The Long Ryders show they are well-equipped to take a leading role in modern Americana.

Electric Lady Sessions perhaps best functions as the defining calling card of a post-reunion LCD Soundsystem.

While the soundtrack shows how versatile and nimble singer Jade Vincent is, she seems more stagnant on Heartbreak. That's not to say that Vincent flattens out completely. On "Heartbreak," she is in full retro-pop mode, and by the closing track "If," her voice melts into a lovely, lilting little lullaby.

Her strongest body of work to date.

This compilation feels totally unnecessary and impersonal, neither satisfying for old fans nor will it convince new ones of the band's greater legacy. They deserve better.

While there are certainly moments of outright noisy abandon, Richter incorporates enough subtlety and tension into the proceedings to make these diabolical sound sculptures bleed with a raw beauty.

The grimness of the lyrics works, and for fans of HEALTH and their style this is a worthwhile listen.

Scenery comes ever-so-close to its intended level of sublime, yet plays things on the safe side: pleasant, powerful, precise.

Buoys requires repeat listens to appreciate fully, but those willing to dive deep enough will surely be rewarded.

Quiet Signs is a breeze of an album that somehow hits you like a ton of bricks. Just another enigmatic turn for Jessica Pratt.

Like sun shining through the clouds after a storm, Isa is equal moments tumult and bliss.

FIDLAR have expanded their sonic palette on a record that seems destined to be appreciated more with time.

It all amounts to a strong album, one that should appeal to both modern, Editors-loving synth-rock fans, as well as older New Order, Joy Division and Cure heads who remember from whence it all came.

Aside from the compelling lyricism, Everything's For Sale also stands out because of its immersive melodies.

A sometimes-psychedelic tinge lifts Fullbrook's usual folk just off the ground. But Fullbrook's voice is still what grants the fine lines life.

While it lacks the political punch of 2015 album Ba Power, Miri stands on its own as a call for peace, mindfulness and reflection.

Released more than 15 years after his debut as Rustin Man, Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb's followup, Drift Code, is atmospheric and moody, but too often forgettable.

Too bad the music isn't as varied. In replacing keyboardist Sasami Ashworth with bassist Devin O'Brien, Cherry Glazerr have gone from wiry and versatile to big and bulky, but their titanic low-end quickly becomes stiflingly repetitive.

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.

Throwaways make the ten-song album feel low on substantial ideas: there's enough material here for a solid EP, but it's rather thin for a full-length. Still, as a modestly enjoyable throwback to 2006, it gets the job done.

Without any obligations to an overarching concept this time around, it stands as her most direct effort yet.

Rival Sons are a great band with a great sound; the only thing they're guilty of is doing what they do really well, but then exhausting it over and over again.

The best parts of the album, though, are the moments where it doesn't sound exactly like anything either artist has released before (songs like "My City," and closing pair "Big Black Heart" and "Dominos"), yet still shows two songwriters at the height of their talents.

Unfortunately, while amo has moments of absolute brilliance, highlighted by "Nihilist Blues," "Ouch" and "Fresh Bruises," it feels like BMTH weren't ready to fully commit to either sound and, as a result, we're left with a mixed bag of tracks that offers a little something for everyone but never quite enough.

Yet despite sounding like an album that could have just as easily come out in 2009 as 2019, it's a testament to the timelessness of Power Chords' sound rather than an indication of its tedium.

Merton shows great confidence in her abilities as an artist across her debut record, without losing her sense of fun.

With every moment on Internationally Unknown I find odd, I ask myself "was that intentional?" Because I usually have no idea. ... Internationally Unknown is fun and probably not intended to be examined too far past the surface.

Tyler sounds like he's barely breaking a sweat. It's the sound of confidence in one's abilities as an artist, one who embraces their restlessness and creativity while sounding like he's barely breaking a sweat.