It's a dynamic album, one so vibrant that listeners can easily envision themselves at the Barbican witnessing all the musicians mesh in the creation of something grand.

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

Where Darlings shows growth and change is in Drew's fine-tuning of his illustrious sound.

With smartly layered melodies and excellent vocalists, the band really isn't that far off from a parallel universe Lamb of God (if they were raised on Aborted), at least in theory. This is a huge compliment.

Whether that is especially important to Calder is another thing entirely, but regardless, Strange Dreams is an enviable platform for any musician to vault from.

Tape Loops is open and expansive, and finds Chris Walla leaving interpretation up to the listener. Is it sad? Zen? Contemplative? In any case, it's both a veiled and a starkly honest communication.

Grant's versatility makes Paradise an alluring locale that listeners will eagerly, and frequently, revisit.

If all of this sounds like it's a nostalgia kick for aging ravers, then that's because it is, but it's also just as relevant for this current generation of rug cutters. We now live in an era of constant throwbacks anyway, so Garave Vol.1 fits as snugly into 2017 as any other.

Music this nakedly derivative requires sharp pop instincts to be successful, and tracks like these prove that Chromeo are still able to create magic within their well-worn source material, even if they are retreading old ground.

In some ways, it feels like a more subdued, mostly instrumental version of Mess, one where they cycle through moods and shift textures but rarely heighten them beyond their initial parameters. Still: setting mood has always been one of Liars' strengths, even if 1/1 feels more like a curio than an essential part of the canon.

Baby Teeth's gentle delivery and textured production creates a world in which listeners have an opportunity for reflection, situating their own experiences within the band's storytelling.

There's some really great songwriting on the album and a handful of tracks worth adding to your daily rotation, but it viciously grabs your attention without being able to hold onto it for very long.

Simulcast is a shining and beautifully crafted album that reaffirms Hansen's hold atop of 21st century ambient electronic.

With Bodies, they sound lost without an identity. There's barely anything that's exciting or memorable, and when it surprises, it's only in the wrong ways. The band sounds about 30 years less experienced than they are.

Some of It Was True finds the Menzingers growing up, not too fast and not too slow.

Longtime fans should recognize Lady on the Cusp as a strong late-career addition to of Montreal's vast discography, mainly due to Barnes's larger-than-life persona. But you can only be the horniest freak at the party for so long before it starts to get old.

The Day is My Enemy is an embarrassing display that inevitably ends badly.

On The Ways We Separate, Beacon manage to craft one of the most compelling and authentic-sounding albums of the year, and all it took was the courage to cool it with the R&B part.

Each song is theatrically arranged with Craft belting like a Broadway star and the large band supporting his every word. The ebbs and flows become slightly predictable near the end of the album, but Craft does a terrific job of performing the songs, emoting and propelling his tales with vigour.

Drake aims to come out stronger, more focused and more righteous than ever. ... He goes hard at addressing his industry ops on Side A, and it's full of the effortlessly cut-throat Drake we've come to love. ... Drake gets all the way into his feelings on the second half of Scorpion.

Some of the tracks, like the first few ballads, feel a tad exhausted and perhaps a little clichéd, but that's the nature of Sia's universal, inclusive pop music, and on This is Acting, she approaches it in an intriguing way and performs it with gusto.

The result is an unpolished gem of spiritual ambiance.

Nine reeks of adolescence — and not in the goofy, humorous way of Blink-182's past, but in a cringe-y attempt at youthful angst. There are no slyly couched bits of wisdom, no life lessons learned between goof-ups and heartbreak, and it's altogether too earnest and self-serious to even be enjoyed as carefree fun. Blink-182 have always been intentionally juvenile, but in growing up and out of punk rock, they've never been more immature.

The only real disappointment here is that it arrives just as summer ends, because few albums have been better suited for beach life as this one.

Their Northwest hardcore sound may be derivative, but it represents the tendencies of its origins with convincing force, as their unrefined grunge tones and twangs almost make Subjective Concepts feel like an overlooked album from back in the day.

With 12 tracks and a run time of just 30 minutes, much of Tobacco's fourth solo LP almost sounds incomplete at times, but Fec somehow makes it work to his advantage.

Aureate Gloom is the point where grief becomes a search for light in creation, adventure and musical experimentation, making even Barnes' more experimental sonic forays sound urgent.

This record is crawling with too many hooks and good-time jams to quibble over guitar tone.