It’s all so very lovely and natural.

Yes, it’s as good as you’d imagine.

Fertita pulls from all his edgy influences fortuitously throughout this solo self-titled debut, as Tropical Gothclub shakes with an infectious buzzing energy in line with Eagles of Death Metal and Them Crooked Vultures.

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.

In spite of its stylistic breadth, Dolphine is a relatively effortless listen. It isn’t jarring or grating. It is unpredictable, challenging, interesting and honest, and ultimately a very satisfying addition to Mega Bog’s discography.

While their debut, The Power And The Glory, is not necessarily treading new ground, it is still a remarkably satisfying collection of straight-ahead college rock songs. Mantione’s vocals are solid, but it’s the unexpected lyrical turns that almost all of the songs take that make the band so compelling.

The Decemberists return better than ever. As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again is the band’s longest and most rewarding album to date. The Decemberists take the art of the concept album and fill it with as many fantasy tropes as possible, creating a sonic journey that deserves your undivided attention.

With his fifteenth solo album, Sting’s Duets is a fluid journey between other collaborators with touches of inspiration from a plethora of genres, all while boasting that finesse and swagger that’s immortalized in his past work.

Regardless going against all conventions and ridding itself of repetition, Croz Boyce is an album that begs to be heard again and again.

Humility prevails in Before And After especially as it radiates through the ease of Young’s vocal delivery. The weathered quality his voice has acquired over the years only adds to the emotional authenticity, as does the simplicity of his harmonica playing and the vigorous strumming of acoustic guitar.

It’s far more compelling than 2019’s Colorado and Barn from two years later and even World Record from 2022, in part because its comparably impromptu atmosphere enhances rather than detracts from the credibility of the material and the performances.

For Hynde the music of Bob Dylan lifted her out of her pandemic morose last spring, this collection is a testament to its power, which is a fount for inspiration as well as boundlessly open for interpretation.

The novelty-worthy Blues/rocker “Kudzu Vines” sounds like little more than album filler. But the slow built to almost euphoric “Wild Ways,” complete with a backing choir, and the organ-drenched, revenant song “The Throne” make up for the inclusion of “Kudzu Vines.”

Real Estate seamlessly ties in the esoteric with the relatable, landing on a short but powerful LP that simply asks you to question everything without demanding an immediate answer.

Overall, it was an excellent example of electronic production by two masters at the craft. A lot of instrumentally based albums move all as one piece, but “Aporia” was a combination of tracks each made as an individual piece creating a distinct musical picture. Listen with headphones.

Year of the Spider continues Shannon & The Clams run of catchy, quirky offerings while dealing with the pain and loss that is everywhere.

Musically the band takes some really big swings here on songs like “Hell On Earth,” easily one of their best tracks in years, and the beautifully soaring “Living In the Grey”; and those experiments almost always pay off. Impressively, the band pairs those musical gambles with some of their most personal lyrics yet, singing about fatherhood, expectations of masculinity and showing vulnerability. This new creative spark and lyrical enlightenment makes for Circa Wave’s most ambitious record so far in a career that is already pretty notable.

It’s an effective blend superior to earlier attempts at versatility, as on the Bright Lights EP and, during the aforementioned “What About Us,” comparable to the absorption of musical elements present on previous full-length studio albums like Blak And Blu.

If you’re going to listen to one new release this week, make it Squirrel Flower’s Tomorrow’s Fire. Ella Willams crafted a meaningful album that showcases her limitless potential without disregarding the nuances of her artistry that make Squirrel Flower so unique and powerful.

Overall, Andrew Gabbard plays to his vocal and guitar playing strengths, hinting at even more with digital beats and vibrations throughout the enjoyable ride that is Ramble & Rave On!

The energy and the seamless fusing of these genres create remarkable, infectious, foot-stomping grooves that rarely relent. Instead, they threaten to explode at times.

The songs on this album may not end up on rock radio stations, but they would fit right in with a lot of the classic rock that is played incessantly on stations across the country.

More than just a comeback, Hallucinating Love is a testament to the resilience of Maribou State. Their sound has evolved without losing its essence, channeling hardship into something immersive and profoundly affecting.

With South Of Here and its moments of vulnerability, Rateliff and his band put out an impressive record for anyone who hadn’t been paying attention the last few years. They are clearly still just as potent as they were a decade ago.

The son of the legendary Ali Farka Touré, Vieux Farka is continuing the tradition of those artists who came before him, while forging his own path. Les Racines is an ode to the past, yet Touré’s is constantly working towards a better future.

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

The band leans into what they do best — swelling ballads, earnest confessionals, and gratifying harmonies — and as a result, the album feels less like a reinvention than a reaffirmation of what they do best.

There is not a single track on the album that doesn’t deserve to be there. Even more so than any of his previous records, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! is his the most consistently satisfying album yet.