Its tendency to slip into trance-like arrangements can make b'lieve feel a bit too sleepy at times, but moments pop up just in time to pull you back.

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.

The record is strikingly patient and meditative, even to the point of being hypnotic.

Midnight Manor is a chooglin' good time. The album holds true to that classic Nude Party sound; there's a direct sense of growth in its tone, without losing that flavor of personality that makes the Nude Party the characters that they are.

Starter Home is a mostly quiet album despite its many players.

Adorned with earthy imagery across almost every track — and highlighted by the groovy "One Bird Calling" and the livestock sampling "A Barn Conversation" — The Vivian Line is a love letter to his rural homestead and the loved ones with whom he shares it.

There are, unfortunately, a few songs that just don't connect, and when the album ends you're left feeling a bit unsatisfied, which is rare for this band. But it's still a great, short, raw blast of a melodic punk album.

On Cenizas, Nicolas Jaar unveils a static but emotional masterpiece, an album that doesn't challenge the listener as much as it invites them into his alien, meditative, astonishing world.

While the band's attempts to recapture their old glory have typically felt like attempts to give fans what they've wanted from them--and the idea that of a bunch of old white men tying their authenticity to their black cultural forbears feels something like an ugly metaphor for this mess of a year--this is the Stones making music for themselves.

At the Party is lusher and more delicate than its grungy predecessor, Mother of My Children, but no less powerful. Paul's latest is a warm and appreciative ode to the joys of passing the time with people you love.

There's an effortless authenticity in her voice. ... Naggar's rickety orchestration, imagistic lyrics and posture of kindness ensure that it never feels like effort, so much as a joyful, sad, funny, wise conversation with close, thoughtful friend.

Equal parts pensive and dreamy, minimal yet expansive, Phonetics On and On is the unapologetic sound of confident experimenting, the product of three musicians years ahead of their respective ages. Horsegirl rule, and so does this record. Put it on and on (and on and on and on).

On Why Do the Heathen Rage?, Daniel has managed to bring the intellectual and the primal together for one big dance party.

It is great to see Caroline Polachek giving a go at being an independent pop artist, and this album makes it feasible that she one day becomes a household name in the genre.

It's the samples in particular, though, that give Reset a sort of whimsical timelessness. ... Like much of Panda Bear and Sonic Boom's best work, Reset is disorienting — an album of songs that feels cyclical and never-ending.

As always, the band are at the height of their powers when at their most emotively rousing. ... But when recalling their previous efforts, there's an unshakeable feeling that they've done it before, but better — though you can't fault them for doing what so many post-rockers have done over the past 20 years.

Nirvana are actually a better comparison, not so much for the sonic similarities (though they are certainly there if you want to make them), but for METZ's ability to channel primal screams and squelching guitars into hook-laden earworms.

Testament just don't make missteps (the album could be a couple songs shorter, but that's my biggest complaint), continuing to craft thrash that's mature, heavy and aggressive in all the best ways.

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.

The music is troubling and absorbing, a fascinating progression of textures and tones, telling the lugubrious narrative through remarkably tactile sound.

No matter how harrowing King's cries become, how punitive the increasingly industrial percussion grows, or how profound the agony of the textured sound becomes, it's these little moments of silvery beauty that make No One Deserves Happiness transcendent and unbearable. Settle in and endure.

Marked by stronger grooves, darker lyrics and catchier hooks, Touch pushes July Talk's musical vision forward without sacrificing their core elements. It's an album that should cause anyone who'd previously dismissed the band reason to reconsider their stance, while exceeding existing fans' expectations.

This is an intriguing album that doesn't allow the listener the placid, breezy experience that some instrumental albums permit.

The Iceberg ultimately delivers a rich yet digestible musical main course worth more than one helping. If you've been sleeping on Odd, it's time to wake up.

If Pretty Girls Like Trap Music doesn't make the rapper an immediate king of the South, it undoubtedly puts him in line for the title.

A charming and disarming album.

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

An album that is layered and diverse in its sound palette and execution, with something for appreciators of the many different flavours electronic music has to offer.

Barry and Nealis recorded Holiday in 20-minute stretches while their newborn daughter slept, but despite this time restriction, the record doesn't feel urgent. ... And with her incomparable honeyed vocals at the helm, Barry crafts one of the finest folk albums of the year so far.

Two-dozen albums in, Sparks provide pleasing surprises. Unquestionably, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip is one of their most dynamic — and strongest — efforts.

All That Glue is a great compilation, and one that should please fans and newcomers alike with enough unreleased or B-side material to fill a full-length and enough strong picks from the band's past to give new fans a perspective on what to check out next.

Yves Jarvis has brought his insides out on a spellbinding album that's equally puzzling and gratifying.

Isaiah Rashad has returned as sharp as ever, delivering an album that houses some of the best material that he's ever released. The album never lulls over its 16-track runtime; instead, it finds an artist who's taken his time away from the spotlight back in a good space, building upon an already strong foundation to result in with the most complete project he's released.

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.

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is a debut record that showcases a bold artistic vision and a willingness to move beyond the boundaries of pop conventions.

Utopia feels like both a journey and a collection of statements that define and affirm who Björk is.

They haven't lost the heart of their sound, only shown it in a new light. If last year's Cruel Country was a nod to their country roots, then Cousin is a departure from those origins in favour of new sonic shores.

Never Hungover Again is fully-grown and moves at a steady pace, while remaining characteristic to Joyce Manor's roots.

With the world coming apart at the seams, Janet Weiss and Sam Coomes have never sounded more together, more single-minded and strong-willed. They made an album that needed to be made. Quasi went all-in on Breaking the Balls of History, and it lives up to its absolutely killer title.

[An] explosive and emotional debut.

Existing in layers, The Electric Lady revels in its polarity. The overriding statement, however, is that Janelle Monae has arrived.

On Life, Dan Friel's beats and rhythms come off less stingy and cloaked, allowing the noise to finally meet the listener (almost) halfway.

The result is a listening experience that demonstrates a capacity for intimacy, but more often acts as an intermission or interruption to an otherwise steady pace.

By immersing himself even deeper into the world of dub music and its equally minimalist and maximalist tones and tropes, Grim Reaper sounds stronger than anything he's accomplished so far.

With her sharp pen and a deft balance of traditional and modern sounds, Middle of Nowhere is a reminder of why Musgraves is a lone star of her calibre.

The songs on Cutouts feel jammy and jazzy, and while the trio are of course experts at their craft, the instrumentation tends to meander.

Along with his own cuts, Dear works dialled-in dance floor weapons from Randomer, Matrixxman, Simian Mobile Disco and Thatmanmonkzn into this heady, satisfying mix.

Beyond the gooey saunters she’s become known for, she slows the tempo to near-standstills on multiple occasions, while likewise finding the most heart-racing BPMs of her career thus far. By virtue of this being a Faye Webster record, none of it feels jarring; it’s as intuitive as passing the time with someone you love.

Though it lacks the alien opalescence of Charli's best record, how i'm feeling now contains a different sort of thrilling delirium. It's fun and sometimes silly, made on the fly and under a tight deadline. But it's desperate too — a frenzied call for release, an ode to the love that keeps us going, and further proof that no other pop artist today can make the digital sound so disarmingly human.

The result is flat and congealed, lacking danger.

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

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.

Freetown Sound finds Hynes at the peak of his powers, mixing his best songwriting and production yet to powerful, purposeful effect.

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.

It's rare to find an album this coherent and firm in quality. But best of all, a good half of the record will give you plenty of inspiration to channel Herring's sweet dance moves.

Babelsberg's ten songs comprise a confident, fully realized soundtrack to a quasi-fictional dystopia.

The sounds and textures contained here will not be surprisingly new to anyone familiar with Hauff's previous work, but regardless the sum of the album's parts is an entirely satisfying whole, sounding at times like the sound of a machine collapsing in on itself, but not before letting you have one last dance first.

That precarious balance between surrealism and sweetness, adept contributions and singular vision, and much more make I Made a Place feel like a must-visit destination — it's one of the best alt-folk albums to come out in years.

The highs on How to Socialise are meteoric while the relative lows are kept afloat by its members' musical prowess and McDonald's ability to wring tension and drama from personal adversity. Far from the stand-offish listen its sarcastic title suggests, expect the album to win Camp Cope plenty of new friends and admirers alike.

Heavy metal at its finest, Luminiferous is a brilliant, dynamic release, showcasing High on Fire's penchant for diverse, thoughtful songwriting and impeccable musicianship.

This mining of the best of days gone by, without falling blindly into nostalgia, makes the Frightnrs' approach a perfect fit for Daptone's retro roster.

There's nothing groundbreaking or surprising about this last record--it's classic Gregg Allman--which is exactly why it's a sweet, solid note to go out on. I'd say we're mighty lucky he gave it one more kick at the can.

Every song on here is an absolute gem, and while it does sound like some of Aphex Twin's previous material, that's probably the best compliment it can get.

Heavy on mood and light on melody, Stadium plays best as background music that you're instantly and repeatedly rewarded for tuning into, but it does little to demand the listener stay engaged, content to let you visit this strange and fascinating world at your leisure.

Putting its small shortcomings aside, Everything That Dies is nonetheless brutally visceral, uniquely textured and unexpectedly melodic. In their second collaborative effort, Uniform & the Body seamlessly put their own personalized twist on nu metal, proving once again that they can work together to take the genre to shocking new dimensions.

Personal touches (a snippet of her father's voicemail, an unrehearsed picking party, field recordings of Chickasaw chants) amplify the authenticity with which Waldon approaches all aspects of her artistic development.

Anthropocosmic Nest is full of loud blasts from the Messthetics, but it's also dynamic, revealing a patient, thoughtful approach to songwriting, which, beyond exhibiting the band's musical proficiency, is a real signifier of genuine friendship and trust.

The tracks on Spiritual Instinct feel somewhat monotonous, comparatively, since Alcest rarely pull back the reins to accentuate the diversity of their (typically) expansive sound.

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

This is easily his most ambitious, personal and hard-hitting work to date.

Ty Segall is a mixture of boisterous and blissful, and certainly is a great place to start if you're looking to introduce someone to Segall's ever-fattening discography.

Hecker stretches to greater heights. If Ravedeath, 1972 and Virgins were pinnacles for the producer, Love Streams leaps into orbit, beaming elegiac streams of sound to the heavens and beyond.

Lyrically, Newman continues to play games that amuse him, but the logical and narrative backflips might be too much this time.

On Illusory Walls, The World is a Beautiful Place give a lot and only ask for some of your time, patience and attention in return. At every interval, they make it worth your while.

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.

Overall, Murs' tenth solo album showcases why he's had a long career with a dedicated fan base, and adds another pin to the emcee's decorated lapel.

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

Polymer is their darkest record to date. It still sounds undeniably Plaid, but tracks like "Meds Fade" and "Recall," which sounds like barrage of error messages knocking on your front door, will have you reaching for the light switch. Now they can add ominous to their established repertoire of complex and simple.

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.

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

The combination of rich layered instrumentation, carefully orchestrated strings and Stuart Staples' evocative vocals give feelings of loss and loneliness a cinematic grandeur, yet their consistently strong recordings never lapse into sentimental excess. That is a balancing act few can manage, and the group pull it off yet again here.

Stranger in the Alps is a gorgeously written record, and Bridgers shows her brilliance consistently across its 45-minute runtime.

While scanning the state of the world and all its grievous, haunting wonders, Garden of Burning Apparitions continues Full of Hell's exploration of scorched earth, and by sticking to what they do best, they've left another bold stamp on extreme metal.

Warm Chris is neither refined nor contained: it wanders and wonders, affirming the sheer joy of curiosity.

This is an astonishing album, but not an easy listen.

While the band has always been a rock-first concern, the core of God Games is in its mature, layered and emotive downtempo pop balladry.

Temple Beautiful is the sound of a mature rock'n'roller continuing to reach for new heights.

All American Made is provocative, charismatic and endearing, proving what many of country's all-time greats already seem to know: Margo Price is a legend in the making.

Though Football Money is not without its moments of pessimism, at its core, it's a coming-of-age record about doing what you can with what you have--a bright-lights-big-city story scaled down to Canadian proportions.

An original record blending beauty and brutality.

By separating his musical personalities into two neat piles, Deacon stopped short of creating a truly epic record. We'll have to settle for just a pretty great one instead.

Fearless (Taylor's Version) introduces her younger audience to an iconic set of songs and feels like pure nostalgia for her older audience. This re-release signifies the beginning of Swift doing things her way, taking full control of her music and sharing it with fans who are eager to listen.

The drums are unquestionably positioned as the star and as a result, Harmonic feels much more like a jam session crossed with a vanity project than a genuine album.

The result is a sonically coherent, and impressive, album that dances on the borders of multiple subgenres without ever really taking a full dive into any one.

For the most part, Home on Native Land is filled with Gibb's signature breaths of melodic fresh air, healthy for a Canadian folk scene that could use some idiosyncrasy and a dark sense of humour, even if Gibb is only a passing visitor.

All Together Now is a surprisingly and satisfyingly listenable collection of compositions that weren't necessarily recorded for this type of public consumption.

While the soundtrack shows how versatile and nimble singer Jade Vincent is, she seems more stagnant on Heartbreak. That's not to say that Vincent flattens out completely. On "Heartbreak," she is in full retro-pop mode, and by the closing track "If," her voice melts into a lovely, lilting little lullaby.

Mirrored Aztec is also more tight and clean than February's Surrender Your Poppy Field – that Pollard still has this many hooks in him is mystifying.