Having shown herself to be an adept garage rock frontwoman in recent years, Crutchfield effortlessly slips back into the role of an intimate solo bedroom artist on Great Thunder.

Interpol are far past the point of trying to recapture their glory days, but even their attempts to change things up come off as a mixed bag. Prospective fans and diehards alike are better off starting at the beginning.

Like its predecessor, the new disc delivers a nice mixture of lighter fare with heavier songs acting as an anchor, though Happy To You has a distinctly animated glow.

Those looking for standout singles and sing-along choruses best search elsewhere, but for fans of downtempo folk, there is a lot to appreciate here.

Neuroplasticity is a full-on rock record, though, as much as it's just a transition for Spx into something that takes a variety of musical turns.

Everyday Life has more blunders than hits, but let's give Coldplay some credit — they've got a "go big or go home" attitude that's entertaining, even when it misses the mark.

Frankie Rose might not be the face of Beverly, but Careers is one of the best things she's done to date. But Drew Citron deserves most of the credit.

B3, fiddle, accordion and, on a couple of cuts, saxophones result in a full sound, but the focus throughout is correctly placed on Rose's pure and retro-sounding vocals and well-constructed. ... Consistently strong.

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

The Oakland, CA singer's most sonically eclectic collection to date, the record bounces from club tracks to acoustic ballads and her personal brand of R&B that's been the backbone of their career.

There's casual grace in the band's winding and ultimately engrossing vibe and most of the earworms on the record stick like glue.

Though some fans will no doubt be put off by the band's new direction, anything more than a cursory listen reveals that HEALTH haven't made some great leap into the pop void. Rather, they've more fully embraced something that was always inherent to their music in the first place.

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.

With Moths, Chairlift make a strong claim to being one of pop music's best songwriting teams, with the production and vocal chops to bring their compositions fully and vibrantly to life.

Yet despite sounding like an album that could have just as easily come out in 2009 as 2019, it's a testament to the timelessness of Power Chords' sound rather than an indication of its tedium.

Tomorrow's Hits sees the band honing the sound of last year's New Moon into a tight collection of pop-minded rock songs.

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.

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.

Tired of Tomorrow is both warm and cold, complex and straight to the point.

Virtually everything here, in its own edgy manner, points to light, hope and the endless possibility of the human spirit.

After 11 tracks of lewd, enlivened and indulgent riffage, it appears time hasn't rusted the swivel and swagger of Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme; Zipper Down finds the Eagles of Death Metal as greased up and ready to rock as ever.

Love Letters isn't the next move many expected from Metronomy following the astute pop of English Riviera, but it's a logical move and likely the best one possible for a band as imaginative, unconventional and talented as this one.

Is it less than the sum of its parts? Perhaps. However, it is an ambitious and interesting album that not only plugs the gap nicely between Tim Hecker and Oneohtrix Point Never albums but signals interesting things to come from Lopatin's SSTUDIOS series.

Often tawdry and occasionally remarkable, Damogen Furies is a scattershot release, but one that's definitely worth exploring.

The band have never been run of the mill, and their latest is no exception--it's definitely interesting. And really, that's Pussy's Dead's greatest strength: a fearless sense that evolution always trumps repeating yourself.

By daring to show a bit of personality, the Thermals continue to prove themselves in today's musical landscape.

While listening to Phèdre, one can do nothing but feel helpless in the face of nearly perfect pop experimentalism.

AlunaGeorge have done the impossible with Body Music: they've made the dynamic, progressive pop album we all hoped for.