Hum-worthy ditties that suggest Artificial Heart is definitely the real deal.

A transitional record, then, one that seems to be leading to a masterstroke.

At 29, Winslow-King clearly has a bright future ahead of him, but Everlasting Arms shows he’s come a long way already.

There's a cocktail cool to "Troublemaker" that goes nicely with the singer's Nico-on-a-bender routine. And "Irene" with its hypnotic refrain and ice-thawing emotionalism is the sort of heartbreaking melody that made you fall in love with the pair in the first place.

This follow-up is even better & louder, on par with the dizzying heights of her old band.

Having not lost a single step, Failure is as potent a force now as it was when its style of music was king.

This third full-length, after a slew of singles, fills out his sound, soothing abrasive beats with a floating fog of sustained notes.

A defining blend of assurance and intrigue makes Calexico’s music come across as both so sumptuous and so surreal.

The best tracks, though, come when Earle focuses on just simply rockin’.

This is more, almost more than you can take, and it’s better than less any day.

It’s a spellbinding portal into a horrific cultural experience that continues to burn and radiate spiritual sustenance to the world.

Like just about most of their catalogue it’s refreshingly original, incorporating sax, accordion and organ into what would, on its own, still be a great collection of country and rock numbers.

There are a couple of stumbles here, like on the somber “Easy Love,” but for the most part, Late Riser is crammed with stunning songs strong enough to make you forget what else is going on in the world--at least for 30 minutes or so.

Maandig remains the primary vocalist; yet she is MIA on many of the vast orchestrations that feel like Tattoo leftovers.

They’ve created a complex and detailed world, and English Oceans adds more memorable characters to it.

Under Branch & Thorn & Tree is a hypnotic sojourn to be sure, one that rewards repeated listens with a sense of lofty liberation.

Strong Feelings sums up the sentiments, but it’s the eloquent execution that makes this so sublime.

Like many a good party, you wish it would have last longer (the other minor qualm is that there isn’t a mention of when the specific songs were recorded).

What you get here, in 2017, is an accurate representation of their setlist at the time, seven lengthy numbers that include a pair of originals from the trio alongside extended, improv-tilting covers of Jimmy Webb, Bacharach & David, Herbie Hancock, and more.

The music will put a smile on your face and make you want to dance - which is what good, timeless pop is supposed to do, in the final estimation.

Sometimes older and wiser just makes you harder and meaner. I Used to Be Pretty is the grungy, gangly, glorious result of hard-won maturity.

The record, produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Swans), was pulled together after a year spent on the road, and it shows.

Every tune serves the moment, like a series of self-contained filmic miniatures whose character sketches, though brief, are utterly memorable, with those sketches’ accompanying sonics just as resonant.

Practically vibrating with the will to realize its ambition, Crime & the City Solution finally produces its masterpiece.

[The] excellent Faithful Man is a product of the dream team of producers, arrangers, songwriters and players (the house band called the Expressions) at Brooklyn's Truth & Soul Records, whose history parallels Brooklyn's better-known Daptone.

Fossils remains uniformly subdued throughout. Yet, it’s hardly as dry as the album title might imply.

Phillips’ very considerable skill is in getting to the core of an idea, stripping it down to essentials and then shading it subtly with cross-currents of meaning and musical counterpoint.

Stuart cut a slew of tracks at their studio, handed the results to J.D. Foster for mixing duties, and wound up with one helluva platter that’s even better than The Deliverance of… and, as fans will realize upon the first spin, slots perfectly into his Green On Red oeuvre.

It’s always comforting to know that certain stylistic bents of rock never go out of style. That’s usually because someone puts a new spin on an old formula. That’s arguably the case with E.

Man, is this ever drenched in heart and soul. The first time I heard it, several months ago, I muttered to myself, “Think this gonna be in my top 10 of 2019.” ‘deed it is, folks.

Written while staying in the New Jersey house in which he grew up, the record isn’t so much nostalgic as wistful, as if Jones was surveying the streets he used to walk with good memories but no desire to relive the past.

There's a warmth and life in these songs that goes beyond tribute or reenactment.

This scorching set of amplified electro-acoustic spiritualism between the pair and the mighty Mats is an effective snapshot of the potential for what could have been.

Weird, raw and beautiful all at once.

Weirdo Shrine is everything that the debut was and more.

Ultimately, Old Mad Joy may not signal the breakthrough that this outfit deserves, but by rekindling the savvy sound techniques that have taken them this far, hopefully the rest of the world will catch up soon enough.

Non-Believers slips masterfully between vantage points and emotions.

Their latest, Signed and Sealed in Blood, will likely not change many opinions as it is still their same hallmark of rowdy, drink in the air, boot stomping sing-alongs.

One interesting thing about Ty Rex is how Segall nicely balances the more familiar glam/Seventies side of Bolan with the early folky-faerie side that characterized his Sixties output.

Unlike its meandering, esoteric predecessor, the gorgeous Under the Pale Moon is an affair more focused in thought and sincere in song.

Corb Lund, the former Canadian punk rocker turned roots country singer, is back with his eighth record and has settled into a comfortable, stripped down grove with a little lap steel thrown in for good measure.

An impressively ambitious feat no doubt, but this album would probably be better served with a little more restraint.

For all the new sonic waves undulating through this record, however, the band's distinctive identity still shines--there's no mistaking Marble Son for the work of anyone else, and it's the ability to evolve while still remaining true to core values that makes Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter great.

Seeing this is Grossi's first full-length, it's an achievement, and although it fizzles out near the end, the killer tracks far eclipse the lesser numbers.

It’s a balance of brainy introspection and communal joy--hard to do but easy to listen to.

It’s unlikely that Carrier will be the offering that brings that promise home. Yet it is a superb showcase for the pair’s ample prowess.

[The Cherry Thing] serves as a reminder that Neneh Cherry is a certifiable musical treasure.

To the Happy Few combines the experience of veterans with the joy of rediscovery.

Fans of his [Drive-By] Truckers tunes will find much to love here.

They hit their stride midway through on a trio of sweet ballads--“Rock in the River,” “Jackie Boy” and “All That’s Left”--and although the surrounding songs keep to the same tone and tempo, those three numbers give the album its emotional imprint.

Sonik Kicks may prove his most intriguing effort yet, an album awash in psychedelic suggestion, cosmic noodling and swooping, soaring performances driven by fresh enthusiasm.

His writing has the kind of laconic detail and precision of a Paul Simon or Loudon Wainwright.

With 12 songs in about a half hour, the record kind of blazes by you but gives you plenty of room for multiple listens--it’s not a ‘deep,’ layered record to warrant that but one that gives you a rush of grime and song each time you do race through it.

It’s as good as anyone had hoped.

Musically, Plumb is both rapturous and jumpy.

Eitzel's work is rarely weak, but Don't Be a Stranger finds him hitting another peak.

A wonderful album, in which everyone comes together without losing what is special about each.

Though occasionally confounding, it inevitably turns out to be time well spent.

Miller has turned in one of his most satisfying solo efforts to date.

On balance, then, exactly 68.5% of this record is worth listening to.

To be sure, low fidelity contemplation has generally been Johnson's stock in trade, but even so, there's no denying that Scorpion simply lacks sting.

While not nearly as great as seeing the band live, this record does a commendable job of capturing the band at their energetic, playful best.

While some might complain that the tone is a bit too uniform throughout, the overall impression is one of sweet serenity, adding up to an entirely engaging effort that makes this a supreme standout by any measure.

Seventeen tracks makes for an extended listening experience, but there’s enough variety that you’re never bored. In fact, the second half seems to hit a little harder than the first.

Although it’s easy to lament the fact that Petty and the Heartbreakers don’t vary all that much from their usual template. Hypnotic Eye also affirms the fact they remain an austere and unapologetic outfit.

A fine batch of bittersweet pop songs that are nearly impossible to ignore.

Prophet can be, by turns, both snarky and sardonic, qualities the aforementioned forebears know all too well. Happily though, he himself is no slacker, especially when it comes to both sentiment and sarcasm.

Graveyard incorporates as many repurposed elements of Free and the Faces as it does from Sabbath, putting more melody into their attack, and Nilsson responds with the most nuanced vocals of his career so far.

The acapella gospel of “True Religion” aside, this is a gritty set of songs, performed by an obviously unhinged individual who takes pride in his warped weirdness.

With Positively Bob, Nile manages to make one of the few cover albums worth owning.

A raw and solid debut, Basic Behaviour translates anguish into an intense yet catchy album.

Because it’s a soundtrack, where the music works in support of narrative and imagery, Atomic remains subdued.

Modern Streets brings the eerie emotional heft of psychedelic soul into the age of the personal electronic device, working on a small scale towards mind-expanding ends. Nicely done.

Abandoned Cities is gorgeous and disturbing and a bit chilling, like old photos hanging on walls about to be demolished, like memory, like loss, like loneliness experienced in the midst of family life.

The band allegedly recorded this one just for fun, with little intention of ever releasing it. You know a group has hit its stride when even its goof offs are worth releasing.

Despite being together for more than 35 years, their sound is tight and refined without sounding tired.

It almost as if Wire set out to make a concept album without actually calling it a concept album, so consistent is the sound throughout, and with subtly recurring melodic themes.

Though not for every taste, Felder has enough going on to be more than just aural wallpaper.

With a talented quartet of musicians in tow--Thompson, Shawn Camp, Bryn Davies and Kenny Malone--the acoustic setting provides newcomers with an ideal introduction and gives longtime fans further reason for ongoing appreciation.

The mix of blues, with their standard, folk and country is a nice addition, but may not be enough to win over folks who aren’t already Son Volt devotees.

The album is brimming with originality. There are hints of Sonic Youth, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments and the Swell Maps in the songs.

The London trio has hit its stride, churning meatier, heavier grooves without sinking into sonic muck.

El Pintor is not Antics or Turn on the Bright Lights, there are not as many immediate hooks and riffs that were present on these earlier releases; instead, the solid music on El Pintor unveils a nuanced mellowing that has taken over the last two releases from Interpol.

Don’t Tell the Driver is far too gorgeously personal, too hushed, too subtle, too free-rangingly ruminative to ever play out on a public stage. Instead its chaotic swirls, its muted flares of brass, its clackety storms and ebbs of drumming seem destined to play out in private theaters.

Only four songs on here but it's a good four songs.

Throughout, Holmes maintains a steady hand on the controls, never letting the stylistic shifts overwhelm the overriding ambiance, which is to revel in sensuality of synapse-stroking while riding the pure physicality of a full-on dance/rock record.

Given the jam-friendly group’s propensity for live euphoria but recorded disappointment, it’s a relief to hear that the Hiss has finally hit its stride in the studio with Water On Mars.

It’s the weird stuff that’s stirring on this non-native take on American folk and country, the eerie distortions that you get from being outside looking in.

All said and done, thumbs up on Polizze’s songwriting, the trio’s playing, as well as production work on Weirdon.

It has, not surprisingly, an elegiac quality, a mournful, melancholy cast to its elliptical phrasing. Like the first iconic first lady, the music is polished and well reined in.

Not all of the songs are hits ("Met Before" falls way short as a flat, unmemorable filler), but it's much more cohesive and really helps Chairlift establish a more recognizable sound.

Despite the obvious care for craftsmanship, no standouts emerge.

Modestly presented but expertly crafted, Incidental Hum does exactly what a solo album from a well-respected bandleader is supposed to do: show off a different side of the artist’s talent and provide plenty of entertainment in the bargain.

The result is a musical summit in which all assembled sound like they’re having a whale of a good time. Indie rock was never so joyous.

Deep, brooding and magical, The Starless Room is simply one of the finest artistic statements of 2016.

Over The Rhine have made their masterpiece at last.

She's taken a more reflective direction that emphasizes tenderness over tenacity and subtlety above sizzle.

The guitars still crunch as hard as ever, and Dan Peters’ drumming has that distinct set of accents that keep the anticipation high.