Changephobia might not necessarily win over skeptics, but it's the most coherent vision — lyrically and sonically — of Rostam as a solo artist so far.

If you're a longtime fan of the source material, you're bound to find some stuff here to amuse and intrigue you, but you'll still likely see this as a collection of throwaways, of generally inferior covers of your favourite songs. But if you don't know the Dead from a ham sandwich, you may well hear tunes on this collection that turn you toward exploring that chaotic, marvellous, maddening, singular American band.

Mama, You Can Bet! highlights Muldrow's encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, hip-hop, funk, R&B and soul, making for a stylistically eclectic album. The 15-song sequence, however, is eminently cohesive, each track building on or seemingly responding to the previous one.

While ψ certainly isn't for everyone, it's nonetheless an important album that strives to get us to think outside the boom box.

Dacus brings a sense of wit and sensitivity; Bridgers a quiet melancholy; Baker a raw ferocity. the record combines those individual instincts into a group effort that's compelling in all sorts of ways — and one that's also charmingly (and, in a way, fittingly) imperfect.

With Always Foreign, TWIABP's chaos is more calculated and controlled, even as their fiery resolve burns from the inside out.

Amnioverse does still err, at times, on the side of industrial and abstraction, but is anchored in a softness rich in texture and weighty with emotion.

Whether you can consider this old-school, new-school, or somewhere in between scarcely matters. What we have here is yet another brain-melting album from an artist who refuses to stand still.

Across U kin B the Sun, Ford's first record in six years, she offers affirmations that are deeply touching and inspiring.

Between his riffy, arpeggiated acoustic strumming and the strongest vocal performance of his career, he cries out, grief-stricken, to hold on to life yet to be lived. With a record this strong so deep into his career, he’s definitely making the most of his own time.

Hval's knack for the conceptual can make her an elusive songwriter, but The Long Sleep offers plenty of immediate charms. Like the disco ball that hangs through the EP's first half, Hval breaks down her ideas and refracts them into something luminous.

Whether she is quite literally questioning her own happiness in "Hannah Happiness" or dealing with the act of sharing feelings with others in "Stranger Sat by Me," Read awakens the overwhelming feeling of second-guessing choices or misremembering a specific experience.

The only real disappointment here is that it arrives just as summer ends, because few albums have been better suited for beach life as this one.

Cave World is thoroughly conceived and smartly realized. It balances high-energy ragers with mellower, introspective numbers while the interludes keep things progressing smoothly, adding some cohesion to Viagra Boys' signature chaos.

Blending themes of politics and modern science into his fashion of storytelling, My Finest Work Yet is a true tour de force.

Between only a couple hiccups, If You're Reading This It's Too Late weaves personal raps, 6-side boosts and absorbing production in cohesive fashion. It's an engaging preview of the upcoming Views from the 6.

Lyrically, the album is poignant and clever, though it does occasionally falter, as on the grungy nu-metal number "Happy Song."

Wuthering Heights expertly plays with the joys and violence of love, always leaving space for the nuances of both. As the sun finally rises at its finish, it's clear that this album is ultimately an optimistic love story, even if it's a Gothic horror set within Bluebeard's castle.

This might not be the most urgent Sigur Rós album, but it'll surely be remembered as one of their most gorgeous. For a band so well known for all things beautiful, beauty for its own sake is hardly a problem.

By giving their songs more directness, Local Business succeeds in what the band set out to do: present Titus Andronicus as a charged, dynamic live band.

At just nine tracks and 36 minutes, Silver Tongue runs the gamut on aural and ethereal moods, leaving Torres with one her most emotionally fulsome and satisfying records.

The set list here, drawing a bit from 2013's Push the Sky Away and then from throughout their catalogue, features longer songs, each drawn out patiently, and rewards fans before trying to impress novices.

With no shortage of hooks and crescendos, Wonderland continues to revel in the spirit of TTA, demonstrating more greatness by this industry anomaly.

Your Queen Is A Reptile, is 55 minutes of ecstatic insurgency.

Like many bands with a "core" attached to their sub-genre, Emmure are adept at making every song into an almost continuous, ferocious breakdown and it's a formula that keeps the album's momentum at its peak at all times.

Like a punk rock Watch the Throne, No Life for Me finds two of the genre's leading lights working at the peak of their powers.

Its sparseness allows the listener to reflect, in the time and space, on the moments of staggering beauty in the poems.

This is certainly one of the best dancehall releases of the year.

Lotta Sea Lice feels like two old friends getting together for coffee.

Even if, at 72 minutes, it overstays its welcome a bit, there's no denying the vital talent on display at every turn.

This debut is a more than pleasant listen. Here's hoping a sophomore release won't take a decade to surface.

Its upbeat synth work and swirling crescendos are not just an illusion, or a cheap trick, like many songs that make up a "Happy Songs That Are Actually Sad" playlist.

It's a tasteful and mature evolution for one of the genre's key names, and long-time fans will have no problem assimilating this well-crafted, down-tempo album into Moby's already eclectic body of work.

Much of The Lookout is subtly fraught.

Working with Portishead's Adrian Utley and adding Matt Tong (Bloc Party) on drums, Algiers have managed to create a dizzying tapestry of sounds that incorporates wavy synths, industrial fuzz and gospel choirs into a protest record that embodies the key stages of grief.

I'll Tell You What will keep listeners on their toes, as the album is both immersed in footwork but also pushes against its boundaries, frequently dropping the signature drum machines, working with droning synth, crossing vocal samples, and generally taking left turns just when you think you've got a hold on a track.

There is a timelessness to this record that's as connected to the electric jazz pioneers of the '70s as it is to today's best fusion players.

Her tranquilizing balance of wandering purity and unconvincing bravery is intimately grasped and yet confronted with anxiety and disbelief that decorates her daydream-like prose in conflicting ways.

Fans just finding Alkaline Trio, perhaps via Blink-182 fandom, will undoubtedly enjoy this album for its prevalent, socially conscious lyrics, delivered like a paintball to an already bruised arm with the band's signature passion. Longtime devotees, meanwhile, will appreciate the way Is This Thing Cursed? calls back to earlier Alkaline Trio albums, and its mix of both nostalgia and originality.

Clark promised us "sex and drugs and sadness" on MASSEDUCTION, and while that sounds like a recipe for clichéd disaster, she kept her word and managed to fashion a totally refreshing take in the process.

Spacey synths and trippy percussion give listeners a taste of her internal world; dreamy and wistful but also riddled with disruptive bouts of gentle chaos.

Repetition in lyrics throughout Basic Behaviour amplifies the anxiety and restlessness that seem to fuel the record entirely. It begins to feel like an interrogation, the need to know, the frustration and a thirst for clarity. The melodies reflect these pangs, too, as the guitars twitch or tremble, trying to make sense of it all.

Wall falls on the folky side of the Americana divide, generally, and fans of Townes Van Zandt (whom he covers here) will be well served for sure. But there're some nods to Jerry Jeff Walker, David Allen Coe and others in the shambling troubadour tradition scattered throughout the record, a rare, confident, and remarkable debut from a talented newcomer.

On A Lesson Unlearnt, the insights on love are articulated both from the position of the one being sought and the one seeking affection, offering an entry point for anyone who can identify with love's effects.

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.

Lucidity, seldom felt as strongly in the kaleidoscopic cacophony of 2018's Some Rap Songs and on the shadowy, spectral 2019 EP Feet of Clay, is at the core of SICK!

If only he'd overcome his demons, finished these fine songs and enjoyed the accolades they surely would have garnered. Justin Townes Earle fans were robbed of that deserved future, but at least we can make do with this collection of songs that bookends an exceptional career that should have gone on so much longer.

As an album, Shadow Kingdom is an alternate universe that reflects another side of Bob Dylan's craft and creative muses. It's not a funhouse mirror reflection per se, but it's definitely really fun the more you look at it.

Windy City isn't a revolutionary album, or even the most adventurous release in Krauss's deep, rich catalogue, but it's a welcome reminder that Krauss remains a song interpreter with few--if any--peers in Nashville.

Their albums just get better and increasingly fun to listen, and Blood for the Master confirms that.

Seer is certainly another step towards greatness for Golden Retriever.

This is feel-good music. On Home Wrecking Years, Canning has developed a sound that is genuine, heartfelt and liberating.

If previous King Krule efforts could be accused of sad-boy narcissism, Man Alive! shows that Marshall's gaze has never been entirely directed at his own navel. Despair is still there in his songwriting, but so is the capacity for change.

With Blue Skies, the production is crisper, the melodies are sharper, the moods hit deeper and Dehd seem ready to conquer the indie rock world — from Glasgow to Chicago, and everywhere in between.

This ain't the easy listen they've become known for, but it is a rewarding one.

From her visceral chemistry with her collaborators to their razor-sharp take on Americana and — above all — Price's deeply personal lyricism, there are plenty of elements that make That's How Rumors Get Started one of the year's strongest country releases.

While the album showcases the band's equilibrium and by now unquestioned versatility, it does mean that amidst the intended dissonance and vocal cameos, Black Thought's verses are not as prominent.

Throughout the album's 12 tracks, of Montreal manage to come off inspired, inventive, re-energized and wide-eyed on Innocence Reaches, utilizing new sounds rather than rehashing old ideas.

Soul Clap lay down some of the richest Boston, vocal-rich house on this record.

B3, fiddle, accordion and, on a couple of cuts, saxophones result in a full sound, but the focus throughout is correctly placed on Rose's pure and retro-sounding vocals and well-constructed. ... Consistently strong.

Tagaq's talent as a throat singer and capacity to weave meaning through chaos is as breathtaking as ever. That said, Tongues demonstrates that her musical toolkit is only growing with the refinement of her message.

In its entirety, the collaborative effort is compelling; Plastic Bouquet is the furthest thing from a plastic collection.

Tyler sounds like he's barely breaking a sweat. It's the sound of confidence in one's abilities as an artist, one who embraces their restlessness and creativity while sounding like he's barely breaking a sweat.

The Planet works more than well enough as its own insular world, and is hopefully but a taste of more to come.

The end result is proof that traditional instruments can work incredibly well with electronics, although it might take two legends to pull it off.

While this record is steeped in mature rhythms, the hype tendencies that make the music ghetto are never sacrificed.

Clocking in at only 35 minutes — though it feels longer, richer — Up on Gravity Hill is a quick glimpse into a more earnest METZ. This doesn't sound like a band experimenting with something new, but rather a group of musicians secure enough in their craft to humbly evolve with increasingly uncertain times.

If 2023's Blame My Ex was the Beaches testing out new dimensions of their sound, they've honed it on No Hard Feelings, cementing themselves as a band that's earned a place in the public consciousness internationally, possibly for years to come.

This flow is a result of the group's ability to balance technical shredding and melodic atmospheric pieces; it is that sonic harmony that's responsible for the positive vibes resonating from The Migration.

The result is a catchy, cathartic experience that feels fun, even while wading through themes of loss, shame and eventually acceptance.

While the songs on If I Am Only My Thoughts feel gradual and soft, the album nevertheless contains a form of passionate songwriting, catering to feelings of hopefulness and longing.

The emotions that are being expressed feel lived-in and deeply personal while remaining open to listener interpretations.

Deferring away from minimal guitar licks and harmonizing multi-part vocals, their new breezy and open sound is more energetic than ever, creating music that continues to reflect where they are in their lives.

This is essential listening for fans of Owen Pallett and Ólafur Arnalds.

Overall, the songs on record two are smarter, punchier and catchier than the ones the first time around. How Do You Love? is summer pop punk at its finest, music that can no doubt soundtrack the rest of your summer.

With crisp, concise songwriting, slick production and subverted historical rock references, Oceania is more the addition of a new tower to the alternative palace Corgan helped build than the foundations for something strange and new.

This is a return to form for Franz Ferdinand; they've indeed retrieved the right thoughts and words to create a dynamic new set of pop hits in-the-making.

All in all, the disses, weird comments, glitchyness, folky bits and ravey big bass — among many other sundry bits and pieces — come together to create something that will make many people dance. This doesn't sound like an album as much as a terrifically curated DJ set—and that's more than okay.

Even when the pulse ends up becoming more of a question mark than an assertive statement, the music still speaks as directly to the body as to the mind

positions has hints of classical and R&B — staples of Grande's previous work. Songs like the title track and "love language" weave in orchestral strings, violins and catchy backbeats to elevate the listening experience, effortlessly meshes these contrasting genres to keep her pop sound distinctive.

Just because How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars is unadorned doesn't mean it feels unfinished. By design, these songs are understated but Lindeman's voice is so strong and incredibly beautiful that what she gives you is fulsome. Paired with the album's multitudinous lyrical details, Lindeman delicately succeeds in fitting the world into her songs.

Tracks like the funky "Can't Fight the Feeling," "Love Jones" and "I Feel a Change" aren't '60s soul throwbacks so much as they are genuine articles, with the now-trademark Daptone sound feeling fresh and vintage at once.

It is intimate and alienating; friendly and mysterious; and, most importantly, a whole lot of eerie fun for any listener interested in experimental music.

The textural depth of ANIMA grips, unlike past solo outings, and is ultimately even more rewarding when played on headphones.

COWBOY CARTER deserves your full attention; its sprawl unsuited for TikTok-sized consumption habits. Clocking in at just under 80 minutes, it takes time to properly digest, a rich 27-course meal that dares one to really let it sit on the tongue.

Black Hours could easily have been Walkmen-lite, but Leithauser's ambition to seize the opportunity, and eschew the obvious, results in an album his voice--and a number of his fans-- has no doubt longed for.

Apple's most ingenious collection of songs to date.

Ital Tek hasn't completely abandoned his beat-heavy sound, Bodied stands as a brave and inventive direction--something that sounds slightly familiar but even more alien.

Wave[s] is a clear indication that Jenkins is expanding his sound and stepping away from expectation as he prepares his debut album, The Healing Component. But in the meantime, he's established himself as an artist with even more to offer than many predicted

Her solo album is indicative of her strength alone, but it also highlights her importance as a member of Warpaint.

Is it incoherent? Absolutely, but that's all part of the fun. Although it's tempting to wish for an entire album in the same style — the krautrock tunes are especially strong — that wouldn't be nearly as fun as this strange tour through VanGaalen's brain.

When Olsen sings, the record takes on an ephemeral sad-in-a-good way vibe, Merritt's and Gustafson's voices also blend with McEntire's terrifically, making Lionheart enjoyable on the level of a record of country duets as well.

Crossover Ministry is a well-made crossover thrash album that's sure to be a hit with fans of the genre, and could be the selling point for people just getting into it.

Aside from the compelling lyricism, Everything's For Sale also stands out because of its immersive melodies.

Penultimate track "Your World" is perhaps the most forward-thinking item here; with the unusual mash of R&B and dream pop, it offers something novel, where some other parts of the album do have a tendency to be a touch heavy on paying homage to styles past. But the sounds and homages on offer are diverse enough that this is a minor quibble with what should otherwise be held up as a model debut album.

Simply put, there are few artists with the precision and poetic fortitude of Carla Bozulich, and on Boy, she commands attention like no one else.

How the West Was Won is a very welcome return.

The album's blend of country, pop and soul is both classic and classy.