As a debut, it's undeniably a solid effort, although one that might be lacking in memorable surprises. It never reaches the highs of their hypnotic sets, but it's certainly a worthwhile listen nonetheless.

Tonality and instrumentation aside, the overture of All The Right Noises is subtle, reserved and warm.

Aloha is a pleasant-enough sounding slice of raspy-sounding soul with enough genuine emotion to spare.

His puns about denial v. the Nile river, or his boasts about being like Mother Goose, land with laughable thuds (though perhaps that's this fun-loving MC's intent?). But Uzi nimbly switches from relatedly lovelorn speak-singing on "Bust Me" to rugged, speedy punch line powerhouse on the very next track, "Prices." That transition is merely one of the energetic and unpredictable performative tricks Uzi pulls off on this stadium sized LP.

This rejection (of prettiness, of palatability) is part of her mission statement, although moments from her catalogue where she allows herself to abandon it ever so slightly — "Don't Go Putting Wishes in My Head" from 2021's Thirstier — feel like the true window into the boundlessness of her artistry.

Origin of the Alimonies is an opera, complete with three acts, an overture and an interlude. Sonically, it picks up on past Liturgy motifs: minimalism, black metal, classical music and electronic beats. The scope and scale, however, is incredibly vast.

It captures the sense of being not here, and not there, but somewhere pleasantly ambiguous — a Land of No Junction, indeed.

Texas Sun is a cool side project that is able to exist on its own without the pressures that critical acclaim has brought to both artists.

Loud Patterns is an overtly ambitious first album, which fittingly captures Molleson's "difficult to define" approach.

It's a more focused effort than scattered 2014 solo debut Everyday Robots and more delicate than the bulk of his back catalogue, but Albarn's still drawing outside the lines.

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.

There's room for improvement for the melodies and beats, even though the subtle instrumentals help amplify Cozz's voice and his champion storytelling.

If Noname has one glaring weakness, it's a tendency to ramble without ever seeing the need to switch up her rat-tat-tat triplet flow. She does, though, have the rumpled, mellower-than-thou swagger to pull it off, and why complain when Room 25 is the prettiest rap record to come along in months?

Broken Knowz does hit a few snags, with some tracks pushing the six-to-eight-minute mark and remaining pretty much static throughout (single "Knowledge of Selfie" comes to mind, the eight-and-a-half-minute track perhaps mirroring the constant repetition in our self obsession), but its shorter, more contained tracks override and stand out, showcasing what Daniel has to offer.

Though drumming on tracks like "make it right." and "hypnotized" occasionally overpower the songwriting, the songs are redeemed by Garbus' vocal wizardry. In the verses, she meanders all over the scale in an offhand way, but dishes out a cathartic climax of soaring harmonies that make for some epic choruses.

For all its focus on breakups, love very much appears on the record. "How Did You Know?" uses light and layered synths to create air on the album and explore the feeling of hope found in a new love."

It's that intoxicating blend of late night, tripped-out electronics and melodic psych that is featured prominently on Shine Your Light, and it's a notable improvement.

Banana Skin Shoes is classic Badly Drawn Boy: Eclectic songs held together by heartfelt lyrics and rich instrumentation. The only thing that's changed is Gough has proved he can dance.

Layers is a great step forward, a glowing promise on his next album, his ambitions will be fully realized.

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

so sad so sexy is an unusual blend of pop and R&B inspiration, but it's not a memorable album. Lykke Li scratches the bare surface of the talent she possesses, making you wish there was just a little more ener

It's certainly not going to produce the next "Viceroy" or "Chamber of Reflection," but it's an exceedingly pleasant listen — the kind of thing that's the perfect soundtrack for working and studying, or to make chores a little more tolerable.

NO certainly caters to longtime fans, especially ones who rather be pummeled with noise instead of pulled into new realms, which may disappoint fans of their more experimental songs. But their cacophony continues to provide comfort, especially in these strange times.

Although its runtime of 16 tracks and 67 minute means that a portion of Q36 dips in energy, Rentals fans will no doubt count Sharp's latest outing as a ambitious, astute and listenable achievement.

This Too Shall Light is Amy Helm's second album outside of her group Ollabelle, proving further that risks pay off when you put your soul into it, and even within the unfamiliar, there is always light.

Perhaps its biggest fault is being a good album that's just not as strong as the other two in .Paak's "Golden State" series.

Budden's raw energy and experience enriche otherwise throwaway pop, even when saccharine hooks (Kirko Bangz) and amphibian croaks (Lil Wayne) threaten to cheapen it.

Like the best of old-school R&B, - Ugh, those feels again has a heavy hip-hop influence and an aura of feel-good innocence throughout, even on darker songs like "Love Like That" and the infectious, call-and-response number "Nothing to Me."