Long-time fans will be rewarded in spades, and newcomers to the Wacos could do a lot worse than starting their journey here.

Dig in Deep treads familiar territory both musically and lyrically, but it bristles with energy and feels like an expertly paced live set by a singer and a band having an especially great night.

99¢ is an album buoyed by its sonic playfulness, but which fails to shake its playlist sensibility--entertaining, engaging but only occasionally leaving a lasting impression.

The album's greatest strength lies in its cinematic quality. Every song feels like a scene in the bigger dream The Ridge represents as a whole.

Gershwin features a number of quirky, intriguing turns from Cyndi Lauper, who on paper couldn't seem further removed from this longtime country outlaw but in execution sounds just right.... Better still are the moments in which Nelson goes it alone, pushing his famed high voice in unexpected directions.

There's an overemphasis on influences here that makes Stranger Things more recognizably likeable than imaginative.

Love Yes is a remarkable step forward for TEEN, blending the stylistic influences of their first two records to present a seamless and singular voice.

Fans will still recognize his inimitable approach to propulsive off-kilter rhythm and dissonant timbres, organized into fluid yet alien structures, but the sound is deeper, and its inherent joy all the more resonant.

In an industry where the idea of a meritocracy is as foreign as a retirement plan, Bryan James has achieved the near impossible. In My Mind is the most earnest soul album in years.

While the artistry is evident in his picks, Moodymann's execution here could've use a more deft hand.

Ultimately, what So Pitted have--besides a name derived from a YouTube video of a surfer waxing poetic about a perfect wave--is the discovery of a rad tunnel of sound where noise and melody can high five each other with impunity.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy remains the apex of West's maximalist visions, and while The Life of Pablo certainly aims high, it isn't as consistently pointed in delivering both music and message as its big-budget predecessor was. And yet, it remains a modern gospel that is undeniably West's own, with a handful of vexatious moments peppered throughout the undeniably visionary ones.

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.

Need Your Light is certainly a step up from Beta Love, but Ra Ra Riot are missing the orchestral edge that originally set them apart from other groups in their genre, making it feel inessential despite being quite likeable.

Much of Principe's second half finds him repackaging the first half with plodding disco beats that make the initially exciting melodies seem boring the second (and third, and fourth) time around.

Brood Ma's vision of the future may be dark, but on the challenging, rewarding DAZE, his future as a purveyor of its soundtrack is all but secured.

While Yes, I'm A Witch Too makes Ono's work more accessible by sanding down the more experimental edges, in doing so, it somewhat detracts from what makes Ono's great.

The absence of track titles sometimes forces the listener to reach further into the album's alien sounds, but as Ultimate Care II hits the five-minute mark the novelty wears off and absorption into the composition's overall mood takes place, as Matmos do a terrific job of blending the album's noises (which ranges from water sloshing to lids slamming to knobs grinding) into a captivating whole.

While working on the album, the band reportedly tried to blur the lines--primarily through scattershot vocals--to make it hard to discern who wrote what. In the process, they've lost the collaborative, intersectional sound that's always provided a sense of humanity heart at the centre of Animal Collective.

There's relatively no atmosphere and groove this time around, and many of the songs seem forced, as if he's tried to ensure this one goes mainstream.

Prong have outdone themselves here, proving that they are still a force to be reckoned with and, ultimately, respected.

The Montclair, New Jersey's band's sound--off-the-cuff, loose heart-on-sleeve indie-rock cut with Americana--is the perfect vessel for that kind of premature twilight, anxiety and loss. Above all else, it feels so goddamned natural.

Producer Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) brings the same balance to the soundscapes Bulat maintains with her lyrics, positioning the space-age synths and backup harmonies in ways that invoke both gospel and girl group traditions without overshadowing the album's strongest suit: Bulat's vibrant vocals.

On Majid Jordan, it's clear the Toronto pair have refined their sound, with subtle but meaningful touches that make for a stunning, cohesive work of art.

An album that leads the listener through a grim landscape punctuated with urgency and violence.

At times, the album sounds a maybe little too polished, but the energy and stereo movement in songs like "Do We All Feel It" and "Disco Night Driver" sound like they would translate better live than in studio, anyway.

With the exception of Lil Durk's two verses, Thugga's extensive assortment of guests here falls flat, causing the second half of the tape to drag.

The latter half of Pool shines brightest when Maine shows more of himself, and becomes increasingly poetic and earnest.