With Sun Leads Me On, Half Moon Run are attempting to shake the title of "that band with that song" and show off how far they have come, and for the most part, it works.

By simply moving with the times, Desaparecidos have managed to skirt that issue entirely, making Payola a surprisingly vital return we never knew we needed.

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.

A Pill for Loneliness is another strong effort from City and Colour. It finds Green continuing to play to his strengths and continuing to move City and Colour's sound into new territory at an assured, steady pace.

Whether it becomes the hip-hop classic he envisioned will be decided over time, but this is peak J. Cole — for better or worse.

EL VY succeed in telling the stories of true characters on Return To The Moon, using inventive beats and fresh indie rock structures to make their tales connect.

Despite a few kinks and unnecessary tracks, B4.Da.$$ is a great album that revisits classic '90s boom-bap signifiers: the production, the delivery and cadences.

The album is a full hour long, and though most of the songs are captivating, a few tend to drag.

Despite its flaws, Wonderful Wonderful is a welcome course correction, a relatively personal record from a too-often facile group.

There isn't one sound out of place and absolutely no fat; it's just that you can't help wondering whether a weekend away from Berlin drinking mushroom tea with James Holden might help to take it to the next level.

These are soundscapes rather than tracks.

Ricky Music shows a different side to Porches as an artist that we haven't seen before; it may be more produced and heavily Auto-Tuned, which takes away from his strong vocals, but it's refreshing to hear a new side to Porches.

For the most part, these ten tracks are a welcome throwback to the summery fun of The Blue Album and The Green Album.

All in all, Half-Light makes it apparent just how much of what was captivating about Vampire Weekend came from Batmanglij, solidifying the newly independent musician as a collaborator artists from multiple genres should--and do--want to work with.

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

Although Romans is a collaborative effort between two dance floor heavyweights in their own right, the largely dark sound that has distinguished previous releases from Haslam emerges as this record's strongest aspect.

On The Narrows, Phillips hasn't so much reinvented his craft, he just reinvented his perspective.

While Unfidelity isn't the greatest or most ambitious album in the Edwards canon, it certainly sounds the prettiest, making it a perfect port of entry for interested listeners with sensitive palates.

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.

Such a wide breath of influences can come across as convoluted in the hands of less-skilled musicians, but Darnielle has always had the right people around him to understand his vision, whether its voluble tracks like "Rat Queen" or the stripped-back shuffle of the title track.

The music has remained familiar, as Dani has one of the most idiosyncratic and immediately recognizable voices in metal, but the perpetual whirlwind of members has made every Cradle of Filth album feel unique, and Cryptoriana is no different.

On COW / Chill Out, World!, the Orb's easily digestible and absorbent songs make it simple for the listener to take the album's titular advice.

It's possible that hyperpop purists and longtime Harle fans will wince at the sanded-down edges and softened tones that make up this album — go listen to "Boing Beat" or "Interlocked" for an ungentle reminder of how bonkers Harlecore remains a half-decade a later. And yet, Cerulean is undeniably fun, and cements Harle's standing as a singular artist in the world of progressive pop.

It's clear that the death of his good friend and musical partner affects Kode9 on a deep level, making Nothing one of the most honest and emotionally challenging electronic releases in recent memory.

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.

Post-rock, grunge, hardcore, noise-rock; it's all fair game in the eyes of Big Ups, and this album is all the better for it.

LaMontagne seems more centered and confident as a songwriter this time around, imbuing the tunes with a sparseness that makes the whole effort more homemade and intimate.

Eyes on the Lines is unmistakably a guitarist's album, yet luckily for most, Gunn's song writing is also remarkably accessible. The listener may not find themselves with catchy vocal hooks stuck in their head after a first listen, but they'll definitely be humming riffs and guitar lines for several hours afterward.