There is a sprawling synthesis in the groove-tinted, riff-centric jams that will have you waiting to see these guys live.

B7 is meticulous in its references to pop and R&B history, of which Brandy's own career is such an important facet.

Harlecore is '90s rave held up for review, assessment and full enjoyment, and if there isn't a ton of depth here, the breadth (with Harle essentially exploring four different sub-styles through his various personas) is more than impressive enough to make up for it. It's all pulled off with such glee and energy, that in terms of pure enjoyment, it's very difficult to fault Harlecore.

Although inconsistent at times, Special contains enough effusive catchiness and unapologetic positivity to make it an enjoyable summer listen.

If you're a diehard fan, you could give Surviving a chance, but if you're only a fan of their pop punk and emo efforts, it's best to skip this one.

Gold Past Life is dreamy and colourful, but poignant nonetheless. All those feeling lost, wherever they may be, can take comfort in the tender reminiscing of Gold Past Life.

Smart, funny, empathetic and wise, Musgraves is one of the best in the business right now--even when it seems she might be treading water.

Thankfully, he quickly debunks any clichés about artists needing to be tortured on Kids, which marks the grown-up Earle's glorious return to form.

Desire Lines refurbishes '50s pop, turning it into modern classics filled with unabashedly lovely melodies, just the way Camera Obscura want it, and just what we've come to expect, and love, about them.

Give this one time, and it reveals itself.

Magic closes with the majestic "Dedicated," as a sumptuous beat switch allows Nas to effortlessly change flows. This caps off an immaculate project that finds Nas regaining top form and will surely find its way close to the top of his illustrious discography, which is aging like fine wine.

Its meticulous self-production frames new lyrical pathways from band leader Yannis Philippakis, who seeks to channel the anxieties and fears felt the world over in light of our crumbling political systems and ecological crises. It's a tall order to wade into such essential yet complex themes, ones that Philippakis felt a duty to engage with.

Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998 is a fine introduction to John Carpenter the musician for newbies, and a welcome re-visit for longtime fans.

Wilkinson's eighth full-length shows the musician's adeptness at thoughtful, patient compositions, but he seems to have forgotten the value of self-editing.

Ordinary Man isn't necessarily the best Ozzy album ever made, but if this does mark the end of his recording career, he's ended with a bang instead of a thud. The record is easily the most captivating music he's made on a solo record since the early '90s, and despite small flaws with select songs, he's created another record worthy of people's attention.

Although Versus is certainly not a place for casual Craig fans to start, nor is it designed for the dance floor crowd, it's an achievement that appropriately showcases one of Detroit's finest exports.

While it isn't a huge departure from Soccer Mommy's early work, Allison is promptly hitting her stride and clearly gaining confidence and showing it with strands of snarkiness and angst mixed within her delicate, vulnerable songs.

Unrefined and uninhibited, Fungus II is a visceral journey through layers of chaos that refuse to be subdued. Wasted Shirt's first record makes it clear that the two have teamed up to indulge their impulses and then blow them up.

From its weighty subject matter to its incredibly nuanced production, The Colour in Anything is not only Blake at his best, but also his most personal. Blake's expanded his both his heart and his process here, making music with others outside of his laptop to demonstrate the growth that had led to this brilliant, fulfilling work.

An unexpectedly celebratory affair.

It is a masterful experiment, full of rich details delivered by a sextet of artists who are not only top-flight players but excellent listeners and re-listeners.

Belle and Sebastian aren't making a grand statement here; rather, more than seven years on from their last proper LP (2015's Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance), B&S are honing in on some of their signature styles and making an album that sounds quintessentially like themselves.

Though it may seem as though she's yet to fully embrace her uniqueness in mainstream spaces, there are plenty of moments on Sucker Punch that suggest Sigrid is on her way.

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.

In shearing off that thorniness, Drop Nineteens have returned as a highly competent, often lovely, and perhaps less interesting version of themselves.

The thematic focus on the therapeutic powers of the natural world, and the protective presence of familial and spiritual energies, make The Land, the Water, the Sky feel just as suited to playing from the peak of a mountain as from the crackling speaker of a bar or bookstore.

They're firing on all cylinders on Whiteout Conditions, working as one to deliver their most cohesive--and one of their best--albums to date.

The album is perfectly suited for restless observation. It's like watching a sped-up time lapse of the tides, or nature evolving rapidly before our very eyes.

On paper, World Record is a middle-of-the-pack Neil Young & Crazy Horse album, but it's filled with so much personality and passion that it begs to be remembered as one of his most soul-bearing.

As a listening experience, it's a dense one, but never weighty.

As an album wanders, more opportunities arise for a wrong turn. Omnion veers to a fault.

Certain synth melodies might be a tad too sugary for some, but they bolster the top-notch songwriting on Going Grey, and Sella's unique and unpredictable vocal phrasing keeps the proceedings distinctly Front Bottoms from start to finish.

The record has big, cosmic questions about time and space and possibility swirling 'round its bejewelled head, but it's at its best when putting these concepts under a microscope.

Though Edge of the Sun is a very good record by any measure, there is something about it all that feels frustratingly routine.

Raspberry Bulbs paint a seductively dystopian image through Before the Age of Mirrors, but its aesthetic cannot fully carry the weight of its musical shortcomings. There is both too much runtime and too little substance here.

That image of her — other people's perceptions — have always haunted her work, but near the end of Bloodless, on "Proof," Samia takes control of the narrative. As she confronts being loved "like a child's toy or cigarette" atop the descent of a warm yet aloof finger-plucked acoustic guitar line, she's at her most powerfully direct and poetically impact.

While many albums start out catchy and then become more introspective, Haunted Painting loses some of its moroseness to become more pop-ish.

[The] 14 tracks feel bloated--less so, though, if one treats Honeymoon as a concept album, a 66-minute Quaalude-and-wine dream musical that spans the history of Hollywood and 20th Century cinema.

It's warm, inviting, comforting and – much like a cloudy day spent indoors – always pleasant, sporadically stimulating and only noteworthy if you're paying close attention.

This is nostalgia in essence and in practice, and it's pretty much everything that fans could have wanted.

Dark and syrupy in tone, with just the right amount of haze, as if from sacred smoke, Sister is a fine addition to the witchy, ritualistic hard rock that's leaving an ever-darker mark on aggressive music.

Cogent and catchy all at once, I can feel you creep into my private life shows that, even amid doubt and distress, Tune-Yards can find a new way forward.

Bloom leans heavily on that push-and-pull dynamic and the results are hugely effective, affecting and ultimately beautiful.

Though it might seem strange that Oldham recorded the first major tribute to Haggard, the careful and well-thought-out working through of the master's themes makes deliberate sense.

The Bride is not only a journey for Natasha and the characters she has created--as with all great albums, listeners, too, will be met with a sea of contemplation.

It's a bleak listen, but there's something comforting about hearing three musicians playing punishing music as a complete unit, knowing there are few that could do it like them.

It's a rare record that serves as an entry point for newcomers while rewarding old fans who've stuck by them since the beginning.

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

Their musicianship and unflinching humour in the face of potentially bleak topics makes this album a distinct piece and a joy to listen to.

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

As a rock and roll journeyman, Lanegan's interesting direction on Phantom Radio is commendable even if it is not entirely magnetic.

This is, it's apparent, an album of ideas and feelings that were dying to come out, and Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi have expressed them with beauty and technical expertise beyond their 20 years.

Cozy Tapes skips any syrupy clichés and eschews morbid references to the afterlife, celebrating Yams' life rather than mourning his death. A$AP Mob stay true to the sound Yams helped to cultivate, and in doing so, keep his spirit very much alive.

The Heart is a Monster doesn't quite leave the impression mid-'90s Failure did, but despite less experimental approach and cleaner digital production, it's still a compelling listen.

While their first record was a blur of contorted thrash tracks rarely surpassing the one-minute mark, there's a newly streamlined focus to A New Wave of Violence that's substantially more brutalizing.

There are no interludes or breaks, a consistency that is both the band's greatest strength and only weakness.

Radio Silence is a jazzy, soulful call to action, a think-piece and a middle-finger to the trolls who claim he fell off; you can still find his name "in the middle of equality."

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.

Occasionally, there are times when you wish Chastity Belt would shed their melancholic coil and get a little louder; interrupt their carefully considered listlessness with an impassioned outburst. But they prefer to simmer in their milieu, aware of the effect that quiet contemplation has in moving their message forward.

Although their sound has been copied Ad infinitum, with Koloss, Meshuggah prove that they still do it best.

Let's Cry and Do Pushups at the Same Time seems to be Wyatt's way of reconciling his vast repertoire of influences and his many interests into one concise package, and on that idea alone, the album is a success.

Like past releases, [4Eva N A Day] breathes a warm, nostalgic haze steeped in Southern soul and the country rap of UGK and Outkast.

An album that's good, but hard to get excited over.

There are some truly enjoyable moments on Calexico's latest--but they're vastly overshadowed by at turns annoying or just boring tracks, bogged down in an overly long record.

Steve Earle doesn't make the same kind of hi-test outlaw country he used to, but The Low Highway shows that his swagger hasn't completely disappeared.

All of this freedom has culminated in a stellar debut full-length for Arts & Crafts.

1973-1980 is a fitting, touching and extensive tribute to one of Africa's greatest musicians.

Drawing as much from their past as well as their present, Mastodon refuse to go extinct just shy of two decades of music-making. Emperor of Sand is at once emotionally powerful and musically arresting.

It's a leap of faith fans of Forma's recent work should definitely take, and anyone with an interest in classically minded live electronic ensemble work should follow on through as well.

At 53 blurry, delirious minutes, it's a lot to take in. (Better suited for that might be the more melodious, less dense Dripping or this record's chronological and spiritual predecessor, A Hairshirt of Purpose.) But it's a strong step forward, and offers no more or less than exactly what Pile are all about.

Dépaysé is for fans of Sinkane; new listeners might stop for a minute to appreciate the vibe before moving on.

As Benton shifts his focus from big rock choruses to a grounding, direct connectivity, Lost in the Country cements Trace Mountains' evolution into a type of modern Americana.

English Oceans, their 12th album in 17 years, confirms they've lost little of their potency, despite major personnel changes over the past decade.

First Ditch Effort doesn't match NOFX's '90s peak, but it rights the ship somewhat, and goes a long way to re-establishing the group as worthy and relevant elder statesmen.

Much loved indie group British Sea Power have returned with a collection of songs that showcase the strongest elements of their music, giving listeners space for contemplation while also bringing a healthy dose of high-energy rock. Exquisitely crafted.

Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything is the most personal outcry of righteous indignation they've mustered. The result is something for a broader audience of like-minded people constantly muttering 'What the fuck?' at the world at large to connect with.

Bizarrely infectious and never dull, this album of anarchistic yet spiritually reverent psychedelic experimental ragas is well worth checking out.

Castle is the lone musician on Monarch Season, playing guitar, piano and harmonica, and the songs thrive in this quiet.

Here's one of the best records you'll hear in 2014.

The Waterfall changes that trend. If you like your rock records weird, funny, epic, sad and hazily spiritual, this is one you won't want to miss.

The more cerebral, out-there music fan may find it all too easy, craving the satisfaction that comes with gaining an appreciation of music that's challenging to the ear. Most, however, will rejoice; as should you, because FORGET is overwhelmingly and immediately Xiu Xiu.

Smart, forceful writing continues throughout as Benny's deliberate delivery slices through the horns of "Throwy's Revenge" and the frenetic synths of "Guerrero." Usual suspects Boldy James, Conway the Machine, 38 Spesh and Westside Gunn drop by, adding welcome vocal texture to Benny's predictably clear and metronome-like cadence.

At this point, Glasper, along with bassist Derrick Hodge, saxophonist Casey Benjamin, and drummer Mark Colenburg, are a well-oiled musical machine. As the Robert Glasper Experience, the quartet embrace jazz as they steer the genre into exciting directions.

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

Next Thing is more likeable than moving, neither as intimate as her strongest bedroom recordings nor as revelatory as Zentropy.

While VanGaalen avoids profound lyrical observations, his worldview remains one in which listeners can lose them themselves.

Deeply personal yet accessible slice of soul music.

It's thrilling and moving to hear Lund indulge his serious side on this gorgeously forlorn new LP.

While the band challenge themselves, occasionally blindsiding fans too ("Caterpillar" is a demo that only features Edkins), there's also a reassuring aspect to the calm confidence of METZ here, though they find themselves in a lost world.

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.

Sd Laika seemingly bucks myriad electronic music trends to create a body of work that harkens back to the genre's classic beginnings.

Raph's lyrics, meanwhile, dig beneath melancholia and insecurity to unearth beauty in the small victories of self-discovery.

Enslaved have hit a sweet spot with In Times, experimenting just enough to keep everything interesting while also offering up pure aggressive pleasure so decadent it seems almost indulgent.

It is a well-conceived and delivered piece of work, but perhaps unavoidably one that feels the absence of its staged elements.

Raffertie attempts something a bit bolder with "One Track Mind," but the building, repetitive, tinny synths fail to gain a foothold, in comparison to the rest of the album. That aside, Sleep of Reason is an eloquent release.

Despite simple song structures and repetitive riffs, the personality of the vocals keeps the album from falling flat. Rhythmic shifts, cartoonish keyboard appearances and surprise instrumental breaks make it hard to get too comfortable.

The narrative of Dance on the Blacktop is a hard-to-swallow reality check, but flourishes in the closing "(Hope) Is Just Another Word with a Hole In It." Nearing six minutes, the song is ambitious and rewarding. When Palermo's vocals and piano come to fruition in the mix, there is a sense of optimism, as though he might be smirking at his demons.

Taken as a bit of a lark, Skye's I<3UQTINVU exists as a bag of mostly disposable — but exciting! — what ifs. Without the grounded warmth of Ellery's songwriting, the album has the perhaps unintended effect of sending us back to the originals to appreciate the duo's more controlled creative alchemy.