Seeds strikes the perfect balance, as Madlib's thickly layered funk and soul samples and cabinet rocking beats pair with Muldrow's gloriously off-kilter vocals and free-form song structures to make this her most satisfying release to date.

There's a pastoral feel to the album — the band recorded it all in an epic ten day session at a studio in the Welsh countryside, and you can hear that region's influence in everything here. It sounds wide open and unencumbered, full but never cluttered or dense.

Letters Home gives something to write home about, bringing to mind Have Heart's swansong, Songs to Scream at the Sun, while simultaneously containing Defeater's best material to date.

Kannon is Sunn O)))'s most sparse offering in years, but the experiment in meditative metal minimalism is more than capable of shooting listeners towards a higher plane of consciousness.

Ego Death frees the Internet from Odd Future connotations and R&B norms; it's their best work yet.

The 67-minute album features 25 remarkably accessible tracks.

At its best it's far closer to the sort of comeback album that reminds listeners why they loved the music in the first place, instead of the hollow nostalgia of past glories.

This is yet another great Punch Brothers album.

Tonality and instrumentation aside, the overture of All The Right Noises is subtle, reserved and warm.

Crenshaw is a deeply funky jazz record with a sensibility that incorporates the best of this L.A. neighbourhood's long fascination with hip-hop and R&B. It captures the full breadth of the region's rich musical history. ... This is, at the very least, the record of the summer. For some, it might just be the record of 2017.

With classically trained vocals, storytelling swagger and a knack for melodic invention, Lost & Found serves as both introduction and foundation. The debut offering is laden with contradictions: feels safe yet edgy, simple yet complex, ambitious yet relaxed.

Girl Friday doesn't allow you to consume their music conveniently; you have to recognize the group of people who made it. They speak bluntly, demand respect, equity, and play a ton of enjoyable music.

Almost every song is worthy of inclusion.

From her visceral chemistry with her collaborators to their razor-sharp take on Americana and — above all — Price's deeply personal lyricism, there are plenty of elements that make That's How Rumors Get Started one of the year's strongest country releases.

It is emotional, redemptive and leaves an indelible mark on the listener. Andrews provides a raw, honest and unflinching look in the mirror of a failed relationship and finds herself; it's a story as old as time, but somehow told more achingly beautiful here.

A pleasant float into the blue of Allison's mind. It's a safe and comfortable journey, but you might find yourself dreaming of bigger adventures.

Though the sonic explorations undermine the album's overall cohesiveness, Crush remains a shining example of Shepherd's growth as an artist, and his willingness to push boundaries well into his career.

The album's strongest asset is its sense of emotion that bleeds through, especially on guitar solos, in impressive contrast to the always-brutal breakdowns.

The Mael brothers also manage to keep listeners enthralled by freely jumping between modes, moving between jaunty piano songs ("Missionary Position"), cascading layered guitar burners ("Unaware") and clever melodies and bridges ("Giddy, Giddy").

Ultraviolet is indebted to the charm of the natural world, but with it, Moran unlocks dazzling new ones in the process, keys jammed firmly between the strings of her instrument.

Why Make Sense? is a consistently engaging album by a band that has successfully reinvigorated their sound.

Your Queen Is A Reptile, is 55 minutes of ecstatic insurgency.

Goldenheart functions as a hypnotic aural distraction, but little more.

Mangy Love sounds like a collaborative affair from an artist who has the keen ability to keep his musical identity sounding completely idiosyncratic.

This album feels like they need to take another walk in the trees to reconnect with their namesake.

Ohio native sons MHz (Copywrite, the late Camu Tao, Tage Future, Jakki Da Motamouth and producer RJD2) have finally released their long-overdue debut album, MHz Legacy, and it doesn't disappoint.

Time & Space is Turnstile taking what worked from their prior material and seasoning it with a modern, diverse zest.

If The Lost Boy was the new wave rapper's most substantial test of talent and longevity, YBN Cordae passed with flying colours.