Unraveling is cut from a richer, darker cloth than their earlier works, making it a bold departure and a tense new direction well worth exploring.

Man Machine Poem is the Tragically Hip's most cohesive release since at least Music @ Work.

Wall falls on the folky side of the Americana divide, generally, and fans of Townes Van Zandt (whom he covers here) will be well served for sure. But there're some nods to Jerry Jeff Walker, David Allen Coe and others in the shambling troubadour tradition scattered throughout the record, a rare, confident, and remarkable debut from a talented newcomer.

Alvvays' music might not be particularly timely, but great songwriting never goes out of style.

Poppy Ackroyd chooses to move at a efficiently percussive pace throughout (best highlighted by the fertile and aptly-named "Time"), giving the album a post-modern atmosphere rarely explored on many classical-inspired albums, making Resolve an album hard to pin down and hard to categorize, but easy to adore.

Parallel Universe Blues is a dreamy, laidback record made for easy listening. It's a great album with a step up in its production. It would be more interesting for Quever to do something a little bit different this time around, but staying true to your roots isn't a bad thing.

It's not that Sneaks' music doesn't take itself seriously, but each song is so well-crafted that it lacks the self-consciousness that could weigh a project like Highway Hypnosis down.

Overall, the songs on record two are smarter, punchier and catchier than the ones the first time around. How Do You Love? is summer pop punk at its finest, music that can no doubt soundtrack the rest of your summer.

Donoghue and Holland continue to be unmoved by the larger cultural forces around them, producing a record that doubles down on their best and, at times, worst impulses.

Instead of collapsing under any pressures with his new band, Mercer enthusiastically pushes back with this album, shrugging off any doubt that he is done reinventing himself as an artist.

Babcock strikes the perfect blend of distress and condemnation in his vocal delivery, expressing righteous indignation at these lived realities.

Rose Mountain could be the album that finally brings these hardworking punkers to a wider audience after nearly a decade of existence, and it would be well deserved.

It's clear that the death of his good friend and musical partner affects Kode9 on a deep level, making Nothing one of the most honest and emotionally challenging electronic releases in recent memory.

What Went Down shows Foals coming into their own and excelling at blending the styles they have explored over previous records to create a varied and textured offering that will add depth to their high-energy live shows.

More Light is not only an all-encompassing trip that shows everything they're capable of, but also the best album they've made since 2000's XTRMNTR.

Ital Tek hasn't completely abandoned his beat-heavy sound, Bodied stands as a brave and inventive direction--something that sounds slightly familiar but even more alien.

Political music only works with a strong point of view, which MUNA lack on this record. That said, it has at least a couple niche hits to round out summer playlists and Pride party sets. Even without the depth, MUNA know how to please a crowd — but the impression is fleeting.

The cleaner sound of Water on Mars introduces a newfound confidence to the music of Purling Hiss and it's certainly a welcome direction.

The handful of breaks from his patented gutter raps aren't enough to compensate for the monotony in his dozen interchangeable guns-and-butter records.

At times Williams nearly overdoes it--he's transformed Billy Fury's "I'm Lost Without You" into an oddly sepia-toned, sweeping string arrangement--but ultimately, it's for the better that he takes these chances.

For a solo debut, Serpentine Prison seems like a natural first step and a safe bet for both the artist's individual ambitions and the comfort of existing fans.

The sonic clarity is improved somewhat, but it's still messy as hell, meaning that Say Yes to Love sounds more like another demo than a proper album.

As a group that have faced their growing pains together, Slow Pulp strike the perfect balance between soft, thoughtful and loud on Yard. Tangled up in nervousness about being either too selfish or too self-pitying, the band finds a way to wring out the drab fabric of discomfort until a bit of beauty trickles out.

On Last Place, the band returns to the same well again, and while there is enough here to sustain some nostalgia, that well seems drier than ever before.

Why Love Now shows Pissed Jeans' songwriting reaching new peaks of awareness and focus, all the while remaining true to their brand of dissonant punk.

As compositionally complex as Eremita is, it's the hunger of the album--the elemental and animal simplicity of the tone--that gives it strength.

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.

Taken together, Butterfly feels less like a fusion of Daphni and Caribou, and more like an uninhibited manifestation of Snaith's ever-changing tastes and proclivities.