Here, DCFC cut loose a bit and it's water they're better off swimming in my opinion. Hopefully, there's more energy moving forward but all in all, Thank You for Today is a record we should be thankful has blossomed into existence, especially on the heels of how relatable it can be.

Angry riffs and gigantic hooks build the base of the album and it's one heavily steeped in frustration and angst. Sadly though, as emotional and honest as the record gets, too many songs are forgettable and lack the punch possessed a couple years ago.

Expectations may not exactly be lived up to the way you had hoped. You just may, however, find that your expectations were wrong in the first place. That’s right, Positive Songs for Negative People is more than worth your time.

The distant vocals and a plethora of noisy, crashing cymbals keep a frenetic pace throughout the first half of Psychic Mess which tapers out to a slower second half.

Charming and inviting best sums this musical prose up.

The result: an album with zero purpose but worth a listen.

Painting With will not compare to Animal Collective’s most lauded work but these guys are forever experimentalists. This batch of songs is quicker and sunnier, something older fans are sure to despise. But what a great change of pace it is.

In true late 70s record style, the band seems to be throwing everything in the blender and letting things lock together as they will, as opposed to forcing a mandate. What’s not surprising about this is that it works.

This plays like any other band's greatest hits. Every song is gold.

Tigers Jaw have evolved but they're not going to drastically turn the corner. It's more of a slow bend around a hill. spin acknowledges the past, tipping its hat at it but that nod is an honest goodbye signaling a move to newer pastures.

Ultimately, by the time the final song rolls around, you can't help but wish this ran a few songs longer, which is indicative of how good the album is.

Melvins still have something profound to say about the Melvins… but then again, a double disc album that includes one full disc of noise experiments and one full disc of BB King level musicianship kind of was a shocker.

Cursive has made an uneasy record for their fans that may be too on the nose, which is clearly the intention.

The music might be slightly quieter simply because it isn't amplified, but it's not any gentler than his usual stuff. By contrast, Osborne seems to be going out of his way to make these recordings as combustible as possible.

This is the result of three women who have perfected their sound, now it’s our job to listen.

It sounds like everything has been sounded down to the point where instruments tend to melt together and it can actually be hard to hear what is going on at some points. It doesn’t ruin the release, but it does make it sound vastly different on different unites. (i.e. the EP actually sounds really good – if not a little too slick- on my home stereo, but on my car stereo, it sounds watery).

If you're a fan of The Front Bottoms, you should consider that folk/indie/acoustic era totally dead. And it's not a bad thing to accept because art involves evolution and experimentation, and while it even took me a while to get accustomed to TFB's pop-mainstream aura, it's a jacket worn pretty damn well as In Sickness & In Flames shows.

As intimate as he gets, there's too strong a withdrawn feeling and one which severely takes away from an otherwise decent effort.

They really proved that they're a conduit for great music and a band that's chomping at the bit to explore and vary their style.

Moving Mountains is built on measures of emotional force and with that emotive drive, it's hard to see this record failing.

In a year that will see an actual new Gaslight Anthem album, as well as Brian Fallon's new side project Molly & the Zombies, The B-Sides can be easily skipped.

Stickles and company prove once again that there is nothing more punk than doing the opposite of what’s expected. And this album meets, exceeds and plays with expectations in the way only Stickles knows how.

The songs are well constructed and the playing sounds authentic. ... The issue comes when Corgan begins to sing, and it’s not his nasally voice that doesn’t work. ... He still, too often, thinks his voice deserves to be the loudest in the room. He’s still a city boy hung up on big ideas.

Yet, with all these contrasting angles and despite the roadhouse crew bringing up the lower end, the album flies by breezily. Although the band has legion of dispatched formers bassists in their wake, it appears the band does play well with others. And not only that, they know how to use “others“ to great potential.

I think this record has to be taken in isolation and taken in context of needed something to do during the pandemic. But regardless, No Fun Mondays is a pop-rocking good time.

Father of All Motherfuckers is a danceable, feel-good pop album with some really stellar songwriting and, after the impotent Revolution Radio and the ludicrous ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy, seeing Green Day branch out a bit and succeed at something different is refreshing. It’s a sign of artists with a great deal of range and imagination who are far from done surprising us.

The lyrics are cheesy and uninspiring at best.

From the Very Depths is an unexpectedly awesome record that should please most extreme metal fans.