With impressive growth, and while still operating within the genre's tight confines, Carnifex put the final nail in deathcore's coffin, giving it an appropriate sendoff.

Indicud won't work for everyone, but if you're a Cudi fan, this album finds him sounding better than he has in some time.

Where Donovan really soars is the quieter moments on the record.

Tend No Wounds sounds very much like a transitional record, one foot firmly planted in the tar pit of their sludge roots while the other steps forward into a more punk-influenced, high-energy hard rock mode, and this liminality leads to moments of awkwardness.

By pairing their well-honed blues rock temerity with genuine emotional weight, Spoon continue to wring new ideas out of classic sounds without veering into gimmick, staying consistent without getting stale. By slowly introducing the idea that it's cool to care, Spoon continue to expand their comfort zone.

Listening to Look to the East, Look to the West feels at once redemptive and healing; Camera Obscura have found their way through the dark.

Everything goes by at such a breathless pace and without much variation that for individual listening, it gets a bit draining at times.

While even Young's most autobiographical ("Old Man") and tender ("Harvest Moon") songs deliver a level of poetry and mystery to his plainly spoken lyrics, much of his folk material here is paired with often cheesy and typical phrasing. ... That said, at 76 years of age, Young is still making more shrewd, relevant, and valiant albums than any of his peers not named Bob Dylan.

It's not perfect – there's a spoken-word bit tacked on to the end that is less than satisfactory, but the lyrics aren't really the point here. This is a record that fills up a room and begs to be turned up loud.

Like any colourful kaleidoscope however, there's a lack of cohesion on this debut, as varying production clashes throughout the disorganized project. That's a minor quibble, though; if you look closely, and let the visuals clash and morph into something new, you'll still find plenty to wonder at.

For a solo debut, Serpentine Prison seems like a natural first step and a safe bet for both the artist's individual ambitions and the comfort of existing fans.

High Noon showcases Arkells' lofty ambitions, and while it might not be their defining record it's another intriguing step in their evolution.

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.

In its quiet drawl, Out of Touch is a perfect record for joining Kalevi on that beach: full of the foggy calm of letting the imagination run its own course.

While founders Jonathan Russell and Josiah Johnson do seem to come from the Simon & Garfunkel school of songcraft, an appreciation of California pop also comes out.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy remains the apex of West's maximalist visions, and while The Life of Pablo certainly aims high, it isn't as consistently pointed in delivering both music and message as its big-budget predecessor was. And yet, it remains a modern gospel that is undeniably West's own, with a handful of vexatious moments peppered throughout the undeniably visionary ones.

A Girl Cried Red takes you back in time to the nostalgia of your emo days.

Scis demonstrates that, 27 years into his recording career, Markus Popp is still managing to come off forward-thinking and forward-sounding.

While a slight step forward, Nocturne, like all of Wild Nothing's output to date, still inhales all of its influences--the women, the hurt, the favourite records stuck on late night repeat--and exhales them in to a beautiful, swirling, ethereal cloud.

With tiny flourishes, Ndegeocello injects new meaning into each song she covers.

The music is punchy, with electronic and analog elements, but, in contrast with Fucked Up, there is absolutely nothing abrasive about the vocals, which are sometimes dominated by beautiful harmonies, as the album's title suggests.

DJ Khaled knows how to produce a hit with any number of artists, but his 2019 effort could have used some more growth like Asahd.

“My Day Off” is an instant standout. .... Other songs on Still lack these creative frameworks and aren’t quite as successful in leaving an impression.

Universal Themes is still overwhelmingly heart-on-sleeve, human; if it's not universal in the specifics, then it is in the way it rawly depicts experience.

Like Funkadelic's 2014 comeback First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate, Medicaid Fraud Dogg is a sprawling listen, and a few tracks, like the tedious "On Fire" could have been trimmed.

Scruff's in his forties but the assured, mature Friendly Bacteria is the antithesis of a mid-life crisis.

Hypnotic Eye may just be a solid middle-of-the-pack release as far as Petty albums go, but only a fool would complain about having another 45 minutes of music from one of rock & roll's premier units.

An easy 12-track listen with smart, if not epic, storytelling and a variety of sounds.