Fiona Apple’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters is a triumphant and very well-timed return after an eight-year hiatus. Apple’s fifth album, an introspective, 13 song journey defies genre. ... Fetch The Bolt Cutters takes many exciting turns. The album exudes freedom, it exudes breaking constraints, it exudes Fiona Apple, and it might just be the album that we look back on when we think back to this COVID-19 era.

It’s no revelation that Coltrane’s music has withstood time. In fact, much of his later period spiritual work still sounds very radical. ... The more Coltrane, the better. Even these 8 LPs/5 CDs is not enough to satisfy the true fanatic, but it’s a treasure just the same.

There are also multiple versions, in markedly different running times, of numbers like “Magic Bus” and “Call Me Lightning,” which may be redundant except for completists and the inordinately curious. How much interest a listener has for that content may well correlate with an appreciation for the overall concept at work. ... But the Who’s leaps of artistry, viewed from the broad vantage point of this Super Deluxe Edition, with proverbial twenty-twenty acumen, appear nothing less than spectacular, no matter how tongue-in-cheek the interpretation of the Sell Out title.

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.

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.

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.

One could quibble that the album seems just a bit static in places with little change in Lloyd’s musings and the re-airing of several staples in his repertoire, but those quibblers should listen to the sheer ecstasy in “Monk’s Dance,” the album’s brightest moments.

Far from just a slice of history, this roughly thirty-five minutes simultaneously consolidates the creative metamorphosis that preceded it and reaffirms the continued relevance of Bob Dylan’s work.

Strings and his musical cohorts have somehow managed to follow up their 2019 Grammy winning LP Home with an even stronger collective effort and one that will only help cement what we all already know: Billy Strings is, without question, one of the greatest musical talents of our lifetime, regardless of genre.

For better or worse, Archives III compiles content from Neil’s ill-fated tenure on Geffen Records. This phase of his career has yet to receive the rethinking afforded ‘The Ditch Trilogy’ from the previous decade, so it remains to be seen what demographic finds these outtakes revelatory. Nevertheless, a plethora of previously unavailable selections from that period reaffirms that Young always takes his work seriously, even if, at times, he seems nonchalant to a fault (or, worse, illogical).

In just two short years, Russell has emerged as one of our most important voices, and The Returner further projects her voice and career.

Though controversial at the time, this music, experimental in nature, still resonates with intensity, spirituality, and unbridled power, a clear steppingstone to Trane’s Classic Quartet, and a ‘must have’ for Trane collectors.

All of this adds up to mana from heaven for Pylon fans.

Tons of artists have knocked down genre walls in the past, yet few have done it with as much confidence and swagger as Nova Twins on their explosive sophomore album Supernova.

Ants From Up Here is a thrilling listen, brimming with the confidence and electricity of a young band coming into their own on all fronts, pulling from the past but pushing it undeniably forward, and fully owning their ambition.

Both long-time fans, as well as curious dilettantes, may well experience numerous epiphanies large and small when immersed in all this content, the end result of such enlightenment a state of mind (heart and soul) George Harrison himself would no doubt appreciate.

For its imperfections, less than optimal sound quality (although particularly good considering the 56-year age of the tapes), a less than engaged at times McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones, and what comes across as a feverish blowing session more so than a spiritual reckoning, it’s a jaw-dropping performance. ... Purists may still adhere to the studio version and deservedly so but nonetheless, that cannot diminish the importance of this recording in Coltrane’s legacy. It’s a revelation and it now invites a comparison of the two that none of us ever expected.

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

It’s big, ambitious and beautiful, by far the best record Weyes Blood has made and also happens to be one of the best records of the year.

This is a decidedly dark album, which is probably a turn-off for some. But then, artists don’t do what they do to make people comfortable. Amigo the Devil is really adept at creating pictures with his words, even if those words make some listeners uneasy. This is an album where every song is a vivid scene that makes you feel something.

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.

For longtime fans, this is the clearest window yet into a period when the trio was remaking underground rock in real time. For newer listeners, the set serves as both a history lesson and a gateway.

The sound quality is crystalline; remarkable considering how long this has been sitting in the vaults. The tone remains most serene for the first five and half minutes. .... The audience applauds after Jimmy Garrison’s bass solo thinking it’s over but the tenors and piano resume to take it out. This music is by contrast so ridiculously intense compared to the first half.

Rick Neilsen’s stage patter has the earlier, maniacal tone, Robin Zander’s vocals are sublime, Tom Peterrson’s bass sounds mammoth and Mr. Bun E. Carlos proves why he is truly irreplaceable. ... To quote the band’s paean to the faithful, Fan Club, these four discs are truly the sound of “four kings and an army strong.”

However much Julian stretches himself, however, he never abandons the warmth and fluidity that distinguishes his playing.

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.

Each poetic song on The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We paints a powerful picture that is made more captivating by the orchestral and choir arrangements. It’s a risky record, but one that pays off much better than trying to be rid of a soul.

Cook does a great job of keeping the focus on Mavis. None of the guest spots are intrusive. In fact, it’s only the slide guitar parts from Bonnie Raitt or Derek Trucks that are attention-getting. The overall effect is that of Mavis, a living saint and the voice of empathy, leading the hushed gathering in prayer, best evidenced in her take on Curtis Mayfield’s “We Got To Have Peace.”

Don’t be frightened by the spiritual nature of this album. You don’t have to be a regular churchgoer to appreciate the moving, soulful tunes. In fact, you can enjoy this album even if you’ve never been to a church for anything other than a wedding.

Much is made in the promotional materials about the aggregation of guests: Sarah Jarosz, Charlie Sexton, Bonnie Whitmore, Bukka Allen, and others, but their contributions are mostly subtle. McMurtry and his core band of guitarist Tim Holt, bassist Cornbread, drummer Daren Hess, and harmony vocalist BettySoo do most of the heavy lifting. McMurtry is, for whatever reason, a vastly underrated guitarist and vocalist, yet he shines on both accounts in these ten songs, all but two of which he wrote.

An album that redefines collaboration on a spiritual level. ... 12 poetically moving pieces of art that focus on emotions and environments most would attempt to ignore. The Record hit our speakers with high expectations, and not a single second let us down.

This is a much-needed dose of Silver with young cats Shaw and Henderson, guaranteed to lift your spirits.

It takes a while to get through this collection, but it’s time well spent. This collection is full of songs that will get your head bobbing and your body moving. On top of that, it is a must-have for collectors due to the rarity of some of the tracks and the presentation of the box set.

Funeral for Justice finds the band flying high while creating songs they believe passionately in, resulting in the strongest album of Mdou Moctar’s career.

That! Feels Good! nimbly catapults Ware from being beholden to What’s Your Pleasure?, to cementing herself as one of the most agile and important dance artists working today. ... A punchier and more immediate album than What’s Your Pleasure?, slicker and far funkier, but equally iconoclastic.

Getting Killed establishes the band as amorphic, an ever-growing blob of raucous rock that thrives in the unpredictability it has put into place. Rather than select one of the many sonic worlds that gave Geese this pedestal they stand on, the band decides to dive deeper into their loftiness on Getting Killed, creating a sprawling LP that never loses focus, yet never feels the need to linger too long.

All Mirrors belongs in the canon of essential break-up albums, but more Exile in Guyville than Rumours or Blue. ... The resulting instrumentation is impressively cohesive and resoundingly huge.

There is a certain struggle to be found in these songs but it is hidden underneath her self-assured cadence. Her storytelling on this album is direct and authentic and introduces us to a new side of Archives’ creative personality.

Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal leaves the very distinct impression of that project that is a true labor of love.

Apart from McLorin’s Salvant’s singular voice and compelling musical arrangements, it’s her courage and imagination for such heady projects that set her apart from any contemporary singer.

Auerbach and Finley stick closely to the format of Sharecropper’s Son – a mix of raw blues, gospel, soul, and funk. This one does feel a tad more personal and musically more on the swampy side, weighted that way by “Alligator Bait,” as memorable a story as you’ll hear, where Finley’s anger seeps through convincingly.

Edkins' tunes are virtually indestructible, which means that you could arrange them in almost any pop style with almost any affectation and they would still sparkle. But they are especially effective in this setting because of Edkins' obvious love of power pop.

Rather than completely reinventing himself via the new moniker, Sturgill Simpson delivers more of his same idiosyncratic stylings. Passage Du Desir uses a classic Nashville base that allows ‘Johnny Blue Skies’ to springboard to more pop-oriented sounds and slightly tripped-out structures with varying degrees of success.

Tigers Blood album is yet another big step forward in her evolution from critic’s darling to one of the most dependably great indie artists performing today.

While this work may not be as riveting and stunning as its predecessor, due mostly to the familiarity of many of the tunes, that dynamic cuts both ways because there are few interpreters as adept as Giddens for traditional fare. Also, the remarkable musical chemistry between the duo just continues to grow.

This record, their most adventurous so far, pairs the band with a new producer, James Ford, who has worked with everyone from Blur and Depeche Mode to Arctic Monkeys and the Pet Shop Boys. The new pairing seemingly pushed the band to expand their sound a bit, making for a strongly compelling evolution.

If you are unfamiliar with the band’s music, this release may be the perfect place to start.

The hour of music on The Clientele’s I Am Not There Anymore flies by with a widely entertaining gusto while satisfying the band’s restless creativity.

Cuts like “Shakin’ All Over” illustrate how Petty and the Heartbreakers are individually and collectively rediscovering themselves as players and singers as they move out of their shared comfort zone. Even when the ensemble is sharing the stage, they transcend mere showmanship to depict their recommitment to the roots of their music.

There was no coasting on any front in the formulation of Long Gone. “Disco Ears” is decidedly peppier all around, though hardly redolent of the environs its title suggests or the beat-laden leanings of Redman’s Elastic Band in the mid-2000s. Instead, it is, like “Statuesque,” an unpredictable progression rendered with utter fluency all around, no less in McBride’s basswork or Blade’s drum activity than the lead instruments of their long-standing comrades.

It’s hard not to agree with what might otherwise sound like hyperbole: this is one of, if not the finest effort of the great iconoclast’s career.

Ozarker finds Nash tapping into an entirely different genre for inspiration and the result makes for one of his best albums so far. From the big guitars to the anthem-like choruses, Nash’s latest manages to update a sound that resonates both comfortably and refreshing at the same time.

By design, Lives Outgrown does not have the danceable grooves of Portishead’s music, but fans of the more experimental aspects of Gibbons’s former band should love the album. The orchestral compositions and atmospheric tension paint bleak portraits well-suited for Gibbons’s somber voice. That voice is as good as ever, able to wring drama from each utterance of her poetic tales of loss.

An extremely cerebral approach to experimental music, which tend to feel more disjointed. Every movement has a purpose and every song on the album combines to make a fantastic album.

This is one of Griffin’s most introspective albums, as she continues to move in this direction. Her fans will enjoy the lyrics and her, unique passionate vocals.

As captivating and hypnotic as it is, the album may have been even stronger if it had ended with the title track, but Goodman loves the long narrative, a gifted bonus. All told, the album is unforgettable on so many dimensions.

All these tracks are infused with percussion and amazing richly textured rhythmic patterns as you’ve already gleaned. Throughout, as on his other albums, Adjuah’s trumpet tone is clear and majestic sounding but it’s as if it resides on a higher plane above the rhythms and mix of acoustic and electronics taking place below. Together, the music remains unique, unlike almost anything else you’ve heard, unless it was from Adjuah or his label mate, Logan Richardson.

The record starts off with “Lowland Trail,” a solid folk/country hybrid, but it’s on the next two tracks where she really shines; the horn-laden, unrushed “Keep It on A Burner” and “I Remember Carolina,” an undeniable earworm up there was with John Prine when it comes to charmingly sly wordplay. Across 11 tracks, the album is a near flawless exercise in songwriting.

Be assured that Martin’s songs will grow on you. You may even take away a little more insight each time through.

Chamber music yields to hip-hop which surrenders to jazz (Harris is terrific) and back and forth through several sections of tension and release that somehow slithers into the ether, leaving us wanting even more. There’s just nothing like this out there unless you retreat back six years to Origami Harvest. Akinmusire has again delivered a fascinating and oddly irresistible project.

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.

Her work is built around the truths of her perspective, not just that each song and its themes resonate with her, but that every tragedy offers nuance to life. Zauner has given us her strongest album yet and so far, the best album of the year.

His fourth solo effort but first for ANTI-, the album like those before it is an unpretentious affair, filled with plenty of sly, smart humor, packed with underdog energy.

Only God Was Above Us is more than another Vampire Weekend album, it is an amalgamation of their storied career and experiences wrapped up in a fearless take on what their genre can become.

This release has cemented Howard as a must-hear artist as the wonderful sonic collage, soaring vocals, and insightful lyrics all come together winningly.

Bleeds is a full cathartic release for both Wednesday and the listener, as the band creates a jam-packed tracklist that sheds raw honesty, imaginative imagery, and artistic maturity over warped distortion. The band is performing as if writing and recording these songs were the only way to differentiate dreams from reality.

There’s a pop progressiveness coupled with an old-fashioned loneliness. It sounds nothing at all like Presley, but he lived in and understood those two worlds and might have appreciated the chance to bridge them in the way that Howard has here. ... Her distinctive vocal timbre is the twine that keeps Jamie wrapped-up tight. Not many artists can make loops and electronic sounds feel authentic, but Howard is more than able to keep them feeling warm and natural.

The stories hold interest at least the first time through, but Boone’s voice has us continually returning for more.

By shaving off their more experimental edges, the group can fall into a few middle-of-the-road soul-pop numbers, such as the dancefloor-ready “Sitting In The Corner”, the hand-clapping one-note “Ooo-Wee”, and the string-laden “Nothing More Lonely”, which all deliver a professional, if tame, Fitz and the Tantrums vibe. The dynamic “Seagulls” is better, mixing keys, clean guitar strums, and a dynamite trumpet solo around the effortless, head-bopping groove and Janeway’s vocals.

The power, pain, and suffering of the original Delta blues from perhaps its singly most important innovator is here to be appreciated in better sound quality than it ever has. ... This is Son House at his peak, this is one to savor and cherish. It will likely become his legacy recording.

It’s the sound of The Sadies that we’ve enjoyed for over two decades now. The band and the producer are proudly calling it the best album that the band’s ever made.

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.

This meeting of varying experiments is at the core of Wait Til I Get Over, Jones is able to challenge himself while still keeping the narrative of the LP intact, an expedition that could’ve given us countless results. What we got was an album that sits in the middle ground of the past and future, toying with the present in order to give the listener a full experience rather than a simple collection of songs.

As a whole, 12 is both a triumph and a work in progress. It showcases James Petralli’s evolution as an artist willing to adapt, experiment, and push boundaries, even if the results occasionally feel uneven.

Clearly, this is the crowning jewel of Hurray for the Riff Raff’s catalog, and surely their most honest, cathartic songwriting.

Lydia Loveless’ Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again is a cathartic release without a strong resolution, as the journey is the focus, staying strong through heartbreak, mental stress, and much more.

It is utterly mesmerizing that Gabriel can still find new and unique ways to present his art to the world and the double mixes of this album only add to the nuanced mystique of his approach. Dark-Side or Bright-Side, these 12 songs are full-body experiences with cascading melodies that pull you in every direction. i/o cements Gabriel as one of the most innovative and daring artists of his time.

This milestone reimagining of the last studio effort by the original four-man lineup is an emphatic final punctuation on R.E.M.’s long-term personal statement of chemistry, one which to this day remains altogether rare in contemporary rock and roll.

Big Thief have taken the seeds of introspection that we caught glimpses of on Masterpiece and which showed up in a strong minority of tracks on Capacity and zeroed in on that characteristic, building an album around that subtlety of expression.

It all adds to yet another triumph for this singular artist, a preeminent voice of our times whose command of vocal and musical dynamics is the perfect complement for both her straightforward and oft ambiguous lyrics.

Javelin is a poignant snapshot of Stevens’s journey to this point in his career and pushes the boundaries of his art to their most jaw-dropping and potent. Javelin is another technicolored and honest feather in Sufjan Stevens’s hat, a feather that feels freeing and warm as the artist gives us some of his best work in years.

The difference to these ears between Happiness Bastards and A Pound Of Feathers is a clear, harder edge, and more importantly, the Robinsons smell success and are fully invested in the band. That hunger is palpable as the heavy songs throughout A Pound Of Feathers kick down doors announcing The Black Crowes are fully back.

The album is spare, economical, and certainly dark in places but there’s a glimmer of light too.

There are not many musicians who could present an album with such a wide sonic palette. That is a Wayne Shorter characteristic that Blanchard and these two ensembles deliver on brilliantly.

The 7th Hand reveals even more of Wilkins’ artistry, deeply embracing Black music, citing his elders, and in so doing, demonstrating a stronger commitment to the spiritual aspects of channeling improvisation through a higher power than heard on his first effort. He further cements his growing reputation as one of the strongest contemporary forces in this music.

On Teeth Marks, we see an artist working through that coming fully into their own and with the confidence to tackle love in a compelling and refreshing way, along with the many joys and scars that it leaves in its wake.

Pure energy, passion, and joy ring throughout, as “Elijah Rock” is one more case in point that shows that James Brandon Lewis can make a tribute album sound as original as possible.

The dynamic and thought-provoking tracklist is just as restless as the lyrics Puscifer wrote for Normal Isn’t, creating a marriage between the ethereal and reality.

Ultimately, Fragments is yet another thought-provoking installment of the Dylan’s discography, not only in direct reflection of its source material but also on its very own terms.

This album is still very much a Lenker solo project with minimal arrangements and honest songwriting but thanks to some fearlessness and a bit of patience, she can make Bright Future stand out from the rest of her solo work.

Overall, the band sounds self-assured as they broaden their horizons without alienating their core fans. Secret Love is a gorgeously produced record that sounds vibrant, wandering, engaged, and slightly funky as Dry Cleaning continues to broaden their post-punk scope.

The album is consistent on the surface but a deeper listen unveils blissful tunes that come alive via unpredictable sonic twists that get better with every listen.

Weyes Blood’s And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is a revelatory baroque pop album forged in these recent chaotic days.

Clearly the collaboration between Carlos Santana and producer Rubin, the man who co-founded Def Jam Records (and has worked with the disparate likes of Run DMC, Slayer and Tom Petty) is a mutually fruitful one, because right through to the conclusion, “Candome Cumbele,” this record sounds all the more potent for its cooperative focus.

Art Dealers may just be his best album yet.

This album does have its missteps, enough of such to stunt its growth to a noticeable degree. Nevertheless, in many senses, Wet Leg undoubtedly shows great promise in their choice of which sounds they choose to greet the music world.

Although the album’s new psychedelic undercurrent absolutely deserves mention as a previously unexplored avenue for Del Rey, even with the new dimension, this is unmistakably a Lana Del Rey album, optimized for languid West Coast afternoons: contemplative, moving, and thematically consistent music to get lost inside.

Nile’s string of these three albums from 2018’s Children of Paradise to 2020’s New York at Night to this one is arguably as good as any songwriter be it Dylan, Mitchell, Earle, or whoever you want to name.