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.

This is a no-bells-or-whistles effort from DeMarco, staying true to the Guitar title by tying together string-driven emotional releases with jaw-dropping consistency.

On its own terms, as a soft, singer-songwriter album, Weapons of Beauty is a showcase of deft storytelling from a singer with a captivating voice.

TANGK is an artsy outing that is polished and honed while refusing to stay complacent and neat, their range as a band now seems limitless as IDLES release the riskiest and most rewarding music of their career.

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.

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.

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.

Ultimately much of the charm of Peculiar, Missouri was in its stripped-down, consistent sound. In contrast, Critterland is certainly not consistent. Rather, it’s a disparate collection of ambitious, oddball tracks that sometimes grab you instantly and sometimes take a while to sink in, but ultimately make for a compelling listen.

Robyn Hitchcock’s easy-going sense of whatever-will-be-will-be floats through the varied compositions on SHUFFLEMANIA! as the artist (with a little help from his friends) slips and slides around his Beatles inspired pop offerings.

Against the Dying of the Light is an admirable work whose musicianship in the telling far outshines what is ultimately told and creates many beautiful moments of reflection.

The sisters pour out their emotions fearlessly in this effort, making it their strongest album yet as their trajectory continues to steepen.

The gauntlet is thrown down directly at the start and while the following songs are all strong, nothing tops this dynamite performance.

There’s no pretension. It comes across here as well as it does in his live performances.

She can be both old-timey and contemporary. She’s a master at bringing polar opposites into a cohesive statement. The tension that lives in her songs and album sequences usually ends with a blissful takeaway and, despite a few new twists, the same is true here.

Savor this one.

Though Marr has always been more musically creative than his former, outspoken songwriting partner, Fever Dreams Pts I-IV proves it. With such a broad array of influences drawn from in the formation of this album, there is much to discover in each track and multiple listens are bound to reveal much more.

The album finds a comfortable middle ground between the warmth of your own bed after a long vacation and the anxiety of entering a new era in your life. She deploys just enough ambiance to keep us listening without distracting from her overall message, allowing the hushed melodies and simplistic arrangements to thrive under the all-encompassing creativity of its creator.

The musical conversations span different genres and styles as Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog hit new highs on Connection as the band throws out any sort of expectations and just delivers highly vibrant music that goes where the spirit takes it.

Haunting re-workings of “Private Hell” from the Jam’s 1979 Setting Sons resides next to solo favorites such as “You Do Something To Me,” both of which fit seamlessly into a set overtly and deliberately lush from its very start on “One Bright Star;” subsequently book-ended by “White Horses,” the program concludes with the appropriately emotional, but decidedly unsentimental flourish of “May Love Travel With You.”

Sonic Youth is criminally underrated and fans of adventurous, guitar-driven rock will find tons to like from their wide-ranging, rich career. Walls Have Ears is just an early drop in the sonic bucket.

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.

Two misses aside, this is the Delbert we’ve long known and enjoy, doing it as only he can.

We have one of the best in their series, one that sounds like one infectiously grooving continuous track.

The made-for-the-dance floor opener “Chasing An Empty Dream” begins with a ridiculously funky bass line from Steve before percussion kicks in, and Simpson’s smooth vocals singing about focus on materialism and a loss of family values to the punchy, syncopated horns and vocal harmonies. .... The pulsating tempo recedes to orchestrated strings in the first of two ballads, “Road to Zion,” sung beautifully by Simpson and enhanced by the band’s other vocalist, sounding like late-night R&B blaring from boomboxes in the ‘70s.

It is an album that refuses to confine to a single vibe or genre and can thus be seen as inconsistent. ... But further listens and history will show “Empath” to be an incredible neuro-spazzing journey into the mind of a musical master.

The 9-song record is certainly Hiatt’s most ambitious body of work to date and one of her best albums yet. The music is strong, confident and personal without being too earnest. And while she expands her sound and influences quite a bit on this one, it is still every bit a Lilly Hiatt album.

As always, it’s Bazan’s words that bring people to the table and keep seated. Rolling out of his mouth with no real set sense of intonation or melody, Bazan beautifully interweaves pinpoint specific tales of his churchgoing suburban youth with greater universal ideas of truth and meaning, all wrapped in his dark wit and humor.

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.