album of 2017, it may also be the best drone album and the best classical album--and possibly just the best album you'll hear this year, period.

The momentum of King's Disease II's eventual first half results in some lag to the finish line, but whether it's inspired singles ("Rare"), fresh collaborations, new ideas or bejeweled one-liners ("How you expect to get love if you don't show none?"), King Nas serves up another reminder that he's no pretender to the throne. The wild ambition has just evolved into calculated wisdom.

Process was a long time coming, but the wait has resulted in one of the most assured debut albums in recent memory.

With Springtime in New York, Dylan and his archive custodians take on his most written-off period and re-write it, capturing its lost glory.

The Anthropocene Extinction is another stroke of genius by one of the best heavy bands of all time.

Night Palace is an atmospheric, ambitious album by one of modern music's most open songwriters. Its length will certainly be a detriment for some, but those who allow themselves to be absorbed by the bubbling, crashing sounds contained therein will be rewarded with another beautiful, endlessly re-listenable collection of songs and sounds from Mount Eerie.

Generous helpings of angst and spice on Hot Between Worlds make for a raw listening experience, one which does not offer resolution or understanding, but rather a ding-dong-ditch challenge to psychic fisticuffs in the middle of the street.

Kaleidoscope Dream is a statement that Miguel has arrived.

While her peers may be filling arenas with banjo anthems, Marling has long freed herself from that particular pigeonhole and presents another collection of songs that showcases her astounding talent.

While previous instalments Muscle Up and School Daze were comprised of early, experimental college compositions, Afternooners is more focused and assured.

House of Sugar steps into volatile, subterranean moods not quite grounded in reality, flitting towards soupy daydreams and murky fantasy worlds. Giannascoli's creativity is endless and as he continues his never-ending output of mysteriously disorienting and strangely familiar songs, he's becoming stronger and weirder with every album.

While highlight "The Glass" is an undisputedly heartbreaking acoustic-tinged ditty about living the rest of your life in someone's absence, the mid-LP tracks unfortunately do little more than fill obligatory spots on the Foo Fighters spectrum.

What lingers, along with the musical brilliance and uncharacteristic openness of his 50 Song Memoir, is Merritt's humour; his distinctive baritone delivering countless witty sardonic kernels, sometimes assisted by a well-timed dramatic pause, all wrapped up in catchy, unforgettable songs.

As the musicians begin to ebb and flow toward the ninth and final movement, it's clear that Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points are so metaphysically in tune with their latest creation that their respective musical personalities almost disappear into the waves of sound, making Promises a recording that is more of a transcending mind meld than it is a collaboration.

Throughout simply titled/simply written tracks like "Lullaby" and "Journey," Washington has astonishingly revealed another element to his budding songcraft.

If this truly is the end for Dillinger Escape Plan, they've ended things by throwing down the gauntlet with such force that the reverberations will be felt for generations.

At 12 tracks, Radyo Siwèl doesn't overstay its welcome and is speckled with enough gems to leave a lasting impression. It's a bit cliche to say Mélissa Laveaux is "one to watch" yet, here we are.

Miss Colombia displays an artist who has a clear vision combined with a desire to experiment with sounds.

Midwest Farmer's Daughter will almost certainly stand among the best country records of 2016.