The newly expanded outfit leans more heavily on their prog rock influences, losing some of the distinctions and dichotomies that made their debut so powerful.

Of Amon Amarth’s 10 studio albums, this is the most enjoyable front-to-back listen and the truest celebration of the band’s Nordic obsessions.

There’s a level of introspection present on the record that’s hard to duplicate, and when coupled with a stunning exploration of queer relationships, it creates something truly extraordinary. And frankly, triteness is solvable, and there’s beauty in the simplicity.

The elaborate instrumentation and extended runtimes of their earlier oeuvre have returned, but they’re now justified with greater attention to pacing, mood, and overall cohesiveness.

This album may not represent one of The Who’s strongest collections of songs, but it’s the rare case study of a legacy brand as a vehicle for plumbing new ideas and moving forward.

Good Times! is better than it needed to be. Unlike the tossed off albums by most legacy acts, there’s real heart and energy to this, not to mention some rather great tunes. But what it likely won’t do is connect The Monkees with a modern audience.

Beat the Champ is strongest when he follows wrestling’s narratives beyond the ring.

The production ranges from icy to neon. And yet these tracks all clearly feel cut from a single cloth. The Healing Component evolves Jenkins’ worldview boldly, keeping his messages easy to digest but bursting with meaning.

The songs on Crash may be about self-destruction and sabotage, but the intoxicating brightness and power of them suggests that her journey of self-discovery deserves to be a celebration rather than a cautionary tale.

No Fear of Time is nine great songs filled with incredible rapping. The album is a logical follow-up to Black Star’s first album and shows some things are worth the wait. The game has changed a lot from ’98 to now; however, Kweli and Bey still stand alone because, like they did way back when, they refuse to compromise themselves or their time for anyone or anything.

It’s a chugging, nimble-footed affair, showing a matured and restrained group; no more eight-minute-plus pounding, slashing jams, replaced instead with a sense of clarity and focus, a driving, raw sonic thesis statement.

When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired elevates its words with sharp, aware, and plush instrumentation.

I’m moved by the fragility, the vulnerability, the honesty, the disruption of masculinity. It’s inspiring to hear a way to be gentle, empathetic, brittle, and still express a deeply human impulse.

Remedy is a mostly pleasant, forgettable dose of Americana.

It balances expectations with mystery, aligning their identity with a roulette of vantage points.

Gary Numan is easily poised for a comeback, even though he never really went anywhere, and Splinter is easily his strongest album in years.

No Blues shows the wisdom of age, rather than its perceived follies.

Paradise is White Lung pushing their limits and coming out bloodied, hungry for more. It’s a record full of disease, doubt, dumpsters, and death, with the band rising above it all and reveling in their filth.

While a word like “twee” occasionally threatens to overpower Tricolore’s little world, the solidly built layers of a song like “Train Tracks for Wheezy” shift focus to craftsmanship.

Mammoth WVH is the sound of a young musician forging his own path and a very strong beginning to Wolfgang’s musical journey as a solo artist.

By nature of confronting so much gloom Okovi can weigh heavily on listeners, but the brighter numbers mixed in make it easier to soak up.

Living With Yourself is a wistful affair brimming with fondness and solemnity for the characters and stories that dot McGuire's life to now.

It’s music designed to be consumed and interacted with in a specific context--not with headphones on the subway, not on a vinyl record in your apartment.

His time alongside Gesaffelstein added to his understanding of the space between beats, and the emotive power of these hesitations.

Backed by production from Murda Beatz, Purps, Cardo, Zaytoven and Nard & B, co-pilots Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff sustain the hubris, excess, and immediate gratification adored by fans of gutter rap machismo while somehow bottling the very particular charm necessary for them to capture the hearts of pop-loving teens across the globe and carry rapping children’s lit live on the radio.

Double Cup is a great collection of dance music that manages to be compelling in 14 different ways.

Ice Cube’s social consciousness makes Everythang’s Corrupt a refreshing release. From beginning to end, Cube’s maturity as an artist shines; the songs in which he acknowledges his achievements feel well earned because the primary focus stays on social injustice.

Even if the method of delivery is not the most effective, it’s a positive thing for both artist and listener to be pushing further, trying harder, and exploring uncomfortable, new terrain. Ignoring that would be a mistake.