Queen of Golden Dogs is more than a collection of novel (or classical) ideas, as much as it's a assembly of gorgeously written and expertly arranged musical concepts, showing Vessel making some of the most clear-eyed art of his career.

They manage to balance quieter, more serene moments with bombast and wildness, ending the album with the two longest tracks on the album.

Finn was able to dial the swagger back for Faith In The Future and replace it with nuance, subtlety; sonically, it allows him room to breathe, to let new characters and stories thrive in softer moments.

While Teitelbaum's vocals occasionally teeter on nonchalance or disaffection, she knows how to balance these quieter moments with bursts of passion, making them strike even harder.

Overall, Hairball lacks some of the subtlety found in their previous work, but it's still an engaging listen from start to finish.

There is certainly an urgency here; a difficult album to ignore.

Though Alcest have left the majority of their metal signifiers behind, they've discovered another kind of heaviness via gorgeous, shimmering melodies.

The cohesion the album does offer is its seamless passage to club land, its capacity to get the listener up and moving, and its ability to surprise.

Portal are a band that never break character and Vexovoid is their fourth full-length release (along with two demos and two EPs), continuing their well-established theme of creating deep feelings of dread, alienation and confusion in the listener, all through exquisitely made and intelligently deployed aural assaults.

Not enough to likely attain crossover appeal, but definitely hitting a sweet and soulful spot, Alice isn't Adele, but she doesn't aspire to be.

Cellar Door seems to have given the Underachievers space to breathe, think and spit the transcendental lyricism that set them apart in the first place.

No. 4 proves beyond measure that Christina Vantzou has as much talent and vision as most any of them. Hollywood, this is your wakeup call. Listen to her.

True Love is a loving snapshot of what Hovvdy holds dear in the present and their excitement for the future is infectious. Instead of reflecting on the past and easiness of simpler times, they are finding pockets of these hyper-elated feelings in the here and now.

Continue as a Guest picks up on the beats-and-synths sound that drove 2017's snappy Whiteout Conditions. Yet where that album saw Newman and Co. dabbling with syncopation, here the band is moving as one unit, deepening the music's groove.

They're sure to become mainstays on many a summer playlist. Although it feels like the group still have more to explore, this album is a remarkable effort by Little Dragon as they begin to finally reach their full potential.

Like a punk rock Watch the Throne, No Life for Me finds two of the genre's leading lights working at the peak of their powers.

Their best album to date, Fall Into the Sun is the sound of a band rebuilding itself one song at a time and becoming that much stronger in the process.

True to its name, Sebadoh's latest proves that, even after all these years, the band are still capable of making music that is thoughtful, humble, and, at times, surprising.

With this EP, Krug demonstrates that less is more, but that it also doesn't hurt to go big, even if "big" in this case is an expertly timed digital synth here and there.

The album is a joyous, well-executed mish-mash rooted in crisp sounds, thanks to James' rock-centric production.

Oddly captivating in running just shy of 40 minutes, Splendor & Misery is hardly your overblown concept record that runs far too long. Indeed, it's worth multiple listens for both its out-of-this-world production and Diggs' one-two punch of lyricism and bafflingly effortless delivery.

Juice B Crypts responds with 11 tracks of knotty, electronic rock puzzles.

If Brasstronaut's fans are willing to go along for the ride, Mean Sun will reward the patient.

The focus is the production rather than the songs, and Ultramarine is sadly missing the killer choruses required for a great pop album.

Weapon stands as Skinny Puppy's strongest work since 1992's Last Rights; it's a testament to one of the few reformed bands still striving to push, not just themselves, but an entire bygone genre forward.

Untethered Moon is arguably the most enjoyable Built To Spill album since 1999's pivotal Keep It Like A Secret.

Every song manages to fit very well together without sounding too similar.

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.