The band sacrifices their love for challenging sonics for soaring harmonies that accent subtle nods to Western nostalgia while filling the room with grandiose arrangements, creating a tight and consistently entertaining tracklist that still finds ways to shock and amaze.

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

It showcases Dream Theater’s status as a collection of musical masters who, forty years later, remain at the top of their games.

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.

Its obvious replay value hints at the kind of staying power required of truly great albums and while it’s unlikely to dethrone Merriweather Post Pavilion’s status as their greatest album, it is without question the elite artistic accomplishment the world has been waiting for in a spiritual successor.

Despite its historical importance in completing something of a missing link in the wide arc of Nobel Laureate’s career, The Complete Budokan 1978 is notably missing designation as an entry into the ongoing archive initiative known as The Bootleg Series. Consequently, this is one of those ever-so-rare Bob Dylan items to be taken almost strictly at face value and savored as such.

Irreversible builds on that foundation of classic New Wave and modern indie pop to create a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly their own.

With every message of love comes a juxtaposing string section that leans on the opposite emotion, giving the album, and Kiwanuka’s music as a whole, a newfound emotional depth. Not that Kiwanuka’s previous releases were void of emotions in the slightest, but this new packaging gives his sentiments a new shine. Small Changes force the artist’s words into the spotlight like never before, allowing the full scope of Kiwanuka’s perspective to hit harder and stick with you longer.

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.

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

You don’t need to have read the book to appreciate the honesty of the album, which makes a compelling argument for Lanegan as a contemporary Lead Belly. ... The tracks aren’t designed to be ornate; they’re designed to support his lyrics. The result is a beautifully haunting journey.

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.

Welfare Jazz is a major progression for a band that has already been blowing minds with a sound unlike anything else out there, not to mention truly brilliant music videos. Their serrated and offbeat approach to rock and roll balances dark humor and unexpected thrills with the kind of dangerous edge that is sadly missing from most music these days. As one of the first album releases of the year, the Viagra Boys have set the bar high.

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.

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.

If MIKE had released Beware of the Monkey a few months earlier, a lot of the “Best Albums of the Year” lists you’ve been reading would look a lot different. He gracefully navigates a new season in his life through vibrant instrumentals and heartfelt poetry that is as direct as it is artistically ambitious.

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.

The lyrics of Deadbeat scream essential Tame Impala. Still, there is a simplicity to Deadbeat that has never been a part of the band’s repertoire, allowing Parker’s songwriting to feel new and fresh. .... These twelve songs do more than satisfy Parker’s hunger for something fresh; they establish Tame Impala as an amorphic sonic giant ready to implement their singularity into whichever genre they please.

The beauty in this album lies in the delivery. Her vocals can easily kick your ass and will readily give you the bird, yet she switches these sentiments for vulnerability and pure honesty while remaining distinctly tough. She is a legend at 61, yet she sounds just as vibrant as her landmark album, TNT.

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.

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.

Sable, fABLE is stunning, emotionally-driven, psychedelic pop that bends at Vernon’s will, allowing the artist to explore the intricacies of the musical empire he has built over the years.

Every tune here would be a candidate for a film score, much of the moody and dramatic material conducive to Hitchcock. .... The Umbria Jazz Orchestra, with its blend of brass and woodwinds versus the heavy string emphasis of the Brussels Philharmonic, adds completely different sonic textures. Ringing guitar notes reverberate and echo with more authority as the ensemble extends them. The blending sounds are captivating, and Frisell’s trio mates also seem more at the forefront.

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.”

The unrelenting, intoxicating grooves of The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio are everything one would want from an organ trio – a pinch of late’60s, some elements of more modern funk, and a riveting, magnetic swagger that won’t let go.

Throughout it’s impossible not to feel some goosebumps and chills in his poignant, raw delivery. ... Finley and Auerbach vary tempos and sound and with Finley’s changing vocal treatments, the album does a nice job of blending classic blues, R&B, and soul in an inviting mix. This project will likely receive much consideration for awards and year-end lists.

Hadsel is a stunning set of songs that demand and deserve your undivided attention, put your phone to the side, finish your household chores, and allow Beirut’s latest to transport you to a meditative state.

Undoubtedly other posthumous recordings from Masakela are forthcoming but this serves as a vital essential part of his storied legacy.