There's enough variety mixed in to keep the instrumentals fresh, with luxurious string passages, warm organ swells, overdriven guitar riffs, some harmonica and even a fuzzed-out synth tone.

Between their unflagging energy and brilliant execution, Inter Arma have produced a stellar album that will remain memorable.

As a whole, Food is a delight and represents adventurous R&B with bite.

Abasi's unique thump technique gives needed life to passages other technical players would simply pick their way through, as Reyes and drummer Matt Garstka lock in to drive these sputtering rhythms home with power and proficiency.

On What's Your Sign?, Oneida and Rhys Chatham show that sometimes the most obvious collaborations are the ones that end up surprising you the most.

Cruel Country also contains some of the band's most awe-inspiring music, especially in the album's middle.

While Farm to Table isn't quite the classic that he surely has in him, we should consider ourselves fortunate that Bartees is in it for the long haul.

On All at Once, Screaming Females possess an undiluted vision and seem to execute it flawlessly--and most significantly, without peer.

This beautiful collection is a fitting tribute.

This ability to stretch a unique sonic sensibility in many different emotional directions is what heightens this collection of songs so that it's an experience unto itself. It's an engaging listen that demands persistent exploration.

What Only Up suggests at its core is an opportunity to unite Toronto's hitherto fragmented music scene; rave music, hip-hop and bands can coexist, rebuild the scene anew and have a hell of a good time doing it.

While casual listeners may find this humour flippant, given the topics explored on Miami Memory, closer listens reveal a mature and surprisingly au courant album that grapples with complex social issues in a commendably fearless way.

Despite the disparate styles and messages, there's a seamlessness to the record that can only be credited to Aitchison and frequent collaborator and executive producer A.G. Cook's deft songwriting and production. They've created an Event Pop Record with purpose, pointing the way forward while positioning Aitchison as a pop artist with something to say.

Throughout Free Will, Webb sounds calm and inviting, having seemingly settled into his mid-30s. It suits him incredibly well.

There is eloquence to this anguish, and it is an awful and lovely thing.

Their sound is hypnotic and abstract, as though they're disassembling and reassembling songs and sounds as they go — and the result is a quietly, dreamily thrilling listening experience.

This oscillation between seemingly lighter fare and rich, full-bodied tracks ("Hope" and "A Thousand Skies Under Cepheus' Erudite Eyes," for example) is jarring at first, especially in lieu of any buffer or transition, but ultimately establishes itself as a winning characteristic of A Thousand Skies.

The dynamics are top notch, shifting masterfully from a melodic tone to a heavy, empowered voice.

Perhacs' stellar melodies are bolstered by excellent musicianship throughout, like Cline's watercolour-like guitar work at the end of "Winds of the Sky," and Leddie Garcia's tumbling percussion on "The Dancer."

Ultimately, Shake carves out poetic tranquility in the entropy of her messy relationship, showing her audience the art of Modus Vivendi — or the peaceful coexistence of conflicting forces.

With exciting production that features his usual cast of ATL tastemakers who are (in some cases) paired with surprising co-producers like Jake One and !llmind, Future has crafted an opus full of bangers.

Automata I cherry-picks from some of the best elements of previous Between the Buried and Me records, while injecting their masterful sense of musicianship and structure.

Anyone who can get past the timid first impression will find plenty of fascinating layers and beautiful music to love on Loom.

Credit Conway for cranking out a smartly written collection of street rap and not stretching too far out of his zone just because he's now on Eminem's label.

Restorations have left everything on the table with LP3, and the enormity of their vision as a rock band has largely been realized.

The result is one of 2014's tightest releases.

Fortitude is an album that takes a few listens to fully wrap one's head around, and there's no denying just how much there is to be heard in these 11 versatile tracks. If there was any doubt still about Gojira's potential, Fortitude proves unequivocally that the band are MVPs of modern metal.

Moving forward from that meandering pace [on 2016's Thought Rock Fish Scale], I'm Bad Now finds Nap Eyes picking up their feet a bit, without sacrificing the subtle psychedelia that makes their songs so enticing.