This album certainly does mark a “departure” for Siobhan Wilson, but it sheds none of her allure.

Her weary disposition begs for songs that are stripped down and reduced to their component parts--songs that don't fuss around. That's the problem--the fussing, the instinct to add more. It sounds like she's reaching for something, but she doesn't know what it is or where to find it.

Pick things apart, and it’s a fine addition to the St. Louis band’s catalogue--there are several songs here that will catalyze their already electric live show.

Progression is a funny word; in some ways La Dispute are the antithesis of progression, they’re more a freeze-frame of the moments and memories we try to get away from. This ability to cherry-pick these moments and refine them to poems told in a desperate, choked-back, strained delivery is the genius of La Dispute, and the reason they are now one of the pivotal post-hardcore bands of the last decade.

Overall Hot Thoughts doubles down on what we already knew: that Spoon are a band always looking to push themselves, a fact that seems to be getting more acute with each passing album, and it should be celebrated.

PROTO is already one-of-a-kind, but there are times when Herndon could’ve stood to push the envelope just a bit more, instead of giving lovely but somewhat slight and redundant moments like ‘Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt’ or the ‘Live Training’ interludes. But she’s in a class of her own when it comes to this sort of electronic pioneering.

Historian is a complete album, cavernous in its emotional depths and regally sophisticated in its songwriting, yet palatably relatable at the point of contact. It’s a work of perfectly realised ambition in which anyone who’s ever waded the swamp of heartache can recognise themselves.

Schlagenheim may possess some semblance of the aforementioned genres, alongside others like kraut and yes, even jazz, but pining for some rigid label is futile, because Schlagenheim is one of the most unique rock records released this year and maybe of the past five years.

Mering wrings out so much emotion from her voice that these songs burst with human vitality--and that is the main thing to take away from here.

Midnight Sun is a very interesting record, and shows the duo expanding their horizons without forgetting about the importance of their melodic roots.

From the haunting '422', with its echoing chimes, to the dark electro-pop of 'Out of the Black' which features a great guest vocal from Robyn, there are too many stand out moments to take in in just one listen.

Rarely has an emcee arrived to the hip-hop scene in such a controlled and specific manner. Perico sounds better with each release, building off of his past flaws, topping whatever he had in mind only months prior.

This is a cosmopolitan voyage throughout markedly different places and eras, humbling touching a variety of more or less exotic influences without merely appropriating them--showcasing their uncanniest beauty with the highest respect instead.

This is Brockhampton at their funkiest and most playful, but it’s also Brockhampton at their finest.

He hasn’t crafted the second coming of Deltron 3030 but a contemplative and diverse delight. We can only hope Offset’s impending solo debut is just as good.

This is R&B and dense pop bent to its creators will, rather than anything the other way around. This is Beyoncé for a panic attack. This is, only more and more so with time spent in its valleys and peaks, essential listening.

Beware of the Dogs is a wonderful debut album from a luminous young talent.

The music is calmer, but his flare hasn't left with his anger, thus solidifying the album into the band's pristine legacy.

The Midnight Sun is more of an atmospheric experience, than an emotive one. That’s less of a problem than it would seem, because the atmosphere that C Duncan has crafted is mesmerising.

Stetson's bass sax is still an extraordinary thing to hear, and Neufeld's melody lines and textures add another colour to the palette.

After years of delivering on her promise, it comes as no surprise that Hiss Spun is as good as it is. The instrumental tracks dance around Wolfe’s soaring vocals and ultimately collide with them perfectly to create a collection of songs that are a joy to listen to.

It doesn't offer any real answers or solutions, nor should it have to. Instead, it offers something more valuable than other albums exploring heavily topical subjects occasionally lack: empathy. Which is something we could all use in these fraught times.

Total Strife Forever is a brutal electronic album, but one that still retains a very humanistic core--this juxtaposition is a thematic thread which runs throughout the album. Doyle then sculpts and defines the music in order to create tension between these two disparate elements, or else uses their differences in order to surprise and engage the listener.

Ultimately, Ivy Tripp is the best record in Crutchfield's discography, but her rise is undoubtedly continuing. Where she will plateau remains to be seen, but she is already making her mark as one of America's premier songwriters and she shows no signs of stopping.

If each of these eleven songs didn't deviate from their affective formula until now, there's not much reason to change it up. I do wish I could hear more lyrics and emotional sentiment.

The album takes a few central tenets of dance music of the last couple of decades, and sends it fearlessly spiralling into a shimmering vision of the future. It is possibly something that will bemuse some, but absolutely enthral those willing to use it to spur the imagination--and that is often the sign of a truly provocative and thoughtful artwork.

The arrangements of the album contrast between moments of minimal instrumentation, layered with her vulnerable vocal melodies that seem complementary of the overall theme. It could be felt at points that the musicality seems to move without increased colour, but it is only when you venture further into the album and the lyricism that it becomes clearer that this is likely to be understood as a reflection of the concept.

For anyone willing to stick around long enough to listen, they are richly and endlessly rewarding.