Intentionally or not, Hynes has surreptitiously convinced listeners to deeply engage with his art; we're digging for the grooves, searching out the hooks while questioning our own habits and assumptions, as we look for our own meaning in the music. And there's plenty in Negro Swan.

Across its 10 songs, Don't Forget Me is as concise as it is exciting. Not a note is wasted, not a second under-utilized. What truly sets it apart is how comfortable Rogers seems embodying her full potential.

Maybe Cuz I Love You isn't what Aretha Franklin would sound like, had she made a rap album, but Lizzo created a beautiful sonic journey through different eras of music, and for that, it deserves a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

There will be some very painful moments where you'll be forced to end the song half way through, only to start from the beginning later. That said, if you're in a comfy spot and don't plan on going anywhere, alter your state and listen to this record from beginning to end; it will take you places.

Originating as instrumental studio sketches, Kember's change in scenery gave birth to lyrics that add substance to the LP.

SABLE, fABLE won't just make your head bob — it'll also make you excited for Bon Iver's next inevitable curveball.

Coriky is its own, beautifully compelling thing. There is love and respect flowing between the three players and it's a palpable part of this expression that is emotive, reasoned, and rather relaxed. Once this record's playing, the Coriky universe is a fascinating one to be a part of.

Vince Staples is the rapper's most personal and emotionally resonant project yet, and the choice to opt for a stripped-back approach complements the content greatly. Vince's blunt and bleak observations on life, death, humanity, gang culture, paranoia and trauma fit perfectly with the sparse and skeletal soundscape of this LP. It feels like every instrumental here was crafted to give his words the room they need to have the impact they're meant to.

If you wait, there is a reward for those interested in committing to a whole album; a final refrain. This is the reality of taking chances — and, as the protracted ending of "Match-Lit" proves, Case refuses to compromise for her artistic vision for digestibility or easy answers.

It's certainly not the culture-shifting force that The Fame or Born This Way were, but it does recapture some of that former glory after some years where Gaga's biggest contributions have been blockbuster soundtrack ballads.

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.

Currents is melodic, pretty, but there's a pervasive sense of melancholy here; each uplifting track feels as though it's masking sorrow with shimmering synth, a teaspoon of sugar to help the medicine down.

Her songwriting and lyrics are truthfully captivating and fascinatingly realistic.

Code Orange usher in a new era with Underneath that will alienate sections of their audience, and bring their us-against-you might to places no Pittsburgh band have gone before. They've become masters of numbingly heavy and world-expanding metalcore, but operate within rock music more than they probably ever intended to.

No Joy have learned a lot in the five years since their last full-length, 2015's More Faithful and Motherhood is the perfect encapsulation of that.

Throughout Dawn, she exhibits wit and exemplary control and the blurred genre lines on the album are her playground.

Radical finds the group doubling down and levelling-up their expansive, swaggering metalcore in every way possible.

Rebound continues her trajectory as an distinctive artist who's ever-skilful in her sonic explorations.

With this fearlessly vulnerable, triumphantly anthemic album, Little Simz asserts herself among the queens of her genre--Janelle Monáe, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott and Erykah Badu. Stillness in Wonderland is a wonder to behold.

Julia Jacklin is a unique talent. Know her. With PRE PLEASURE, Jacklin once again makes herself impossible to dismiss. She not only lives up to the hype, she deserves more of it.

Despite the often abrasive experimental flourishes, the album retains a joyous sense of melody and pulse that makes it undeniably fun at its core.

Time Ain't Accidental is filled with minimalist modern country ballads that gently dissolve like a sugar cube on your tongue.

It's a piece that Basinski apparently revisited and refined throughout 2016, a year made monumental by its cultural losses--and it's one of his very best.

Like the 6 God's "playlist," this mixtape has no higher purpose than to let its creators run wild, showcasing their prodigious talents with frequent moments of pop brilliance.

2017-2019 is the music we need in 2020: ambitious, fearless and provocative.

A carefully orchestrated and patiently rendered collection of songs that recasts Cottrill's music in the visage of artists like King and James Taylor.

Like all of her best work, Akoma is heavy, mysterious and boundless. This is Jlin's world; we're just lucky enough to listen in.

Take Me Apart is a subtle, sexy LP from a woman who knows what she wants, and clearly aims to write anthems for fans feeling the same way.

Moor Mother’s latest album is a tough listen, and might take a bit of research and a few listens to fully situate in its various contexts. This is all to be expected — grappling with terrible moments in history is never a pleasant or easy experience, but Ayewa makes the pain of remembering feel like fuel for the future.

His puns about denial v. the Nile river, or his boasts about being like Mother Goose, land with laughable thuds (though perhaps that's this fun-loving MC's intent?). But Uzi nimbly switches from relatedly lovelorn speak-singing on "Bust Me" to rugged, speedy punch line powerhouse on the very next track, "Prices." That transition is merely one of the energetic and unpredictable performative tricks Uzi pulls off on this stadium sized LP.

On instrumentals, Lenker settles down from songs' busier thoughts, indulging in the stoicism within to achieve moments of serenity, if only briefly. Deep breaths, everyone.

For more than 20 years, Snaith has displayed a rare versatility and ability to keep things fresh. Suddenly is no different.

Thirty years later, it's another landmark, his best record in years. Maybe decades.

There can be beauty in decay, growth from devastation, and A U R O R A helps open your eyes to that perspective.

Lyrically, all three mine traditionally sombre territory in their solo work, tying into broader cultural conversations regarding gender and mental health, and the words of boygenius maintain the same power and urgency.

While cathartic moments of release abound, for the most part, Rostam Batmanglij and co-producer Ariel Reichstadt opt for understated beauty.

Between its instrumental interplay and Gendron's singing and structural vision, it's a deep and gorgeous classic that moves her into the pantheon of our greatest living songwriters.

Throne's power is in its delivery, as Leigh's brazen siren call cleverly commingles with a deft pedal steel wizardry. The music is uniquely alluring. Its woozy, uncanny nature enhances its charm, making Throne some of the artist's best work thus far.

Being more open to collaborations, and trusting the process of a co-producer, the quality of production is more on the synthetic side, but the record still has a sense of nostalgia that permeates her techno-pop melodies, because of the heavy synths.

Though the production lags at times, Wiley's performance overall is still a fitting conclusion to his groundbreaking journey in music.

This is a beautiful, concise blast that conveys this band's musical essence.

While there's arguably nothing here that will dethrone your favourite all-time Robyn tracks ("Call Your Girlfriend" forever wins the March Madness bracket, doesn't it?), a great many stand proudly amongst them — and for most fans, this is very much enough right now.

Dream River is required reading, without a doubt.

Overall, hardcore R&B fans will appreciate age/sex/location most, but this is an album made for cuffing season and should probably be listened to by lovesick single people still figuring it out.

There's a contentedness here; a playfulness; a willingness to be silly. Instead of shying away from the shadows of life, the band embrace the dark with the light, relishing in it all. It's such a sharp contrast to their earlier work, this sense of acceptance with a knowing smile.

Calvi remains in firm control on Hunter, but she lets loose more than enough moments of bliss to satisfy.

The trio are playing together better than ever, even capturing some of the power of economy that their earliest music commanded with grit and grace and thunder and lightning.

Despite some bumps, Hold the Girl is full of passion and reflection, uninterested in holding back and unafraid to revel in the power of vulnerability and self-love.

Challenging the perception of shared space and visibility, Tamko has released the perfect record for women of colour who, unbeknownst to some, have been secretly shredding harder then white men for years, and are finally ready to be heard.

There's so much more to Good Souls than that aforementioned fiery fare. She and her band make "Bad News Blues" more than live up to its title, both in tone and lyrics. ... Many of those tracks suit the despair, rage and hope of the moment, while also speaking to enough big truths to be timeless.

Ought have conjured one of the most refreshing and inspiring rock records of the year.

From‌ ‌the‌ ‌desert-blues‌ ‌guitar‌ ‌that‌ ‌knits‌ ‌itself‌ ‌across‌ ‌the‌ ‌muscular‌ ‌coda‌ ‌of‌ ‌"Real‌ ‌Pain,"‌ ‌the‌ ‌way‌ ‌De‌ ‌Souza's‌ ‌voice‌ ‌condenses‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌vein‌ ‌of‌ ‌skyward‌ ‌fluorescence‌ ‌on‌ ‌"Bad‌ ‌Dream"‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latticework‌ ‌rhythm‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌sparkling‌ ‌"Hold‌ ‌U," ‌Any‌ ‌Shape‌ ‌You‌ ‌Take‌‌ ‌is‌ ‌endlessly‌ ‌energized,‌ ‌each‌ ‌corroded‌ ‌riff‌ ‌and‌ ‌synth‌ ‌streak‌ ‌glowing‌ ‌with‌ ‌purpose.‌

What One Day achieves then, unshackled by this lingering desire for overarching grand narratives, is the purest distillation of that "lightning in a bottle" frenzy, capturing the collective's creative spark at its most urgent — that is: less bells, all whistles.

As direct as it is complex, Instant Holograms is an album of pure sonic pleasure.

It's a cerebral style that takes a certain willingness to go along with, but if you do you'll come away with an enhanced notion of what contemporary techno has to offer.

Gordon has managed to create an album that pushes her legacy as an experimental force even further, another piece in a discography that refuses to be categorized. Rather than drift off quietly into the sunset, she might just be making the most interesting music of her career.

Freedom's Goblin cuts open Segall's brain and lets it all ooze out. Serve yourself up a spoonful of all that melodic goo, and enjoy.

Ghosts is the thinking electronic music fan's subtler and more paranoid alternative to Amon Tobin's brick-smashing A/V opus, ISAM.

The Pilgrimage is a triumph.

Carved into Stone is a bit hard to warm up to, but it finds the band reaching out and, in doing so, writing their catchiest material since they snapped our fingers and necks so many moons ago.

There isn't a dull moment on this album.

This is beautiful stuff and my favourite yet from Deepchord.

There Were Seven may not be much of an evolution, but it still feels like revolution.

If there were any doubts among the faithful about legendary Quebec prog-metal dudes Voivod being able to recapture the magic of their classic era in the absence of deceased guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, they're shattered within moments of the title track.

The record packs familiar Function trademarks--industrial themes, hissing white noise, acid loops and retro rhythms--but the ideas fall short of reinvigorating the legacy established after Sandwell Disctrict's full-length, Feed Forward, landed in 2010.

Kvelertak feel as though they are right on the verge of something extraordinary, as they explore the limits of their very successful aesthetic with Meir.

Steffi's transitions on Panorama Bar 05 sound smooth enough that they turn a mix listener's typical consideration of song blends towards the complementary selection of plunging machine sounds, naturalized in Panorama Bar 05 upon the steps of an ascendant, emotive trajectory.

Although the album doesn't repeat a verse-chorus-verse-chorus-breakdown formula, it also lacks distinct or memorable riffs.

Despite the barebones recording techniques and instruments--East German drum machines, a toy Casio and a Soviet-made Faemi organ, all recorded and overdubbed on primitive Tesla machines--the sounds on The Lost Tapes are immersive, complex and also difficult to classify.

Their blend of bluegrass, blues and ragtime isn't unique within the current old-timey undercurrent of Americana, but frontman Pete Bernhard's songwriting contains enough contemporary flair to provide a solid backbone for the album's ten tracks

On their third album since Andrew Neufeld moved to vocals, Comeback Kid were poised to strike out, but pleasantly, they instead knock Die Knowing out of the park.

With Sun Choir, this Edinburgh trio found a way to pull a thousand (almost literally) voices together to create a singular vision.

Fresh, crisp drums, creamy keys, luxuriant strings and timely flute and horn flourishes, each held together by a series of mood-defining bass lines, work to soundtrack this production, an inspiring foil that the record's MCs make certain not to waste on this grand testament to Souls' skill and staying power.

It's dreamy eccentricity; a little crazy and courageous, and a strong statement.

Though the occasional use of spoken word on the record jars uncomfortably, this debut is about as accomplished as one could reasonably expect.

Alpha is the brighter and longer disc of the two, varied in its execution by walking a line between challenging, progressive moments and more accessible fare.

Tinged with vintage Afrobeat instrumentation, Fashawn hangs admirably with his label boss, assertively vowing he's in it for the long haul, issuing a forthright missive that confirms The Ecology was definitely worth the wait

An aural delight that deserves multiple spins.

This ability to stretch a unique sonic sensibility in many different emotional directions is what heightens this collection of songs so that it's an experience unto itself. It's an engaging listen that demands persistent exploration.

If Every Time I Die's consistency hasn't impressed you these past few LPs, Buckley's bout of unbridled emotion on Low Teens certainly should.

True to its name, Uyai is also a glorious, world-conscious party. Beautiful indeed.

It's a spiritually holistic, potent dose of manna fit to feed a weathered movement.

In an uncertain era, signposted with fallen heroes, Revolution Come…Revolution Go is a comforting, potent affirmation that Gov't Mule will continue to flourish.

Outside of nostalgia, though, much of the work still feels necessary.

The Siren's Song is another compelling chapter in what looks increasingly likely to be the long story of Kacy & Clayton's career.

This record is not a reimagining of the band or a fresh start. Loved is an exercise in moulding what KEN Mode has always been good at into a perfect soundtrack for these times of great political uncertainty.

Combining the passionate onslaught of hardcore with a reasonable portion of grunge and radio-ready power pop, the New York group's cynical punk tone often feels effortless. If you're just hearing of Drug Church or weren't sold on their two prior works, now's the time to stay for a sermon.

Fear in a Handful of Dust might just be the best sonic definition for imperfect beauty we've got right now. Luckily, with the recent formation of Tobin's new label, Nomark, it looks like we'll be waiting far less than eight years for the next body of work.

Following ECM's 21-disc retrospective Art Ensemble Of Chicago and Associated Ensembles, this new collection serves as a forward-looking, optimistic companion.

As the artist has noted himself, Boyd has finally stepped out of his label as a jazz musician to embrace himself as a producer who also plays jazz.

No wonder the Man In Black himself recruited Neilson and her fellow musician relatives to be his opening act back in the day — she proved then, as she does on CHICKABOOM!, to be a worthy successor to the Sun Record sound.

Part one of Sumney's smart double feature proves that art is everywhere — even in the drab hues that exist between extremes.

With Bent firmly fitting in his place as the band's drummer, the chemistry between the band members is better than ever. What the Dead Men Say is the second of two great albums, and confirms that The Sin and the Sentence wasn't a fluke.

Okkyung Lee has delivered an album so achingly tender that it is bound to stand as one of this year's best neoclassical releases.

Continuing to navigate everyday life experiences with insightful wisdom, reimagining biblical language with more universal interpretations.

They stick with what they know, and they have it down to a flawless science.

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.

Much like 2017's Ti Amo, Alpha Zulu has a romantic warmth that transcends lyrics, which evade interpretation, often melting into the melody but occasionally snagging the ear with a beautiful turn of phrase.