Skip the umpteenth "BMF" re-treads and the album's soggy R&B bottom quarter and there's much to savour.

This is Nguyen's strongest work yet, with the aforementioned songwriting taking a leap forward, while gradually perfecting her melting pot sound of country, folk and pop.

With Afraid of Heights, Williams has achieved a rare type of punk rock maximalism, crafting a massive, buzzy record on his terms.

Not every song on the record lives up to the anthemic nature promised in the title, but there are certainly moments of triumphant redemption and plenty of nostalgic nods to fulfill fans' understandably high expectations.

It comes in flashes, and then it's back to a sort of dull, flat affect.

The usual Jeezy tropes of hustling and encouraging others to also hustle haven't gone anywhere — the rote "Been Getting Money (featuring Akon)" could be plopped on any Jeezy album and no one would notice--but there's a heap of real-life wisdom here, too.

Dig deeper into Heroes and you might find a newfound respect for the aging outlaw.

It's not time to write Porcelain Raft off, but Remiddi needs to bring more ideas to LP number three.

As an original whole, Art Official Age is Prince's most complete, most consistent and most contemporary album in a minute.

The minor tunings work and, as a result, Nobody Realizes gives Terry Malts the added depth some may have felt was missing.

Although Köhncke may have released stronger singles in the past, Justus Köhncke & the Wonderful Frequency Band stands as his most all-around complete full-length to date.

Mungodelics remains an uneven effort in design alone, promptly adding another layer of mystery to this hard-to-pin-down duo.

The improv pieces are purposefully positioned so that the Unsemble seemingly upset their own composure, like a film reel that's become stuck: it distorts slowly, then bubbles feverishly until it finally melts away.

A sense of glee infuses every weird noise and sludgy riff.

It's more fun than 2010's Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, but with a slightly less lurid and lingering "oomph" than classic Cradle of Filth.

On the businesslike Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy, Rocky and his acolytes convene for a rundown of trends worth exploiting; as such, it often sounds like a Migos album as interpreted by 16 clueless New Yorkers.

Sleep On the Wing finds comfort in discomfort. The emotions expressed are not completely happy but there is also the sense that listeners can make peace with this.

This isn't going to be one of the classic Slayer albums, but there's still plenty of good thrash to be found on Repentless.

A bold, far-reaching and determined work that continues Brock's journey creating music both accessible and eccentric.

Thought Gang is for lovers of non-expositional storytelling, crude mystery, lipstick-red esoteric jazz, and noise.

Exo would appeal to fans of the aforementioned Amon Tobin and, at times, Exo is also evocative of Plaid, or even Aphex Twin in the midst of his most acidy madness.

With gale force drive and buffeting rhythms, Winter Kills is as entertaining as it is carnivorous.

You can tell he genuinely attempted to deliver a well-rounded record. However, there's not enough innovation to interest casual fans in the project.

The grimness of the lyrics works, and for fans of HEALTH and their style this is a worthwhile listen.

The lower your expectations, the better it will seem.

There are mere days until the autumnal equinox, make sure you spend them listening to Lookout Low — the album of the summer you didn't know you were missing — with a loved one.

Melding pensive acoustic picking with sweeping synths and barely there rhythms, Raül Refree helps Lee Ranaldo sound daring, fearless and downright experimental again on Names of North End Women.

While musically, the tracks can sometimes bleed into each other, sounding perhaps too similar, this album is meant to be consumed in order as a whole. Birdie sets a solid foundation for Slaughter Beach, Dog's future.