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.

A unique, immersive and trippy release full of unusual, angular samples and disorienting beats that recalls the early days of techno with its sci-fi themes and bold, (retro-)futuristic approach.

Much like forbearer k.d. lang, Ortega just wants to be herself, and the image she's built up over her previous two albums has now fully matured on Tin Star.

This is razor sharp pop — fine-tuned, sincere and defiant as all hell.

The Montclair, New Jersey's band's sound--off-the-cuff, loose heart-on-sleeve indie-rock cut with Americana--is the perfect vessel for that kind of premature twilight, anxiety and loss. Above all else, it feels so goddamned natural.

The rub is that Cult of Luna do the 13-minute-song thing so well on their sixth album (which is about four hours long) it's scary.

Vampire Weekend have lost the carefree immediacy of some of their best-loved work; there's nothing on Only God as viscerally addictive as "A-Punk" or "This Life," and there's a prog-like complexity to these performances that's geared more toward the head than the heart. But there's also just enough stripped-down beauty — like the balladic "Capricorn," or the swooning brass outro of "The Surfer" — that Only God Was Above Us remains emotional as well as academic.

This is a well-travelled band firing on all cylinders. Enjoy it with a terrible house beer and hardworking, sweaty company.

Mnestic Pressure feels like a synthesis of electronic music's best bits woven together in an intricate pattern, expertly, as very few producers can.

The sheer breadth of styles Ishibashi incorporates might well throw the average listener for a loop, but if an exceptional talent employing any tools she sees fit to make the sounds she hears in her head excites you, The Dream My Bones Dreams contains a wealth of sonic treats worth exploring.

With For Lovers, Octo Octa has delivered a set of tracks that are not only dance-floor-ready, but deeply personal and moving, creating a listening experience that is ultimately fulfilling and one that will be urging you to revisit it more than a few times.

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.

For those who ran out of goodwill for the band's music and antics post-Money Store, Death Grips 2.0 is worth looking into.

It's a treat to get an album that feels as real as The Starrr of the Queen of Life.

White Women is consistently fun and well-crafted, a shining example of disco's renewed relevance from a pair of musicians for whom the genre never went out of style.

There is more introspection on display than usual, especially in the lyrics, but Hallelujah The Hills have simply grown into the band they always threatened to become.

While they exceed expectations on these non-assisted tracks, De La Soul also more than hold their own against their superstar guests.

The tightly coiled rhythms and ominous moods show influences from trap to dubstep, but with around 10 years of mixtapes, remixes and other projects under his belt, the individual influences have long-simmered for a fine blend.

Teetering between organized and messy, the melodic and chaotic, Bought to Rot is what Grace considers her "Scorpio album." Presenting herself bare, she exposes unfiltered honesty through the kind plain-spokenness that's, nowadays, avoided by contemporaries of her stature.

Wu has elevated this genre and he excels at the DJ-set LP format. His ability to place artists that inspired him coming up into a more modern context is powerful. It celebrates the work and at the same time moves the rest of us to dig deeper into the history of this incredible music.

The result is one of the most eminently playable and rewarding electronic albums of 2014, and one that respectfully casts a glance backwards while sounding both indelibly contemporary and unmistakably Caribou.

While both rappers have met their match in terms of lyrical prowess and old-school ethos, the cavernous difference in their tones (Gibbs, deep and rough like a stormy sea; Curren$y, squeaky and smooth) keeps Fetti dynamic and wards of redundancy. Better still, however, are the moments when these rappers elevate the proceedings beyond street side cypher-style spitting.

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.

The best parts of the album, though, are the moments where it doesn't sound exactly like anything either artist has released before (songs like "My City," and closing pair "Big Black Heart" and "Dominos"), yet still shows two songwriters at the height of their talents.

Open Your Heart's greatest triumph is its ability to hearken back without feeling retro.

For years, Aesop Rock has been beloved for his ambitious, loquacious lyricism, but on The Impossible Kid, he's reached new artistic heights by using that elaborate wordplay to offer us a simple yet powerful glimpse at his scarred psyche.

Through the static and fuzz comes a clarity of sorts, that truth is oftentimes going to be something both comforting and discomforting; it's why The Future's Void serves as the perfect modern day soundtrack.

The record harnesses its emotional resources to grant the listener the sweet spectacle of watching self-awareness disintegrate as the artist wriggles free from postmodern detachment, and rediscovers that most undervalued asset: his vulnerability.

The couple's adoration for each other is every bit as potent as their social consciousness, on "P.A.L" and "Fruitful," two of the cosmic quiet storm cuts that comprise the album's second half. And when Aloe Blacc drops by on "Smile," something's seriously amiss if your body doesn't move.

If Words Were Flowers is Harding's most experimental record to date, touching on a wide range of genres. This radiant record serves as a reminder to look forward and the importance of love during chaotic times.

When Anything But Words ups the pace, it proves to be one of the finest records of the year.

Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart is brash, loud, triumphant, and quintessentially Williams — her perseverance in the face of adversity is truly inspiring, and these stories are tales to live by.

He has the knack for cramming hooks into the unlikeliest places and ending up with unforgettable songs. If this is what he made with nothing, the potential for his music when he has everything at his disposal seems limitless.

Nicki is more personal, more timeless and more connected to her own artistry here, serving some of the most superlative work of her established career on The Pinkprint.

The depth of Cantrell's songwriting is best appreciated the second or third time around, once you're over the sheer prettiness of her voice.

He's probably too modest to just come out and say that Present Tense is where beauty lies, but he should; this fourth Wild Beasts album is a stunner.

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.

Waverly has a very consistent tenor that makes it a singular achievement, one that both creeps and soothes simultaneously.

Using a finite set of equipment to create these seven tracks, much of EX comes off strikingly similar in sound, but Hawtin being the staunch veteran that he is, uses it to his advantage, reusing and appropriating signature tones and modes to craft the most solid live set you weren't lucky enough to attend.

The writing is catchy and memorable, interesting and complex, giving the ten-track release tremendous depth that offers a brand new listening experience with every listen. It's an album that requires a lot of consideration, but the reward is well worth the attention.

It's dark subject matter — which makes grunge's famously gloomy sonic palette a particularly good fit for a record that's as beautiful as it is bleak.

Pickpocket's Locket stands as some of Mercer's most urgent and terse work to date.

The sparse chug of "Defector/ed" and the dirge-y mantra of "A Ceiling Dreams of a Floor" reflect the rough-hewn elegance of the duo's raw musical material.

Overwhelmingly, Winter's Gate is a tight and focused melodic death metal album, and yet another quality release in Insomnium's discography.

From the lonesome synth pop of 2016's Pool and 2018's The House to 2020's hyper-Auto-Tuned Ricky Music to the freewheeling indie rock of All Day Gentle Hold ! — Shirt is an intoxicating feat.

There are flashes of influences--Ministry's late '80s, early '90s run is a clear antecedent--but the pair never succumb to mimicry or idolatry. This is Berdan's pain, writ large and loud for all to hear.

The weight of Darkest Before Dawn doesn't simply rest on Pusha T's lyrical weight (literal and figuratively), but also his ability to tap into the strengths of his producers, like Boi-1da's thunderous drums, Kanye West's soulful grandeur or Timbaland's unorthodox layering.

There's a lot to unpack here, and as a result, SweetSexySavage feels a bit overstuffed at times; numbers like "Thank You" and "Hold Me By the Heart" are expressive in nature but aren't lasting. But by getting intensely personal, Kehlani adds a human side to the recordings that's multilayered and unapologetically self-determined.

On Is 4 Lovers, the pair have settled in and settled down, both in their lives and to their own sound.

This isn't the boldest step forward, but it looks like Local Natives are on a steady ascent and Hummingbird is sure to solidify them as one of the best indie-rock bands out there today.

Not every song on the record lives up to the anthemic nature promised in the title, but there are certainly moments of triumphant redemption and plenty of nostalgic nods to fulfill fans' understandably high expectations.

Everything works and there's really nothing more a fan of either Organs or Comets could ask for.

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.

His latest LP, the 13-song Pressure, is a quality collection of songs that core fans will undoubtedly embrace.

It's a mature and refined album woven deeply enough into pop's historical fabric to please connoisseurs, but with enough lightness and fun for casual appeal as well.

Suede establish and uphold the album's gravitas with the type of symphonic grandiosity we've come to anticipate from them.

The truth is Trust are masters of delivery and flawless executioners, proving to be much better mechanics than designers.

On Anoyo, Tim Hecker stretches out his heady winning streak for another 32 striking and captivating minutes.

There's so much going on throughout each of these nine songs that it's hard to take it in all at once, yet whether it's because of time shared or friendship and family connections, the performances are in perfect sync.

Atonement is a monster record in an almost untouchable career.

Remember Us to Life is one of Spektor's strongest records, and one that really requires repeat listens to appreciate every detail and effort.

Through loud and quiet dynamics, and incorporating minimalism, Big Brave's Vital is one of the most impactful records in the band's catalogue.

Disarm The Descent is at least twice as good as 2009's uninspired Killswitch Engage. Although it's not quite the masterful return to Alive or Just Breathing that Leach's reappearance had fans hoping for, it's still damn good.

However difficult the album may be, it's a rare pleasure to see artists who know how to make great pop songs eschewing expectations, growing beyond their previous oeuvre and audience to pursue a brave creative path into genuine 21st century music.

Nothing is off the table, influences are blended and bounced off each other, and it's this tension between elements that makes this a very special record.

Georgas gives listeners the bittersweet beauty of recalling turning seasons and turning points on All That Emotion.

To some fans, The Center Won't Hold might always be remembered as the album that convinced Sleater-Kinney's legendary drummer to leave. But really, it should be celebrated as a brave left turn, where one of indie rock's most consistent bands took a giant creative leap 25 years into their career and stuck the landing with poise.

Staples approaches the latest chapters of his story on Prima Donna in bleak fashion, his pen and delivery both as sharp as ever.

The Mael brothers also manage to keep listeners enthralled by freely jumping between modes, moving between jaunty piano songs ("Missionary Position"), cascading layered guitar burners ("Unaware") and clever melodies and bridges ("Giddy, Giddy").

Beyond its heaps of pop-rock hooks, TUNS debut full-length is a testament to the eternal power of friendship.

As compositionally complex as Eremita is, it's the hunger of the album--the elemental and animal simplicity of the tone--that gives it strength.

Like the queen of the night, it fans wide and confident; its petals may fall back to earth quickly before dawn, but its essence lingers. The same flower, transformed but unmistakably familiar, will greet eyes, though briefly, once again.

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.

Babcock strikes the perfect blend of distress and condemnation in his vocal delivery, expressing righteous indignation at these lived realities.

As with their previous six albums, Liars find a way to both innovate and deliver a brand-loyal effort with (dis)ease.

tUnE-yArDs' bright and playful exterior might deter some, but Garbus and Brenner bask in quirk without it ever clouding the tracks' overall purposes.

Stage Four was a momentous release that found ways to musically express its heart-wrenching story. Lament feels more like Touché Amoré's essential form.

On Big Swimmer, they embrace the uncertainty of it all with refreshing stamina and poise; letting the forces at play wreak some havoc so that they may reach new ground, transformed.

Calm, cool and collected, Fresh Air is a record you'll have playing in the background while you light a candle, anticipating your lover's knock at the door--or something like that.

Other Worlds proves Bergsman has a good thing going with these inspirational voyages, leaving the listener besotted and desperate to know just where she'll head next.

Atomic perfectly captures the band's recent progressions, ornate (the strings-centered "Are You a Dancer?" and horn-heavy opening track "Ether") or otherwise, and is undoubtedly one of the most consistent albums front-to-back from Mogwai's two-decade-long career.

Much of Waltzed in From the Rumbling's success lies in Plants and Animals' ability to look both inside and outside of their musical sphere, incorporating strings, choir vocals and found sounds while possessing the insight and musical acuity to make it all feel organic.

There's a ton of wild, riotous energy to Nattesferd, but it's a little more cleanly delineated rather than roped together and blurred around the edges. It's a shake-up rather than a clear evolution, but it's a productive one.

Wolf and producer Jared Solomon (a.k.a. Solomonophonic) pack every song with laugh-out-loud lyrics and confetti blasts of squelchy synth-funk, but for all the modern bedroom pop accoutrements, Juno's greatest strengths are the raw materials of melody and lyrics.

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.

Throughout the album's 11 tracks and over 42 minutes of music, the quartet manage to brood their way through numerous artistic themes, from Bruegel the Elder to Samuel Beckett, running each through a Western American scope.

What brings to life the often spacious, simple melodies is Chadwick's deft storytelling. Most evocative, perhaps, are the throwaway details she uses to colour her songs with lived experience.

A distinct effort has been made to play up the sexiness of the project and, thankfully, the music lives up to that imagery.

Nonagon Infinity is a definite mind-melt (see how many times you can loop it without losing it), and impressively keeps up with its initial premise.

With its singalong choruses and eminent likeability, New Gods is the kind of album that will only add to his reputation as being one of Scotland's finest.

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.

An album as wide ranging, far flung, eclectic, and richly satisfying as its name implies.

Instead of taking the easy route of creating a love letter to New Orleans, the band went in the opposite direction, continuing to lead American music into the future.

The consistency here comes in the form of non-stop, solid tracks; there isn't a bad recording on this whole album, which is no easy feat.

Stripped is exactly that: fully chilled out and no-frills in intent and sentiment. It's better than expected.

With this album, they've proven that they're a band with substance, staying power and the ability to question everything--and that's worth a lot.

Rhine Gold does feel a bit frontloaded, with the most compelling tracks happening in the first half, losing a little momentum towards the end, but this is still a superb release.

The real fun of Cooler Returns, though, lies in the clever details that you might never understand, no matter how many times you listen.