The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo is the most accessible Mr. Bungle album, if it’s possible for thrash metal to be accessible. ... Fans looking for the outlandishness of Disco Volante may be disappointed, but anyone looking for angry, nonsensical mosh music will find everything they need.

In itself songs is a soft companion to Big Thief’s two albums from 2019 and an album that effortlessly captures the aimless desperation of quarantine. It’s not so much that this work pales in comparison to the work with her band, even considering their outsized reputation; it’s more that Lenker achieves something completely different on her solo albums. songs like abysskiss provides insight and context to the broad beauty of Big Thief, and when being herself, Lenker proves successful.

There is little memorable about the songwriting of III; the lyrics are minimal and mostly abstract, but doesn’t really hurt the music. This isn’t an album for introspection or for contemplation of the songs’ meanings; it’s an album to crank up loud, bang some heads, and cause speeding tickets.

Springsteen gives us the E Street Band at its rawest. The songs deal with loss and perseverance, but the arrangements make them sound like anthems.

Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Rendition Was in) is a heartwarming posthumous release by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings that adds some heat to a series of familiar tunes that simultaneously pays tributes to Jones’ influences while honoring her legacy as the Godmother of a neo-soul movement that made stars out of the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Ray.

With his rock solid, half Crazy Horse-half Heartbreakers sounding band, the Extraterrestrials, Ivey not only expands his sound from last year’s The Dream and the Dreamer, but he brings a passionate sense of urgency too.

Its very existence provides valuable insight into the creative process. In the end, that’s the most enduring of all possible additions to Petty’s legacy.

With the hip afro-funk of Long in the Tooth, The Budos Band continues to pump out infectious horn drenched jams.

Ghosts of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett float among the slinky groove that could set out on the tide forever as it gorgeously gets the head bobbing and hips swaying around the only non-political track. Those lyrics are the exception though as the upbeat post-punk of “The Perilous Night” bubbles and bounces while sarcastically saying Amen to fascism on the rise, cars cutting down protesters and Red Square shining in the White House; it is a dance party at the end of the world with splashes of the Talking Heads mixed in.

A wealth of songs that are as engaging as they are enjoyable.

Atlas Vending is a transitional album in the best of ways as METZ has proved they can create piercing noise with anyone around, now they deploy a wider scope without losing their foundation.

While the mood is subdued and even brooding, this is a powerful album where you feel the story in each song.

Blitzen Trapper has succeeded in making a very complex album that is probably quite different than most new albums you’ll hear this year.

This Dream of You is a solid entry, though surely not the strongest in her storied catalog.

Where Go stood as a natural outlet for stifled creativity, Shiver extends Jónsi’s prowess even farther. Both may prove to be products of their times, but both serve as deeply singular bodies of work.

Under the Spell of Joy allows Death Valley Girls the freedom to explore and the structure to tighten up as they communally dance and shake along the void.

Continuing to nurture mature pop music equal parts brains and soul on Good Luck With Whatever, Dawes solidifies an even more finite approach to writing and recording. This seventh studio effort of theirs not only represents a logical progression for the quartet, but it also augurs well for its continued evolution.

It’s refreshing to hear from the icon directly, especially with his quartet in such fine form.

The Nude Party’s strong 2018 debut found the sextet knocking loudly on the door. With Midnight Manor, they kick it off its hinges. ... The result is undeniably an impressive overshadowing of that debut album.

His most effortless success yet. Sundry Rock Song Stock is a breezy trip through the life of a confident and naturalistic performer, someone whose best work still may be ahead of him.

Generations is a more mature album than Policy in that Butler creates a cohesive narrative throughout. ... Butler also proves that he is adept at creating music on his own without having to rely on past sounds from Arcade Fire.

Like all IDLES releases, Ultra Mono’s biggest drawback is its lack of variety. Though the guitarists experiment with different tones, each song still has the same feel sonically. Likewise, Talbot’s vocals are monotone with little variety and his lyrics are sometimes simplistic. But IDLES make up for those flaws with its greatest strengths, the band’s passion, unbridled fury, and raw intensity. IDLES wears its passion and anger on its sleeve, delivering infectious rhythms, filthy distorted guitars, and snarling vocals to drive its message home.

This album is a success, albeit one that does little to distance itself from the releases that came before it. Each track shares the percussive and wonky tone of Face Stabber but Dwyer knowingly infuses enough melody into the highlights to make for a few key standouts.

Doves has stayed true to their sound and as the result they have made an album that fans will want to listen to over and over.

The album has a Side A and Side B feel to it with the first half comprised of layered, dense tunes as is mixer Blake’s penchant. Side B (if you will) lightens the sonics a bit, giving the band more room to breathe and, for these ears, an easier listening experience.

The group flashes its technical wizardry, an ear for the weird/experimental and crushingly powerful headbanging ways, cataloging their past while looking towards their future.

Bocoum seems to have certainly mastered the art of collaboration judging on the assemblage gathered for this jubilant set.

Lightning itself is a competent record, but more importantly it’s another notch in the belt of one of America’s most overlooked and underappreciated songwriters, someone who has consistently proven that he’s always worth hearing from.

Gold Record is simple, but packed with lyrical mastery and it plays through without any hitches. Each song encapsulates a lesson or a character that Callahan wants us to either learn about or learn from, and his voice sinks in comfortable in the life that he has lived.

The result is an excellent sounding but slightly flat affair as the band settles into life as a trio.

Plum is a great album, one that is professional without losing its beauty, ambitious within their discography and undoubtedly one of the year’s best.

Sound Wheel is an experimental chronicling of the vagabond road trip lifestyle of an artist who is constantly observing the open highways and the American culture driving them. Mosshart keeps her eyes sharp, her voice fluid and her thoughts rolling as she follows her muse.

It’s clearly a different time now in so many ways that it’s unlikely that any of these tunes, which are as good as any he’s penned (can’t help using that term), will become mega hits. Nonetheless, these songs are a salve for these times and do plenty of justice to Penn’s legendary status.

At their best, The Avett Brothers are transcendent songwriters with the ability to cut right to the soul while delivering perfect musical harmony. The majority of The Third Gleam serves as a reminder of the best qualities that The Avett Brothers can bring.

Bless Your Heart simultaneously reinforces and extends the favorable first impression left with the premier album.

LaVette came so close to a Grammy with her interpretations of Dylan’s songs. Blackbirds may just push her to the top. It’s difficult to imagine anyone else delivering an album that oozes such deep emotion with each lyric. Clearly, it cements her status as one of today’s elite interpreters of song.

Yes, this should be a contender for Album of the Year in roots-rock circles. It is stunning.

Motherhood uses noise to repel its underlying beauty. One of the most eclectic releases of the year, it’s also far and away the best No Joy album to date.

This inventive collection of songs crosses genres decades, from iconic artists spanning FKA Twigs (“Mirrored Heart”), to Cat Stevens (“How Can I Tell You”), Rancid (“Olympia, WA”), to Karen Dalton (“Something’s On Your Mind”), to the Stones (“She’s a Rainbow’) and The Grateful Dead (“Standing on the Moon”) all cohesively tied by Tuttle’s clear voice, astonishing range, and stellar guitar playing.

A surprising reunion, The Secret Machines have successfully opened a new decade with Awake in the Brain Chamber, a comeback album that sounds right at home with their past releases while painting a way forward if the band continues to explore their rock cosmos.

It is possible (even likely) that you will appreciate this album the first time you listen to it. But don’t just listen to it once and then file it away because the more you listen to it, the more you appreciate it. Especially if you blast it as loud as you can stand.

Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was is very complicated lyrically and also very fresh. The trio championed the moody music that college English students sat in their dorms and cried too, and Bright Eyes doesn’t leave that signature out, but they doctor up the sonics resulting in a dense return from a long hiatus.

A move to a more polished sound was desired and clearly achieved, yet tracks like “Moment of Joy” and “The Way” both seem to suffer from this newer clean style. “Moment of Joy” lyrically yearns to break out of its mellow musical world while “The Way” simply has too many ideas getting crammed into one song.

He continues to show why he’s been one of the best songwriters in the past four decades and again, despite what at times feels like a curious mix, he delivers the kind of gems that only he can.

Expect this project, at a minimum, to be a Grammy contender with perhaps historic recognition in the wings at some point.

What makes The Lemon Twigs such an exciting band to follow is that they have maintained a way to be new and still very rooted in what past masters of rock have accomplished sonically. ... For fellow fans of The Lemon Twigs, I’m sure we can agree it was absolutely worth the wait.

Carpenter takes long solo walks around her property to aid in the songwriting process, the fruits of which are evident in the opening “Farther Along and Further In,” about recognizing that something has changed gradually but distinctly. Perhaps with age comes respecting the spiritual over the practical. Empathy becomes the theme of the explicitly stated “It’s Ok To Be Sad” and the standout “All Broken Hearts Break Differently,” which evokes Band-like chord patterns and great dissolving organ-like runs played by Nick Pini on Moog.

Non-Secure Connection is more than just a strong & cohesive collection of well-written material. It also represents a continuation of Bruce’s keen ability to adapt to the ever-changing musical & societal landscapes that shape our world today.

Candid not only keeps their hands in the game but provides the kind of light-hearted recording schedule bands need from time to time. They may be treading water, but if their music remains as well-made and appealing as it is, they may just be able to make a career out of it.

Blonde On The Tracks doesn’t contain any must-hear renditions, but there is a comfort to be found in the contemplative singing of Swift and the clear production/playing of her Nashville backing band.

Gift of Sacrifice finds Osborne flexing the might of his compositional prowess to deliver a new side of his talent that is, above all else, purely and wholly Buzz.

He continues to fuse elements of hip-hop, R&B, funk, soul, and rock ‘n roll into his signature style. ... He’s won both of his Grammy for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” but his music is so different from most other entrants that he’s in a sense carving out his own genre.

It’s just like calling up an old friend you hadn’t talked to in years and within the first few moments of conversation, it seems that the time gap just evaporates.

While not a must-own for non-fans, it is the truest testament possible to the finale of The Stooges original lineup.

While Purple Noon seems to stay fairly level in a dynamic sense, especially compared with Mister Mellow where upbeat and downbeat tracks were fairly distributed, the lyrics take the listener on a journey. ... While not exactly “driving music,” Purple Noon is perfect for lounging around during quarantine.

With its minimal instrumentation and bare, veiled lyrics, Eight Gates feels less like a complete record than a part of the creative process that would have ultimately resulted in a more realized collection of songs. In this sense, it doesn’t stack up to the same artistic level as any album from Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co., or even Molina’s 2012 solo album. Instead, it provides a fleeting final snapshot of an artist who was broken and seeking reflection on his sick and troubled state of being. For longtime fans of Molina, Eight Gates offers a sense of closure and insight on where he was artistically and mentally during the last years of his life.

Sangaré sings with as much if not more freedom and passion as she did on her debut some 30 years ago. She more than upholds the Malian traditions of rebels, undaunted in fighting for causes they believe in. And, in doing so, her voice and the entire musical presentation sounds joyous, spirited, and beautiful.

The follow up to 2017’s TX Jelly carries on that loose, almost improvisational jam vibe that made that debut such an anomaly when it first came out.

It’s good news for fans that Crockett was neither slowed down by open heart surgery nor content to sit on an album he released just a year ago. He has a way of telling stories that make his songs something you experience rather than just hear.

Made of Rain manages to be both vaguely nostalgic and groundbreaking at the same time. There are no obvious rewrites of their old songs here, but between Butler’s easily identifiable vocals – vacillating between anger and vulnerability – and the curiously heady mix of hard rock guitars alongside sax, the sound is still clearly built on the classic foundations of the band.

Chatten’s monotone downtrodden vocals with direct lyrics (not going much deeper than their titles) dominate the songs. This style will either pull in the listener or alienate as the woe is me gloom follows each song like a small rain cloud.

The result is a mixed collection; some good, some a little more tedious, but in the end, you can’t deny that Ramirez stayed true to his objective and didn’t skimp on real emotion in the process.

Whether it’s McKenna’s most personal album yet is up for debate. After all, she has ten of them. What’s not debatable are her well-crafted songs and this being another gem that joins her last two.

Seven originals (three from Redman, two from Mehldau, and one each from McBride and Blade) may seem a paucity after so long an interval since the last group endeavor these men undertook, but in this case, it’s a surfeit of riches. Needless to say, as it may be, it’s worth declaring RoundAgain is a top candidate for ‘Best of 2020’ lists.

2018’s May Your Kindness Remain was singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews’ breakout album. Old Flowers, her third for Fat Possum, surpasses that effort. ... Whether you choose to immerse yourself in this emotional journey or not, you’ll be impacted. Andrews has now reached the point where she is one of today’s most distinct voices.

Packed within these ten tracks is a solid and eclectic mix of genres, fresh sounds and vintage flair. Hate for Sale is the band’s strongest in a long while and should give any listener enough to gnaw on and then some.

The Country Westerns have given us one hell of a debut, bringing to mind the glory days of bar band alt-country while still sounding bitingly fresh and lyrically relevant to ultimately result in an early contender for album of the year.

Brian King and David Prowse traffic in exhilarating rock and roll that fuels climactic moments throughout the course of a live show and on this night, the two musicians pulled tracks from all three of their upbeat studio releases. That stated, this live capturing does not improve on any of the songs presented on Post-Nothing, Celebration Rock or Near to the Wild Heart of Life, yet for the duo’s fans, it will recall fond memories of shows past.

[“Spinning My Wheels”], and the album as a whole, fit these odd times and the excellent song kicks off an album which slots in well with the band’s varied past offerings as Waterfalls II drifts into and out of psych, folk, late-night disco and jam band spiked arena rock.

The Beths utilize elements of their first LP on their sophomore effort—lyrical depth, catchy hooks, and sonic gems are scattered throughout the ten tracks on Jump Rope Gazers.

XOXO, while broadening the band’s sound, becomes not a major shift, not even a detour really, but a refocus and sharpening of their hallmark jangly sound – brimming with country, folk, rock, and British Invasion power pop. It’s reinvigoration.

Working with producer Mitchell Froom, Wainwright has crafted 12 melodic artistic pop tunes that are some of the finest of his career.

This is a high octane record filled with hooks, strong musicianship and maybe just a bit too much production. Through it all, Price has some interesting reflections on motherhood and coping with her rising fame. The clincher, as you might well guess, is the unrelenting power of her voice that just continues to amaze.

Willie Nelson willfully imbues First Rose Of Spring with his own brand of bitter honesty, giving the album the sort of emotional resonance that the majority of his contemporary peers forgo in exchange for switchboard instrumentation and hollow lyricism.

The album has all of the Ray LaMontagne trademarks, consisting mostly of love ballads shared via gently strummed minor chords, soft crooning vocals, and a soft, tender atmosphere. But what the album lacks in surprises it makes up for in authenticity, Monovision consisting of the introspective musings of a folk singer baring his soul.

Agricultural Tragic is also among one of his best yet in an already inspiring 25-year career.

A a culmination of those travels as well as a homage to Houston. Laura Lee’s (bassist) homecoming provided her with the clarity that was needed to create the well-executed diversity shown.

The True Story of Bananagun is one of the most inspiring debut releases of 2020 as a host of sounds infuse the musical spirit of these cosmic adventurers resulting in a dynamite and diverse record.

Deleted Scenes as an album oscillates between larger than life theatrical pop numbers and blissful instrumental escapism.

Punisher is a worthy follow-up to Bridgers’ impressive debut, building upon her distinctive style of storytelling while adding a bit more flavor. Though mostly soft and measured, the poetic imagery and occasional bursts of dynamism keep the album from ever getting dull.

In keeping with other self-produced Dylan releases of recent years, the sonics of Rough And Rowdy Ways is as clear as its word sets are dense. ... The musicianship will not steal or detract attention from Bob himself, but rather encircle him as he performs, their fluid interplay functioning like that ideal frame which vividly illuminates a striking painting or photo. ... As with all the best Bob Dylan albums, poetic imagery abounds.

The duration of the record is ultimately out of proportion to its considerable depth of feeling. These dozen tracks all boast impeccable audio, but the clarity of those sonics, the likes of which earmark all recent Neil Young recordings in recent years, is less significant as a commercial selling point than as a direct correlation to the purity of emotion within the music.

The album is one of the standout releases of the year, and also leaves you wanting to experience the Rose City Band live as soon as we are allowed to do that again.

Overall “World on the Ground” is a work of quiet beauty that brims with irresistible melodies and compelling storytelling. These songs showcase Jarosz’s growth as a songwriter as they linger with the listener long after the album ends.

This is unbridled passion, an unyielding declaration of freedom. As strong as it is, however, a little tempering down in a few places could only add to the overall impact.

This lovingly covered collection will not make new fans of either act, but as a loving document to a unique songwriter, it succeeds.

As the album nears its end, it gets more luminous.

It’s interesting that while the previous album had an intergalactic feeling, this seems a bit more acoustically grounded, a deceptively simple yet complex sound that grows in appeal with continued listens.

Muzz is a familiar culmination of previous individual sounds that mesh well together, but Muzz not only blends influences, but they also undertake new sonics to further push the progressiveness of the project. Muzz is nuanced in how it shifts from intimacy to defamiliarization, this indie gray area riffs off the familiar and transforms it into something entirely new.

The album shows growth in every aspect of the music, yet the lyrics seem to be the biggest area of change. ... The production from Jenn Decilvio accentuated the band’s evolution by highlighting the multiple vocal parts and adding a truly masterful touch on the effects chosen.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever delivers a slice of summer with the successful Sideways to New Italy as the band keeps rolling on and smiling all the way.

Wyatt seems to have lived a lifetime in the three years between Felony Blues and Neon Cross. The byproduct is a powerfully affecting album that can speak to just about anyone who’s willing to listen.

As the title suggests, Thompson reckons with the breakup of a real-life relationship but navigates it with an even-handed balance that’s part wistful and part deeply honest.

If you were a fan of their mid-2000’s work, this album would be a very satisfying continuation of their sound while also mixing in enough new ideas for it to be a progressive album for the group.

The distinctly raw sound is a cross between his usual folk-rock sound, and mountain music with generous hints of bluegrass, an area he explored earlier in his career.

Temple captures the band’s unique melding of styles: Asian with American, hip hop with rock, analog with digital, off-kilter with hummable. The band’s influences are combined not as a precise recipe, but as an experimental alchemy that rewards in unexpected ways.

The slow, contemplative songs on Set My Heart on Fire Immediately are hit or miss. Most are moving mood pieces with intricate melodies, while some are bland and skippable. The best Perfume Genius moments are with the dynamic upbeat pop songs, jam-packed with hooks and danceable grooves. Throughout the album, Hadreas forms complex sonic textures out of the thoughts tormenting his psyche. The result is an album that thrills at times, invites quiet reflection at others, but is always interesting.

The Mael brothers have been waiting patiently for the world to catch up to them, but A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip signifies another bold creative peak moment for Sparks.