While the tracks on Hill's End never stray too far from the sound evident in the first few notes of the beginning track, they never feel repetitive.

For all its fear and itching paranoia, PAINLESS is a buzzing thrill.

McGuire's reputation doesn't need any further solidification at this point, but Beyond Belief is another worthy instalment in his hugely respectable catalogue.

This young Australian singer-songwriter made a real mark with her 2016 debut, Don't Let The Kids Win, and subsequent international touring, and this compelling album sets the bar higher.

Melee is loaded front to back with depressive episodes manifested in the mosh pit. ... Yet, by the end of the album, all the words have been chanted, all the guitars have stopped shrieking, all the cymbals have stopped crashing and all energy has been exhausted. That's when a rich, lush string orchestra takes over, capping the whole thing with a sort of post-credits epilogue. It's like a calm sea after a thunderstorm.

The resemblance between J.D. Wilkes and the Legendary Shack Shakers is presumed, but Wilkes fixes his mistakes in After You've Gone with Fire Dream.

Minor evolutions aside, there's not a whole lot to set 7 apart from the six albums that preceded it, making it easy to see this as just another Beach House album. Don't take them for granted, since it's hard to think of another band that has delivered so reliably for this long.

Even the bangers on Brandon Banks are thoughtful. ... All that thematic ambition, along with the minimalist yet catchy instrumentals and Kream's unfussy, but deceptively thoughtful lyrics, make Brandon Banks the breakout debut of the summer.

On their fifth release, Simian Mobile Disco's dedication to challenging their tried-and-true formula has found them coming off looser and more resourceful than ever.

Jenkins' winding writing is cerebral and referential, nearly every song capable of opening a Wikipedia rabbit hole. However, much like Norwegian art-pop virtuoso Jenny Hval, she works wonders in the place between heart and mind; her intellectualism is never overbearing, instead revealing a dedication to explaining the unexplainable.

Think of Mist feels airy and accessible, even as Paas quietly presents herself as one of our most slyly provocative musical theorists working today.

It is an album dense with meaning, with excellent, full-throated singing, tempered guitar playing, and an elusive, decorative prettiness.

Packed with tight hooks, this record adds plenty of new songs to Operators' repertoire that are sure to keep the crowds dancing late into the night.

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

Sirens is by far the most personal album Kevin Richard Martin has ever made.

The seven songs that make up The Times are stark and haunting.

With an album-long theme revolving around the ascent of an alien who joins forces with natives to save the world, Antibalas seem more than ready to push themselves to another musical level with Where the Gods Are in Peace.

There's vitality peppered throughout here, offering enough hope to momentarily forget the despair, as melodies lift the listener briefly before crashing you back down. This mercurial nature makes Arms Around A Vision a beguiling listen, one that's strangely difficult to stop listening to.

The compositions here are solid, but it's sonically where Vessel holds his own. In that regard, Punish, Honey is close to perfection.

It's an important record because it does dig so deeply into the tradition of folk music, as many records in black metal are tending to do. It digs into the sounds celebrated in days of old, and is the perfect addition to your collection.

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.

This thing may not have a commercial sound, but it is unequivocally memorable.

Wild! Wild! Wild! was a spontaneous, live-off-the-floor recording, with some enthusiastic chatter left in after "It Came From the South" that points to the relaxed, fun vibe. But while it's tempting to say it's a rock'n'roll album about continuing to rebel as you get older, it's also a love letter to all the music Lewis grew up with.

On Infinite Moment, the Field proves that he's such a master of his craft that he can generate the same excitement from briefly moving outside the box as he can revelling back inside it.

Mended With Gold, is a satisfyingly anthemic work wrapped around a highly emotional core that is distinctively--and eternally--theirs.

It's the best album the Who have released since Who Are You in 1978.

On Cupid's Head, the Field demonstrates his expert ability to move forward with his craft while still retaining his signature voice.

A welcome late-career gem.