There is plenty to enjoy here, though many of his long-time fans will be hoping for a return to the bigger picture next time out.

Versing have an aptitude for taking the familiar sounds of earlier genres and developing them into something fresh. 10000 is bold and jarring when it needs to be, filling space with ubiquitous noise and melody.

A committed listen to O'Rourke's latest iteration reveals the piece to be understatedly eloquent, its movements and progressions restrained yet effective.

DJ Shadow's solid fifth LP shows that he still has the chops to cut a good record when he's not doing a complete gear change (The Outsider) and then turning down the wrong road at full speed (The Less You Know, the Better).

Commonwealth offers a little something for everyone, no matter what you're looking for.

GEMS' only shortcoming are their occasionally cheesy, melodramatic lyrics, and when Usher's intermittent vocal contributions sound like tired grumbles, working against GEMS' aesthetic and Pitts stylized vocal tendencies. Otherwise, Kill The One You Love is an undeniable success.

As the artist has noted himself, Boyd has finally stepped out of his label as a jazz musician to embrace himself as a producer who also plays jazz.

Not everything lands with the same emphasis as the album's opening moments, but there are enough quality moments across ten tracks--how "Lois Lane" frames the horrors of the "over 30 singles night" at its chorus, the disco drive of "Glimpse of Love," the mid-song sax run of "Feel the Love Go"--to suggest this transformation in sound has yet to reach its peak.

The record is much more interested in problems than problem-solving, and that's what marks its maturity.

Vile could have chopped most of these songs in half and they would have worked just fine, but the overall effect wouldn't have been so blissfully druggy.

One of the only things missing from the album is flow between tracks. Songs hit a satisfying ending, but then fade out and move to a track that doesn't connect to what the listener just heard.

The record's quieter moments give a welcome reprieve from the extended jamming, with "Right On Time," "Heart Full of Scars" and the slow-burning "Swamp Dog" giving the record some welcome balance.

Long-time listeners will revel in the subtle sonic shifts but the rest of us are still waiting for the band to make that major artistic breakthrough we know they're capable of.

Filled mostly with retro-cheese instrumentals with a smattering of blue-eyed vocal performances, Weird Drift explores the stranger aspects of love and devotion.

Ultimately, Something to Tell You rests uncomfortably between the retro California pop sound HAIM pulled off so perfectly on album number one and experimentation that reaches a little too far into a cartoonish computerized concept of the future.

Although Sunshine Kitty could be shaved down a bit, this album feels like the first time Tove Lo is really situating herself on her own ground. It's sexy, raw, and honest — but above all, Sunshine Kitty is just really good dance music. Essentially, every song on this album would bring anyone to their feet.

To put it into perspective, if By the Hedges was Minks channelling Joy Division, Tides End is more New Order ("Doomed and Cool," quite literally), in both its disposition and potentail to reach a wider audience.

The best of this record comes early, with opening tracks "Burn Baby," "Fighting the Crave" and "Proto Prototype." ... Scatter the Rats falters as it gets closer to its middle. ... The record picks back up in earnest with some of the final tracks.

Lest this all start to sound like homework, Rooting for Love has a glossy surface layer that’s as seductive as any dance floor banger — even brainiacs need rapture from time to time.

Though some may find the metal might tiresome over Periphery III's hour-plus runtime, the drive to keep exploring outside of their stylistic box continues to be crucial to their success.

Throughout the record, Romano truly embraces mysticism in his lyrics, and throws the idea of form and structure out to sea. It can be overwrought at times, as Romano stretches the seams of certain songs with oft impenetrable lyrics and perhaps a surplus of instrumentation.

The production values mean that, even though Powers' reverent anthems aren't a huge departure from what he's done in the past, the results have added gravitas.

The Kills' fifth studio album might not bring anything particularly new and groundbreaking to their discography, but it certainly won't disappoint fans.

On Hot Hot Heat, the quartet jettison stylistic pretensions altogether in order to write their best batch of songs in a decade. There's a sense of nostalgia that permeates these ten tracks.

The tracks contained on Filo Loves the Acid are altogether enjoyable rhythmic excursions for fans of both Dozzy and acid techno alike to listen and dance along to.

Opting to work with four different producers led the band to a wide variety of sounds on Morning Report, and while that will be a sticking point for some listeners, the record shows they're far from content in solely making plays towards accessibility.

This project, as conceived by the artist, wraps itself in an Afro-futurist stance, an approach to neo-soul that feels right at home played next to the sounds of FKA twigs or Solange. But Sudan Archives still has room to grow while she defines her sound.

The results are sporadic and schizophrenic, in the sense that it's hard to pinpoint a solid foundation within the album, and easy to get lost in its infectious melodies.