Floating Features hits the ear and satisfies as much as a California-grown avocado, buttery and smooth.

Too bad the music isn't as varied. In replacing keyboardist Sasami Ashworth with bassist Devin O'Brien, Cherry Glazerr have gone from wiry and versatile to big and bulky, but their titanic low-end quickly becomes stiflingly repetitive.

Seven Steps Behind is an album that, for the most part, has found its footing with a few missteps along the way.

With The Last Word, The O'Jays end their legendary career on a peak.

Though the tone of Pop Smoke's voice is already enough to set him apart from other artists coming out of New York, there's energy felt in his music that keeps you engaged. We'll have Meet the Woo 2 to remember that energy forever.

Silver Landings shows Moore unburdened and the joy she finds in being honest is both heartening and inspiring.

No Horizon pairs ecstasy with pensiveness, using experimentation, static, tension and texture to push Wye Oak's skills ever forward.

Lyrically strong, thought provoking and groovy as hell, What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? shows to the world that Public Enemy still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Kommunity Service manages to deliver on almost every front. It's an impressive collaborative effort from two of California's brightest stars, yet another solid release in Mozzy's rapidly expanding catalogue and a much-needed return to form for YG following a few subpar releases.

While even Young's most autobiographical ("Old Man") and tender ("Harvest Moon") songs deliver a level of poetry and mystery to his plainly spoken lyrics, much of his folk material here is paired with often cheesy and typical phrasing. ... That said, at 76 years of age, Young is still making more shrewd, relevant, and valiant albums than any of his peers not named Bob Dylan.

Granted, tracks like "I Need You" and "Too Late" give off a Cars-meets-mid-career Tegan & Sara vibe that's a little too on the nose. ... This album is full of pleasant surprises, though.

A great, often excellent effort containing at least a couple outstanding moments that see Future Islands really crystallize as its best self. There are some overly familiar moments and the album essentially offers more of the same, but it’s arguably their best work since Singles, the group’s still-reigning high-water mark.

When Love Heart breaks the feedback loop of its own foundational creation is where the record is at its most compelling.

Though Khan has grown with the responsibilities of adulthood, he has obviously retained the ability to produce fun, high energy tunes with ease.

Honora feels a bit like a few different projects in one, its moments of revelatory beauty refracted through a slightly convoluted structure.

Calling Out is an excellent first dish by EZTV, a sweet thing that makes one excited to hear what they serve up next.

Even though it doesn't reach the exhilarating highs of their peak moments, Deleter works as a serviceable showcase of the band's grasp of controlled rhythm and noise.

In these subtler moments, Ward's genius is undeniable; if he employs more of that lighter touch on his follow-up, it'll be the classic that More Rain falls just shy of being.

Levy's writing is both insular — her lyrics are dense and singular, her references specific and sometimes unknowable — and insulating, sketching her surroundings so vividly, so minutely, that a city can feel as familiar and often-unpredictable as the inside of your own head.

Despite its occasional low points, Meatbodies have created a wonderfully weird and spooky world with Alice, filled with monsters, magic and lots of fuzz.

The Soft Cavalry is the sound of Clarke coming into his own as a songwriter, enriched by Goswell's contributions. The album holds a reverence for the fragility of life and a recognition of just how vital our closest relationships are to its experience.

Despite a few moments spent in the doldrums, Park's heartfelt lyricism and serene instrumentals navigate the complexities of love and healing, reminding listeners of the ongoing process of finding wholeness.

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.

American Man seems to fall into the same [alt country-lite] formula, leaving little space for new ideas. They make up for that with enthusiasm and just enough grit; for those who like their country punk-y, raw and simple, American Man is a breath of fresh tobacco.

A meticulous songwriter and producer, Jordan Rakei has opened up his sound with Origin, extending an invitation into a highly creative mind eager to deepen the bonds created with his listeners.

Down to the Lowest Terms: The Soul Sessions is a triumphant return from a funk dominator.

Taken as a whole, though, EUSA is luminous, a grand gesture made up of the kind of small, gorgeous moments that will remind listeners of home--wherever that may be.

Medicine at Midnight isn't good because of the ways it pushes the envelope, but because of how upholds the band's status as rock torchbearers. This is the Foos doing what they do best.