United Crushers can come across as a draining listen, perhaps even an uncomfortable one to those accustomed to their earlier work. It takes a few listens to discern the resolve in Leaneagh’s lyrics, but it’s there.

While pacing proves to be the record’s ultimate strength, Sagarmatha simply doesn’t say enough to be a real force.

For all the criticisms Nelson may endure for not branching out or over relying on minimalism, White Bird Release does provide a certain thrill.

Corey Taylor has crafted a no-frills, carefree collection of party rock tunes that, at worst, offer nothing inventive or deep but at best will give you an adrenaline rush at 2 a.m. when you’re out with your buddies getting trashed and forgetting that 2020 ever happened.

Every Open Eye proves Chvrches to be a band that hones in on its strengths, develops them, and uses those strengths to consistently release quality material.

They sound fresher and more relevant than they have done in years, even eclipsing the latter records of Bergsman's time with the band.

In the end, iTRÉ! is unexpectedly the strongest record overall of the three. Although it has its own issues, these don't drag that much the whole affair down and there aren't any horrible missteps such as "Nightlife".

Although the softer moments here are only soft in comparison to the dazzling cacophony that usually accompanies her songs, Welch does seem more confident here letting her pipes do the heavy lifting.

Pleasant, often phenomenal. And then afterwards, most of it is gone minus those times when it got real.

Some experiments don’t add much to the listening experience, but don’t detract either. The story telling is very up front, yet the confidence and attitude never passes into obnoxious, parody of oneself territory. As a result, Welfare Jazz remains a tight effort that hopefully acts as a transition to a richer sonic canvas.

What results is another quality release that cannot help but make music fans excited for what this gifted outfit are to bestow upon us on their next offering.

AFI’s latest offering is a good one, but also one that seems to hint at a promise that it never quite fulfills.

What's right here is awesome, and I for one have got a lot of joy out of listening to it.

The most important takeaway when listening to The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion is that however centaurian the album as a whole may be, Dredg are a truly special group.

Wasting Light isn't a masterpiece, nor does it see Grohl really reinventing the wheel as far as the band's sound goes, but it's clearly painted from a broader pallette of colours and it's clearly their first consistently good set of songs.

Despite being a solid, sometimes gorgeous album of songs from a very well-matched collaboration of artists, Unmap’s ultimate effect will be whetting appetites everywhere for the next Bon Iver record.

My Method Actor is very likely an aimless sandbox, one which leads to some very cool songs, and others there's no chance we'll remember once we're eight albums deep into Nilüfer Yanya's career.

The record’s most profound and memorable experiences arrive at the hands of the tracks that are not afraid of crossing timelines, the ones that are unafraid of integration and understand there is no returning to the past.

There's a give and take at work on Mine Is Yours, one that fans of their earlier work will either love or hate.

Overall, Days Go By ends up as a solid record only because there are traces of The Offspring again and not a band that tries to copy others.

One of the more intriguing albums of the year, because emotion isn't really a quantifiable trait. In this case, it's best to simply listen and find out which side of the fence you're on.

For what it is, When Machines is a reasonably entertaining collection of spare beats, courtesy of a long-hibernating maestro that’s just trying to get back in the game.

Wreck, their seventh full-length effort, is pretty much everything you would come to expect from an Unsane record.

Positive Songs for Negative People lives up to its name and is an enjoyably straight forward record. Unfortunately, the album’s biggest strength also holds it back from ranking among his finest, as the overarching optimism makes the record feel slightly thin and superficial compared to his previous offerings.

What does set this apart from Actress' earlier pieces is the incredibly organic feel that this album seems to thrive on.

Sulphur English is both a career spanning bow on an admirable decade and a determined look toward the future.

Yes, they still have a few kinks that need to be worked out--for instance, they need to address the game of musical chairs at lead guitarist--but a whole, The Afghan Whigs look just as unstoppable as they did in their prime.

Occasionally, it becomes exhausting, making it hard to finish listening V in one go. Nevertheless, when it clicks, it definitely sparks joy.