It's rare for an artist to actually match a sound with their name (see Steely Dan for how not to do it), but with Talent, Pena has done just that by creating music that flutters to a perfect, heavenly beat.

Drama is softened by sincerity on the record, as NAO finds balance in the wake of chaos.

Dionysus sounds both ancient and contemporary at the same time, and there are not many groups that can show so much reverence for ancient traditions from a modern music perspective. Their eclectic approach to songwriting goes far beyond contemporary music genres, and that is ultimately the record's biggest asset.

Beerbongs & Bentleys contains banger after banger; it's an incredible drug-induced album.

The Siren's Song is another compelling chapter in what looks increasingly likely to be the long story of Kacy & Clayton's career.

In an uncertain era, signposted with fallen heroes, Revolution Come…Revolution Go is a comforting, potent affirmation that Gov't Mule will continue to flourish.

Deeply personal yet accessible slice of soul music.

New Me, Same Us is an apt title for this introspective and revitalizing work.

The band members proving that they are lifers at this kind of punk provocation.

This is tough-talking, hard-living stuff, but it's been infused with a welcome dose of 21st century sexual politics.

At a tight nine tracks, any fat that needs trimming from Motorheart is easily digested. This one runs smooth.

Altin Gün don't reinvent the wheel so much as craft a sick new set of rims. They do their thing like nobody else, and they're always getting better at it — Aşk gives you everything you want, and you'll still want more.

While not as immediate as its predecessor, Void solidifies KEN Mode as one of Canada's most important heavy acts, a band that doesn't just rely on brute force to affect its audience.

Recorded with Mike Sapone of both Brand New and Taking Back Sunday fame, the album has a lot in common with the former's Deja Entendu. It's also another fierce entry in the more recent catalogue of young and earnest bands like the Hotelier and Modern Baseball who are pushing a similar message of hope in the midst of struggle.

It's the raw and relentless aggression of Reach Beyond the Sun as a whole that makes it worth the listen.

On Pray for Haiti, he has successfully stayed true to his roots while offering unique yet less obtuse content.

Rather than sticking with what worked before, Modern Baseball's two songwriters have pushed the band forward here, keeping their music in line with their rapidly maturing outlook.

This is an assured return.

The record smartly connects sound with weight and movement without ever having to coerce the listener with heavy guitars or mountains of feedback.

Panic Stations is an easy and enjoyable listen, with all of the energy and dynamism that fans have come to love and expect from Motion City Soundtrack.

Condensing her struggles into meditative lyrics and singing from the perspective of fictional characters, this is a jazz project in its purest and most unadulterated form, and a very solid start to Ndegeocello's tenure at Blue Note.

No wonder the Man In Black himself recruited Neilson and her fellow musician relatives to be his opening act back in the day — she proved then, as she does on CHICKABOOM!, to be a worthy successor to the Sun Record sound.

Even though the subjects may not be sung about with as much grit as they once were, they are certainly darker than the pop genre that's entrapped the artist in recent years.

If You're Dreaming showcases Burch's ability to communicate a wide range of feelings through her music, from the sultry melancholy of "Jacket" to the tender reassurance of album closer "Here With You." This record is perfect for closing your eyes and retreating inwards, letting Burch's dreamy melodies guide you through some afternoon introspection.

Freakout/Release tugs on the bare threads of the moth-eaten sweater of our collective conscience while leaving us dope beats to step to and good thoughts in our heads. You can practically feel the cumulative effect of Joe Goddard microdosing mushrooms, opening the window of perception a tiny crack to let some fresh air in each day. Depression has rarely sounded breezier.

In many ways, Sweet Heart is the most complete Spiritualized album yet.

The fact that the album kinda sounds like so many things, very few of them usually adjacent to the genre, sits at the crux of the album's aspiration. Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is a critical reminder to card-carrying loyalists and new inductees alike of their own agency; that it's potentially revelatory, not sacrilegious, for the spectrum of black metal to include things outside of its purview.

By separating his musical personalities into two neat piles, Deacon stopped short of creating a truly epic record. We'll have to settle for just a pretty great one instead.