Like Jon Batiste’s recent effort World Music Radio, by trying to reach out to the masses, the spark that makes Lake Street Dive engagingly hard to classify has evolved into its bold shot at populist appeal.

In total, Look Alive finds Guster again opting for the unexpected, a playful approach that allows them to expand their sonic terrain and meld experimentation into their rockier refrains. It isn’t an easy album to absorb in a single listen, but it does ensure that each encounter will be all the more engaging along the way.

Dreams on Toast has the same stadium rock credentials as the mega-hit Permission to Land. Guitarist Justin Hawkins’s vocals are a bit more subdued, but he still croons and belts with a natural swagger. His brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins, delivers solid riffs anchored by the strong rhythm section of bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Rufus Taylor.

Stinson and Robert have turned down the raucousness and deliver more contemplative efforts, while still experimenting with sound and instrumentation. The stakes feel lower by design as if two musicians are just having a good time with each other as Cowboys in the Campfire allow Wronger to chill along.

Lyrically Batiste plays it middle of the road, not to offend, and at times that hollowness can seem like a bad parody. ... That title, World Music Radio, pledges a larger scope of sound which Batiste is certainly capable of incorporating, but too often different genres get a quick cameo before Batiste goes back to the dance-ready pop tracks.

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

As a bleak artistic shift from his folksier Americana, the album is a complete product, just not a very engaging one. Todd Snider seems to be in transition with this record.

It’s much more textural [than 2015's Undertow], drawing a lot from new wave and shoegaze, with drummer Rory Loveless (Eoin’s brother) always luring the song back to those rock roots. The combination works and keeps the album from sounding like an 80’s tribute record.

Freewave Lucifer F>ck F^ck F<ck addresses the full spectrum of human emotion, it has a loose feeling without straying too far away from Barnes’ initial vision. While it may take a couple of listens to fully grasp what Of Montreal is portraying on this album, the result is a scary yet gorgeous album filled with off-kilter instrumentals and soul-stirring songwriting that will leave you feeling bewildered and enticed.

It is in the opener and closer where perhaps the most interesting experiments lie. Cobb opens with “Beyond Measure (Piano),” a solo piano number that sounds almost demo-like and starts the album on odd footing, but the closing “Beyond Measure (Fixin’s)” brings the whole band back to the track. Perhaps combining those two efforts in Neil Young-like fashion could find a successful middle ground between Cobb’s rock and Americana urges.

Evian has succeeded in creating a layered album that reveals more and more on repeated listens both instrumentally and lyrically.

Though it lacks some of the standout avant-garde moments of the band’s earlier work, it also eschews the messy missteps that had popped up from time to time. Seeing Other People is also the most focused and controlled Foxygen album and its intricate melodies and infinite hooks will be remembered long after the band is no more, whether France and Rado realize it or not.

The collection of songs is ambitious – at times brilliant and other times tedious. But you can’t accuse The Avett Brothers of simply rerecording the same album over and over again.

For those not already familiar with the Femmes, this probably won’t be the point of entry that provides a portal to instant fandom, but it’s a fun and worthwhile listen. ... It’s a solid representation of what they do well and an impish and occasionally truly insightful good time.

When the band does dig into R&B it does so in the modern era rather than leaning retro (there is a noticeable lack of horns throughout) as “Ghost In Smoke” and “Tin Man Love” both use skittering trap like drums and digital bass bumps to groove. St. Paul and the Broken Bones are constantly evolving and the fearless band goes with what inspires them, on The Alien Coast that covers a little bit of everything.

This simplicity is what first brought them to national attention and this collection of seven tracks is solid, but feels like a regression for a band who was just stepping out of their comfort zone. The dynamite harmonies and strong acoustic playing is still there, but nothing presented on the EP is must-hear.

The lighthearted moments here offset the pedantry even if they also muffle a more provocative impact (as did the strident tone of 2006’s Living With War, including “Let’s Impeach The President”). Neil is preaching to the converted here and this offering isn’t likely to convince the skeptical.

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.

This is not an album meant to prove any sense of prowess; it is a quiet collection of songs from an artist looking to understand himself better.

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.

Rendered all the more vivid by Son Volt’s combustible playing, Jay Farrar’s imagery isn’t any more likely to become dated than like the rest of this record. On the contrary, it should prove timeless and, appropriately enough, of a piece with the best work of Jay Farrar’s estimable career.

It’d behoove him to engage with an objective third party to help produce the album (a task he assumed here along with his spouse). Based on the slightly erratic nature of Mountains, such an alliance would ensure the versatile skills Nils Lofgren still commands would receive all the attention they deserve and in the proper proportion too.

Through its simplicity, Five Easy Hot Dogs achieved a level of beauty that redefines Demarco as a musician. Instead of relying on cheeky guitar tones and whispering vocal melodies, Demarco created a project that expresses his diversity without it feeling forced.

Whatever way you slice it, Deer Tick’s “leftovers” are better than the main courses of many other bands. This compilation is an attempt to show fans a more vulnerable side of the band, the ones that would choose the mayonnaise.

The songs are carefully constructed but never overworked, and the production keeps things loose enough to feel personal. After years of contributing to other artists’ records, this debut makes a convincing case that Morgan Nagler’s own voice deserves just as much attention.

Action Adventure is a tidal wave of dense textures that wash over the listener for a full-sensory rollercoaster ride through the restless creativity of DJ Shadow.

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.

This soothing, peaceful album reminds us to take stock of who we are, where we’ve been, but mostly to just appreciate the moments at hand. It’s the kind of album that only a superior artist could pull off without sounding cheesy or pat.