As with so much of Jurado's work, In the Shape of a Storm is simple in its construction, but panoramic in its impact.

His sixth album, Ambitions, continues to refine this style, offering up a tighter, more focused version of his sometimes sprawling tendencies. Although some may miss his more esoteric touches, this feels like the natural evolution.

Overall, Cosmic Wind is free of obvious flaws. But while it's a pleasant album, there's no song distinct enough to elevate it from passive listening.

Free Spirit is Khalid's coming-of-age story: it's well-constructed, but already feels too predictable at this point.

The added lyrical depth takes Optimal Lifestyles from just another party record to a genuine reflection on living life one six-pack at a time.

Love Keeps Kicking doesn't really break any new ground; it shares themes with recent releases from artists like Superchunk and Natalie Prass. But Martha's goal is more about making you feel than think.

What drew people to Tuttle's music to begin with was that delightfully dissonant combination of sweet singing and monster-shredder guitar playing, and that's just not what this album delivers.

At the heart of it, Morbid Stuff just still sounds like friends having fun and making catchy, cathartic punk anthems for teens and almost-adults alike--offering a brief, but much needed respite from the hell that is everyday life.

Brutalism finds Pierce at his most confident, musically, but his most vulnerable, personally. He's able to explore new sounds without worrying about expectations, and open up about emotions that he's never touched on in his music before.

On Egowerk, the Faint seem to have accepted their place in questioning the perpetual struggle.

Most of the tracks allow room to breathe before going into a freefall decent of multi-influenced experimentation. Often times it's a rather subtle marriage of jazz and hip-hop ("That Don't Make It So"), gospel and funk ("Time and Place"), soul and folk ("Goodbye Reason, Goodbye Rhyme").

As a listening experience, it's a dense one, but never weighty.

Titanic Rising may draw inspiration from the past, but it's ultimately a clear-eyed look at love, catastrophe and hope that's perfect for the present moment.

It will perhaps be a surprising listen to fans expecting more upbeat material, but if you can surrender to the slower, weightier swells of this album, you might just find yourself floating.

If Selfless had the producer disappearing into the commotion of modernity, sublimating himself among multiple narrators, here, he's retreating inward to rediscover who he is, each swirling entry rendered from a more subdued place of quiet contemplation.

Strait is doing what most contemporary country artists shy away from, which is successfully bring back the real deal. He is effectively and triumphantly making traditional country music cool again.

Besides the remastering work and a detailed 40-page book with notes and photography, it is producer Nick Phillips' decision to present the recordings chronologically that is key to this collection's value proposition. Hearing the material organized for the first time by session, as opposed to original LP release, provides additional perspective on a master entering his prime.

Empath is by no means a shortcut to deciphering all of Townsend's output, but its incredibly hard not to marvel at the way in which he wields these influences to exceed the confines of his "progressive" qualifier--not to mention the sheer enormity of it all.

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is a debut record that showcases a bold artistic vision and a willingness to move beyond the boundaries of pop conventions.

On his Late Night Tales, Floating Points shows off his exceptional taste and curation skills, assembling a captivating set of songs that test just how "chill" a chill-out compilation can get.

At their best, the band use these chances to explore in moments of pure creativity. At their worst, they meander aimlessly, the live music equivalent of listening in on a conversation that was never really that interesting to begin with.

If you need an entry point into an incredibly potent piece, Gibbons and company offer a take on Symphony of Sorrowful Songs that lingers.

The Road: Part II is doubling down at its finest. The sixth studio album from UNKLE is nothing short of a musical odyssey, and takes special care to bring back the prestige of the playlist. Split into two acts, Lavelle masterfully builds a beginning, middle and end to each section, moving "from light to dark, from brute force to tenderness" in a way that documents the highs and lows of being out on the road.

The album is somewhat lacking in range, but otherwise, Agora offers no evidence of compromise. If anything, Fennesz turned that bit of adversity into artistic license.

Side Effects is largely devoid of these big bombastic moments, save the seven-minute incision "NY Money" that centres the album. Nevertheless, White Denim hurtle through the record's nine songs (as brief as many of them are) at a pace that can't help but keep the listener engaged and excited for what comes next.

Fans of Animal Collective, Avey Tare and the psychedelic sound they are so strongly identified with will find much to enjoy here. On the other hand, Avey Tare cannot be said to be pushing boundaries or taking many risks here, other than on final track "HORS_," which shows hints of newer experiments into electronic music that could be developed further in the future.

Cohesive and eclectic, Ancestral Recall is a sonic expedition to remember.

With On the Line, she leans into the deeply personal, and gains a benchmark addition to her catalogue.