Most of the risks he takes on Criminal pay off, and the record is among his most confident statements as an artist.

Drawing as much from their past as well as their present, Mastodon refuse to go extinct just shy of two decades of music-making. Emperor of Sand is at once emotionally powerful and musically arresting.

Ware has never sounded more loose and confident — the icy diva that presided over much of Devotion is gone. Despite the flirtatious, non-specific lyrics — Ware said she wanted to make an album for people to have sex to — there's a better sense of her personality and humour this time around.

Hard Boiled Soft Boiled hits all the right notes while whetting the appetite for whatever Odonis Odonis have in store next. For now, you'd be hard pressed to imagine a better follow up to the band's debut.

Clockwork Angels sounds as mighty as its concept, with the well-balanced interaction amongst Lee, Lifeson and Peart.

Thug really makes the most out of the seven notes he has. It's impossible to hear him get all guttural on "Harambe" and not feel it in your stomach.

It is the best electronic extrapolation of the beauty and subtlety of one of the world's great rhythm nations since Bill Laswell's Imaginary Cuba almost 15 years ago.

SAULT carry on commenting about those still-relevant issues with vivid lyrics about injustice wrapped in captivating rhythms.

The vocals on Unfollow the Rules are unmistakably Wainwright's — remarkably indistinguishable from his younger voice. With the strong drumbeat on the opening track, "Trouble in Paradise," it also becomes apparent that this album possesses some spark: if it represents coming home at dusk, then it is not without fireworks.

Reflecting on their shared experiences in the rural landscaping of the South Central states, Pedigo helps the band break out beyond the confines of their genre, sawing through the crust to bask in the heat of a molten core.

If Every Time I Die's consistency hasn't impressed you these past few LPs, Buckley's bout of unbridled emotion on Low Teens certainly should.

Steam Days should finally break Fake free of Boards of Canada's imposing shadow. Fake is for real.

Tividad's sun-kissed vocals, on top of the slow, dreamy instrumentals all over What Chaos Is Imaginary, makes the record feel cinematic. The drone-like voice complementing the vibration of heavy buzzing bass will make you slip in and out of reality.

Many of us are still absorbing last year's mighty Providence LP, along with the accompanying remix EPs, but Sunder adds even more water to the sponge, serving as yet another reminder that Fake never fails to amaze--even when he's recording on the fly.

Sulphur English is an extremely meditative album that requires further listens to appreciate everything that it does, one of those rare musical experiences one can have with a metal record, and it's not to be missed.

It doesn’t just sound like wild west Americana — it feels that way, drawn from a life’s worth of experience and adoration of the genre. It’s the album that Segarra’s been building toward since they first picked up a guitar.

On Constant Image, Flasher speaks to the realities of gentrification, self-discovery and escapism.

Melvins Lite at once bring the noise to more mature ears and reignite the fan fervour that petered out around 1996's Stag.

Bilal finds an excellent match in Adrian Younge for the type of musical exploration he's embraced with his more recent output here, and In Another Life offers yet another example of Mr. Oliver's incredible range.

The majority of these beats hit to hurt, and though the emotional Future that listeners have come to know through past cuts "Throw Away" and "My Savages" has been dialled back, the honesty and vulnerability come through when it counts.

She is loud and thoughtful. The melodies are flirty and messy. Fake It Flowers is an album made to play with guts and grit. At such a young age, Kristi knows herself extremely well, yet is mindful enough to give up only so much of herself to this strong collection of songs.

FOREVER sees Charly Bliss firmly planting roots for themselves within the pop sphere with a sense of purpose and playful, joyous intention that even well-seasoned pop bands struggle to do.

Do Easy, the album, makes the magical mundane, and vice-versa.

While White Jesus Black Problems is certainly an album that prompts further discovery of its deeper layers, it is also liberating in its musical profundity.

Whitmore pulls off a wonderful feat with Radium Death, creating a record that reads like classic Whitmore, but sounds like something gloriously new.

Spirit is a satisfying addition to Rhye's growing discography. While the mystery is long gone when it comes to what and who Rhye are and stand for, the passion and striving for genreless perfection remains.

he Wainwright Sisters' voices blend together perfectly, and the melodies here are calming--almost too much so. A close listen to the lyrics, though, reveals the darker side of bedtime stories.

With heavy doses of Mellotron, downtempo breakbeats, electric piano, fuzzy guitars, family and fortitude, And Those Who Were Seen Dancing demands to be heard and felt.