Even though it remains an abstract surprise album, Ain't No Damn Way! flows coherently, making for an impressively seamless addition to Kaytra's ever-expanding discography. Most importantly, the record's meaningful callbacks solidify that he has yet to lose sight of his creative North star.

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

These are decidedly intimate songs approached from remarkably wide angles, woodsy tapestries penetrated with modernist psychedelic touches (whirly tubes, piano strings struck with metal spoons), artfully woven into grand, sprawling arrangements that will reward repeated private listening perhaps even more than Portishead has.

The story goes that Alabama red clay sticks around, its residue leaving a stubborn, permanent presence. The Red Clay Strays are here to stay, their story written in a cloud of red dust that's far from ready to settle.

Annabel Dream Reader feels like the soundtrack to a Tarantino film.

Whether Sport is really for digital punks or leather-clad clubbers remains to be seen, but regardless of audience, this is one of the most interesting records to come out this year.

This is another solid effort from the man born Curtis Cross.

There's a lot of stuff there, and sure, not everything seems crucial. But when the ecosystem works as well as it does on Pas pire pop, it's worth taking the time to get lost in its dense flora of sounds.

Although Regards / Ukłony dla Bogusław Schaeffer won't stand as their most approachable LP, nor will it be remembered as their most audacious (it's most likely in between the two), Matmos have cemented their rightful place within the annals of some of the most resourceful and inventive multimedia artists of their generation.

Miss Universe is an intriguing and smoothly constructed record. Groove and melancholy exist simultaneously in Yanya's work, providing listeners with no single answer to the questions she poses.

In creating a warm, intimate sound emphasizing piano and organ over acoustic guitar for the first time, Hayden sounds content even when talking about mortality.

Don't Let the Ink Dry is a promising debut that showcases true talent.

The album is an impressive continuation of Tom G. Warrior's often-mighty lineage, addressing each and every one of his strengths while offering something new for those unaware of the history embedded in every note.

Andrews grasps her songs tightly. Her lyrics are considered and heartfelt, her vocal performances are clean and pure and the songs are produced and arranged with nuance and precision.

But You Caint Use My Phone is a fantastic collection of songs, and while Badu has dubbed the release a mixtape, it's as strong, cohesive and consistent as any proper soul LP put out in recent memory.

Em's new songs give a facelift to old themes — but thanks to his still-astounding wordplay and creative beat choices (Rick Rubin's work on "So Far..." and "Love Game" is a hoot), you can still get lost in the wrinkles.

Without ever being outshone nor outright stealing the show, Ghostface does some of his best rapping in recent years and proves he's still got it.

It's a record built less on borrowed nostalgia and genre fetishism and more on earnest, risk-taking creativity and mixing genres in weird sonic chemistry experiments.

Music For My Friends is arguably Skyzoo's finest project to date.

There are certainly lulls among the 18 tracks, moments of randomness, and even an occasional lack of direction. But if Cline is indeed trying to conjure a feeling of romance through instrumental jazz, he's done just that on this record.

It's clear that Dawn's songwriting is one of her many strengths, as Meet Me at the River is only too proud to showcase.

Guitarists Trevor Peres and Ken Andrews' tones are more menacing than ever, and Donald Tardy's intense, skull-shaking drums are perfectly captured. While vocalist John Tardy's screams have obviously aged since Obituary's early days, they still sound powerful enough to get the job done, and the entire band plays with a locked-in ferocity that never sounds robotic or artificial.

Nobody can seriously claim that Welcome Home tops any of Pantera. But it's a step up from Hellyeah's past material, showcasing all of the members' unending passion for heavy metal and all that comes with it.

Self-produced and written almost entirely while isolated in a lake house outside of Mexico City, Me is Rodriguez' most fully-formed artistic statement yet, an intensely personal, self-assured outing that cements her as a powerhouse producer, sonically harkening back to her Colorminutes days and establishing her as an expert songwriter.

The tracks run long (nothing below four-and-a-half minutes), and the highlights come for those with patience (the album peaks, like Heritage did, in the latter half); Pale Communion is a grower.

While "Casino Niagara" revels in the steam-blurred sensuality of R&B, Love Hallucination stands as Lanza's most sexually assertive record for its inclusion of "Marathon," a bratty pop confection.

The record is their most musically ambitious to date, while still maintaining the unrelenting, thrash-influenced Southern heavy metal they do best.

On The Desired Effect, Flowers aims to be loose and have some fun, but he also sounds more focused than ever. Flowers has spoken of a desire to write an album full of singles, and these songs almost reach that goal.

Ada Lea's workmanship is striking on what we say in private, as she delicately showcases both the chaos and beauty of change.

[The EP] reveal a steadier, more confident Van Etten, which--surprisingly enough--is just as thrilling as the unpredictable, anxious turns that garnered her so much praise on her last LP.

In darkness, Dilly Dally found their way back to one another and created light. Heaven is the sound of coming into your own.

Corb Lund fans will appreciate the new versions of older material, but the album also has a "greatest hits" feel to it, so it's a fine introduction for the uninitiated.

The solid Lovers Rock is a testament to Estelle's talent and career durability while paying homage to a genre that has withstood the test of time.

It's neat to hear Segall's version of these songs--revitalizing them and making them his own--and he certainly offered up a colourful mix.

Save somewhat of a flat end, Down Below is a great metal album that blends multiple genres into a perfectly idiosyncratic sound that should bring Tribulation much success and attention.

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.

The outwardly fun melodies and rhythms are what define the album.

With enough panache to warrant a full-length release, Seasonal Hire is an all-too brief look into four musicians' quest to push their music further.

The music contains all of the trembling beauty fans have come to expect from Alcest, combined with a sense of vitality and wanderlust.

The album is an earnest, succinct group of tracks that freely flow into each other, and [b]y the end of its 33-minute runtime, every song deserves its spot on the tracklist.

The songs are lushly dense and about as challenging and exhilarating as pop can be.

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.

On LP, Container shows his ability to create a complete barnburner of an album in the least flashy and showy manner possible.

The narratives are better developed and there are invariably a couple of lines in each song that hit home emotionally.

Deathless Master is all tight, sinewy riff structures--songs that succeed by virtue of their grip and tensile strength.

They Want My Soul is a bold and swaggering declaration that Spoon have undoubtedly still got it--in spades.

With Into The Lair of the Sun God, the Chicago, IL metallers have once again produced a record that's as engaging as it is refreshing.

Those who prefer the more straightforward and rousing fare the two have released outside this project should be advised that III is definitely more ethereal drift than shooting star. Longtime fans will know what to expect, however, and while it's more of the same perhaps, it's arguably the best iteration yet.

This project is as close to inside Yow's twisted mind as fans have gotten, And it's a compelling, nightmarish realm for certain.

Celeste put out a sludgy doom-inflected black metal record; this year, Indian turned the equation on its head and put out a blackened doom record, that's equally depraved, nihilistic, and crucial for any fan of truly heavy music.

The Horizon Just Laughed is an album capable of moving listeners figuratively and literally. The pastiche of genres aptly complement and accent the American folk foundation that he's built his style and brand on.

Joyner's poem-songs are worth lingering over. As it turns out, his idiosyncratic sandpaper tenor and low spacious guitar style are the perfect instruments through which to deliver them.

Worth is at once fully realized and brimming with potential.

Followup Hello, I'm Doing My Best offers up more hook-filled, crisply produced radio rock with plenty of grit and soul from Barter, who remains a compelling presence throughout.

Although it's an intertextual and oftentimes challenging listen, Future Politics is also a compelling call to action to collectively conceive of the future and its manifold possibilities.

Ohio native sons MHz (Copywrite, the late Camu Tao, Tage Future, Jakki Da Motamouth and producer RJD2) have finally released their long-overdue debut album, MHz Legacy, and it doesn't disappoint.

Though a bit short at 36 minutes, there isn't a weak track to be heard.

The album, one of Wolfe’s best, is a powerful reminder that you are good enough, strong enough and brave enough to be mighty, authentic and free.

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

With ten ridiculously infectious songs clocking in at just 22 minutes, Joanna Gruesome are in no danger of wearing out their welcome.

If you ask me, this is the most punk thing Iceage could've done at this point--and arguably the best thing they've done, period.

For all the mercurial experiments in power, Forgiveness also contains moments that scale back the theatrics to spotlight Tucker and Tividad as the sincere, gimlet-eyed songwriters they've proven to be since Girlpool's inception.

With this album, Gately set out to "capture the weird spikey nature of this kind of looming doom, but also to include some absurd colours," and the result is a swirling mix of eerie atmosphere, devastating emotion and brilliant sonic abstraction. It is Gately's best work yet.

Cola make it all seem effortless to create perfectly catchy post-punk tunes, incorporating their punchy instrumentals with casual social commentary and calming meditative meanings.

Aside from this titanic single, Club Meds is an album of subtle pleasures that's more likely to creep under your skin than hit you over the head.

This is yet another great Punch Brothers album.

Excellent production by Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal) at his Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, FL takes Conceived in Sewage to a higher level of eviscerating brutality.

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

Beats are enjoyable, ranging from murky piano and trap drums on "Fish n Grits"--despite Travis Scott's painfully sung hook in stark contrast to his killer bars --to absolute winner "Fashion Week," with infectious, sexy vocals laced into the drum line.

Although it may not be the best project that Young Thug has released, certain tracks off So Much Fun are guaranteed to become classic party anthems played at max volume for years.

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

Expectations is a nearly flawless record; Katie Pruitt will have to work hard to top what she has achieved here.

Dig in Deep treads familiar territory both musically and lyrically, but it bristles with energy and feels like an expertly paced live set by a singer and a band having an especially great night.

The heavily distorted, fuzzy wall of sound from previous albums has been replaced by lead guitar jangle here, but while that may seem off-putting to fans who are accustomed to the relentless punk bludgeoning of their previous material, at its core the songwriting is solid, and familiar enough for old fans to learn to love.

That lack of tension and urgency throughout stops A Moon Shaped Pool from being a classic on par with Radiohead's best work, but then, perhaps that's the wrong standard to reasonably hold an album that trades the band's trademark anxiety for acceptance, their experimentalism for elegance.

There's little about Dead Set on Living that isn't an improvement on the band's past efforts, from the thunderous guitar tones to the frenetic energy pouring out of every song, courtesy of live-off-the-floor recording.

METZ are an animal that's evolved to its benefit, with an appetite that's more refined and teeth that are still razor sharp.

THC is filled with indications that it's a labour of love, in every way. Single "Spread Love" feels like the main objective of the record. With help of BADBADNOTGOOD, theMind, Noname and others, the album comes together with live instrumentation and smooth production.

It's a multi-layered affair but each one provokes serious feelings and thoughts for those who peel them back.

It's a rare moment of ambitious sprawl in an album that's otherwise lean, loud, and a no-nonsense celebration of Cloud Nothings' strengths.

While still lighthearted and filled with humour, it's a massive shift from previous releases, both musically and lyrically, with plenty of hints of more to come.

Memoryland is arguably at its strongest when its homages and nods are less vigorous.

All told, Bad News Boys is as solid a record as the King Khan and BBQ Show have ever put out, and a must-have for fans of both the band and the genre.

It's a feel-good record with intricate, heartfelt tunes, and effectively spreads the gospel of the church of Spacebomb.

From the starting gate to the finish line, The True Story of Bananagun is a genuine work of delight to listen to in all of its funky, jazzy, psyched-out glory.

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

Shauf delivers a collection of tracks here that showcase exactly what made Skyline so incredible, and in turn, what makes him such a captivating artist.

The juxtaposition of her soft yet strong vocals draws you into her ghostly world, both dark and thrilling. Birth of Violence is a work of art that will please old fans and draw in new listeners too.

Keaton Henson's evolution has been exciting to behold, and Kindly Now is another compelling release.

Dal Forno is still true to the homegrown production that fans grew to love; Look Up Sharp is showing listeners just how much she's evolved in her slow-moving, wistful world.

It's rare for an artist to actually match a sound with their name (see Steely Dan for how not to do it), but with Talent, Pena has done just that by creating music that flutters to a perfect, heavenly beat.

Drama is softened by sincerity on the record, as NAO finds balance in the wake of chaos.

Dionysus sounds both ancient and contemporary at the same time, and there are not many groups that can show so much reverence for ancient traditions from a modern music perspective. Their eclectic approach to songwriting goes far beyond contemporary music genres, and that is ultimately the record's biggest asset.

Beerbongs & Bentleys contains banger after banger; it's an incredible drug-induced album.

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

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.

Deeply personal yet accessible slice of soul music.

New Me, Same Us is an apt title for this introspective and revitalizing work.