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.

What makes The Lemon Twigs such an exciting band to follow is that they have maintained a way to be new and still very rooted in what past masters of rock have accomplished sonically. ... For fellow fans of The Lemon Twigs, I’m sure we can agree it was absolutely worth the wait.

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 band’s sound has evolved steadily since Letting Off the Happiness, but they have managed to hold onto everything that made the band stand out decades ago—emotionally smart songs delivered with earnest charm.

Endless Rooms bristles with a creative spirit, which is clearly displayed in the twinkling folk-rock of “Open Up Your Window” and the building/banging dance-pop of “Blue Eye Lake”. The upbeat finale, “Bounce Off The Bottom”, keeps the tone bright with synths and chimes augmenting the sound of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever who seem to be expanding into a new era as a collective.

This might be some of the most calming music you have ever heard. It is billed as “a private listening experience.” Put this on before you go to sleep, and it should certainly relieve any tensions or anxieties. Peace.

Mdou Moctar’s Africa Victime is a less out and out rocking affair than past offerings, yet it is a more nuanced and dynamic full length than anything they have delivered before.

What the album lacks in sonic consistency, as the tracklist leaps from pop anthems to nostalgic soul balladry, it makes up for in raw passion and artistic experimentation.

This is Tami’s fifth solo album. Her trajectory is climbing and her boundless talent is a wonder to behold. Listen up.

While lyrically Bridwell is struggling during these tough times, musically he has rebounded and that combo works; Things Are Great proves Band of Horses has a lot left in the tank.

Throughout, as we’ve come to expect, Armatrading sings fervently and delivers a batch of songs that at first listen, seem fairly simple, but echo with a bit more intensity each time.

This lineup offers great potential for the provocative mix of musical personalities, and sure enough, sparks fly from the get-go on “Opal.” .... The very delicate balance the four employ actually elevates their imaginative interplay. In letting his comrades dominate on “Talking Drum,” for instance.

Iggy Pop has released a few live albums with varying degrees of success, yet Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2023 proves (somewhat surprisingly) that the rock and roll legend is still firing on all cylinders while crafting sonically dense pastures to rant over.

Ultimately, his multi-faceted approach proves intriguing.

What makes Send A Prayer My Way so compelling is that – song for song – you have two superb singers working together rather than competing over the vocals singing some of the smartest lyrics the genre boasts.

Production from Jim Eno (founding member and drummer of Spoon) is top notch as Night Moves have crafted a smooth, lightly rippling soundtrack to the summer with Can You Really Find Me.

There’s a literary elegance to Cole’s compositions rare in the pop field—the late great Warren Zevon was one of the few contemporary songwriters who shared that quality—and these arrangements mirror that nuanced formality.

Byrne always walks the fine line with his art-pop between pretentious and affecting, but thankfully, he always invests heavily in the almighty groove and some humor. Tracks like “Door Says No” skillfully evoke a range of emotions, and the quirky “I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party” skillfully blends tasty desserts with spirituality and the mystery of life, all set to a cool beat.

No Time for Love Songs is an album that channels a range of adult emotions from grief, anger, disbelief, and a deep respect for those lost into charming, evocative, gorgeous songcraft that serves for both an excellent listen and outlook.

The beauty of this creative work is that you’ll hear different sounds almost every time you play it. The melodies are infectious, and the playing is immensely inspired. It’s a risky concept that succeeds brilliantly.

Crockett has a potpourri of songs here, from the relatively simple country ditties, to arresting narratives, to those filled with symbolism that demand multiple listens. He remains squarely in the front row of today’s best writers.

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).

The presence of longtime collaborators like saxophonist Josh Johnson, guitarist Gregory Uhlmann, and drummer/producer Ben Lumsdaine helps solidify the album’s cohesiveness. Their contributions are vital in translating Butterss’ vision into a living, breathing sound. As an album, it’s a bold statement, marking Butterss as a formidable presence in contemporary music.

“Alice in Bluegrass” highlights the skills of her fine band while the haunting “Stranger Things” is both a vocal tour de force and a stunning dobro turn from Douglas. Tuttle is at her playful best, promoting marijuana legalization in the brief, upbeat “Down Home Dispensary.”

Altogether, as with most of YLT’s covers over the years, Sleepless Night is a stellar selection of songs completed by a very talented trio. If it sounds like the group could record most of these covers in their sleep, that only shows how well the band has honed their tribute skills.

A judiciously edited forty-some minutes of music that sounds every bit the essence of what the band’s titular leader wanted to say and how he wanted it to sound.

The collective clarity of mind on cuts such as “Monaco” keeps them focused and to the point. And while both the musicianship and the material In songs such as “Last Frontier” sound distinctly of that time in the mid to late Nineties when Ride pioneered what is now described as ‘shoegaze music,” it’s also pertinent to that period when it took courage to leave the home even as it was psychically suffocating to stay inside. No question there is a tangible confidence suffusing Interplay.

Though less dynamic than its predecessor, owing perhaps to the lack of a surprise factor, it essentially picks up where Raising Sand let off. There are a few new tweaks, but this is collaboration is so strong, we’re left asking why we had to wait so long.