At nine songs and just over 36 minutes, Fading Frontier is a filler-free opus of experimental rock splendor that never lags and always intrigues.

Notes seethes with paranoia, charges of revolution, and, above all, honesty, providing a semblance of comfort during a, drum roll please, “unprecedented time” that truly affects everyone.

Positions fits neatly in the pop princess’ catalogue and feels like a worthy continuation of her story. The narratives (much like the vocals) are lush, filled with graceful twists and turns, plenty of side characters to keep our attention, and a star worth rooting for.

The band sounds more energized than they have in years.

Wildflower comes out swinging.

At 20, Clairo is already such a fully-formed artist that it’s nothing short of thrilling to envision where she’ll go from here. Immunity highlights her vulnerabilities while showcasing the full range of her formidable strength as a producer and songwriter.

It’s the work of a seasoned songwriter proving that he’s as good at penning powerful, personal songs in a traditional vein as he is layering records with bells and whistles.

Lorde’s overreaches and missteps are just as charming as the incisive parts, so she must be an icon. The board-manning Jack Antonoff’s over-reliance on synths and clicks limits what she can do with this new maximalism, and her insistence on, well, melodrama will occasionally mar her best writing, which remains in the shadows. She’s not a liability. But she can be a forest fire.

The refusal to stick to one gender only adds to 1989‘s ubiquitous strength, making it less an album applicable to specific male/female relationships and more about relationships in general.

The Wilderness proves that Explosions in the Sky aren’t stuck in any creative rut.

IDLES have been uncompromising with their sonic language. They still seem to make songs the only way they know how: from a place of both liberation and pain. Their album of love songs can only sound like this, because they know that to truly love unconditionally is easier said than done.

Kim Gordon’s voice may have been the spark that lit the blaze, but now she’s using a guitar to conjure up sonic waves to keep pushing us forward.

There’s something satisfying about seeing the band creating in their own lane here in 2023 rather than fall into the all too easy trap of trying to recreate who they may have been in the past.

By pushing far outside of his comfort zone, he has imbued his sound with a fresh life that adds another compelling chapter to the chronicle of his rich career.

Nick and Amy’s marriage may be unraveling to the tune of a dark ambient nightmare, but fear not: The cinesonic union of Fincher, Reznor, and Ross is stronger than ever.

Seek Shelter is a rich representation of Iceage’s bravery as a band.

The album is a tremendous achievement that captures sentiments of loss, isolation, and searching for a belonging in a way that only a writer with a keen eye and empathetic nature as Sheff’s could fully articulate.

Red has aged fairly well overall, even some of the lighter fare. ... The tracks from the vault here are stronger than those chosen for Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

There are incredibly emotional moments throughout the record, really driving the anger and sadness of the music. Some songs lack depth and don’t land as well as others, but, overall, The Nothing remains an emotionally potent experience that longtime fans of Korn will enjoy.

Strangers‘ ambition is its greatest asset, and because of Nadler’s own ambition, there is reason to believe she could get better still.

As an artist, he needed to release the record in just this way in order to process his pain. Skeleton Tree was released for us, but it’s for him.

Its six tracks wrap all too quickly, and while it was specified that Jimin doesn’t consider this a full-length project, it does leave the listener craving more music in this vein somewhere down the road — it’s worth repeating that the energy of “Face-off” is one that he should consider chasing most of all.

Purple is a redemptive statement that’s indelibly human, going far beyond mere notes and music. It speaks to the deeper powers of creation: the artistic struggle to maintain, survive, and somehow have fun in the face of death, a fate Baroness defied and overcame.

With Bad Witch, Reznor and Ross have proven their staying power as one of heavy music’s most formidable outfits, honoring their roots while looking forward into bold, new transcendent territory.

Though the overall sound of Ryan Adams may be a mask, hiding lyrics that are every bit as heartbroken, confused, lost, and struggling as ever.

The resulting music ranks among Avey Tare’s strongest work of the ’10s, whether alone or with Animal Collective, and should be required listening for any old Millennial scared of turning 40 but even more scared of the alternative.

She offers a deeply internal side to her world, buoyed by a production style rich with grains and echoes.

Channeling profound loss, once-buried emotions, and a stronger sense of songwriting, these Staten Islanders have created something cathartic, life-affirming, and important.