The work to weave so much together — and do it so well — speaks to Frisell's skill as a composer. His affable, warm nature seeks to connect people, sounds and ideas. On Harmony, Frisell seems to have found just that.

No Fear… lives up to its name thanks to Black Star's bravery against the odds of falling woefully short like nearly all of their fellow MCs would have. The fact that they occasionally come close to pulling off a comeback as towering as their debut will make you wish they don't wait so long to try again.

This is an inspired album and potential goldmine of samples for future generations.

There are quick movements at play, but the locomotion is sort of listless.

As temperamental as the band may be, for those willing to indulge the band's proclivities, High Anxiety is a highly enjoyable filth-encrusted bludgeoning and thrilling catharsis of angular grumping.

Sure, the usual country tropes appear in the form of drinking whiskey, diminishing horizon lines and the "devil [who] don't give a damn" — but Stapleton has long cracked the code of authenticity. Country isn't for everyone, but Chris Stapleton should be.

Living Fields is rich in its intimacy, enrobed in an ambiance that feels like a continuous pull towards a soundscape designed for dreams.

Rainier Fog is more than just another Alice in Chains record; it's another step in the process of redefining their sound since their first comeback record, 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue.

When he calls the 92-piece orchestra in, the results are mixed.

While recent work has affirmed that Tatum's comfort zone is clear, Laughing Gas is a reminder that he is still open to exploration.

The songs of Entering Heaven Alive probably won't become the genre touchstones that White's heavier tunes are, but they're a fresh glimpse into a songwriter who, long considered a retro traditionalist, now continues to get more unpredictable with each album cycle.

Totalling more than 80 minutes of chilling ambient, Ghosts VI is as unsettling as it is dazzling.

Three's high points come when some of the pop veneer is pulled back to let more raw, real feeling through. Overall, it's a solid record that should draw a wider audience to Phantogram's music.

The four tracks here also represent a promising step forward for Segall, showing off a succinct amalgamation of the different sounds he has played with on recent albums.

Lux Prima certainly isn't Karen O's most urgent or explosive work, but it all sounds exceptionally lovely.

Throughout the record, Marley demonstrates that reggae can grow and adapt without losing sight of its roots.

She takes a left turn after her more recognizable house palette in the first half of the EP.

Electrically Possessed contains some of their most daring, buoyant and surprisingly solid set of songs, framing Stereolab as a band who managed to stay adventurous and weird right to the end.

Den is a great complement to Tank and like its predecessor, its main fault is that it's far too short.

Whales & Leeches doesn't see Red Fang veering far from their signature, grooving sound, but they deploy all the tricks in their musical arsenal extremely effectively, refining them into a terrible, sharpened point.

Sometimes the way Nash has structured the songs becomes hard to follow, or downright abrasive, as heard in the vocal changes in "California Poppies." Yet there is always a feeling of purpose dictating the clear vision behind "ugly" moments.

An easy listen it isn't, but Ghettoville is full of such textural subtlety, rubbed-raw sound design and spatial aural play that it will leave you somewhat discombobulated yet curious for more.

The Ice Spice collab "Boy's a liar Pt. 2" is perhaps inevitably tacked onto the end of Heaven knows. It's a bit of a self-own, as it easily outshines the rest of the album despite being far simpler in every way. PinkPantheress has become an expert pop craftswoman — but the stripped-down magic of "Boy's a liar Pt. 2" reminds listeners that incredible hooks outweigh intricate production every time.

Lapalux has found his home at Brainfeeder, with Nostalchic and its masterful genre crossings a fitting first release.

Numbers like "Springs" and "NoWayBack," featuring the "good witch/wicked witch" vocals of Berlin Germany's Butterclock, may show that oOoOO is willing to move forward with his music, just not at the destroy-and-rebuild pace that the average ADD-afflicted hipster has grown to crave.

The album offers a little something from every listener, which includes pop-centric songs ("Shrine") bass-heavy bangers ("Era"), an anthemic ballad ("Atoms") and one pleasantly surprising ambient interlude ("Run For Your Life").

John Wizards is a sonic journey both geographically and temporally, without being an exercise in musical channel surfing.

Although there are still growing pains after almost 40 years, Green Day are back with a spiky, enthusiastic vengeance. And that's always a good thing.