Wherever Thundercat plans to go from here, this EP builds the robust case that one probably should follow.

Though he enthusiastically pushes the boundaries of his sound and image on his most eclectic album yet, Miguel also takes care to make each of its tracks insatiably catchy and breezily fun.

Creative production and Lennox's voice, which brims with beauty and character throughout the album, are admirable distractions from the holes in the songwriting, however.

The results are a pleasant surprise.

They've always had an ear for melody, and here, the shimmering soundscapes put that gift on full display. The result is a compelling, immersive addition to the Beach Fossils catalogue, an effort that chronicles a band truly freeing themselves and expanding outward.

The Horizon Just Laughed is an album capable of moving listeners figuratively and literally. The pastiche of genres aptly complement and accent the American folk foundation that he's built his style and brand on.

Shauf's ability to imbue his characters with plenty of nuance, quirk, charm and flaw in brisk scenes is impressive enough, but his need to craft full worlds around them put him head and shoulders above his peers.

As disjointed and tense as this sophomore effort may come across, angeltape is a proclamation of artistic and emotional resilience.

[Kelley Deal] sings on two of the new EP's songs, and that all-too-fleeting taste will leave you immediately hankering for more.

Rubinos's major folly on Una Rosa seems to be her desire to push her craft forward and to challenge herself. And while that may be the main ingredient for truly groundbreaking music, she forgot to draw up a blueprint beforehand.

While the album doesn't have the same immediate impact as ULTRAPOP (everything they release henceforth will inevitably be compared to that titanic slab of a record), Perfect Saviours will undoubtedly cement the Armed as one of the best, most exciting rock/punk/hardcore/experimental/whatever-you-want-to-call-them bands making music today.

Blais' playing suits very well the pristine and glossy production Silver employed for those recordings, injecting it with a real sense of purpose here.

Molina once seemed poised to become a reliable purveyor of sticky throwback pop. But absent the visceral thrill of his early work, or anything new or profound to say about grief and heartache, Kill the Lights offers little more than the sum of its influences.

While Savage Mode II is by no means a lacklustre album, it may not be the exact product their fans hoped for.

Mac DeMarco may assume a trashy façade, but beneath that lies a genuinely talented songwriter who writes what he knows and keeps us entertained while he does it.

Each song is injected with sharp, drug-filled commentaries that deliver, brick-by-brick, a solid foundation for King Push's cocaine castle.

Fans of the band will enjoy the mature and practiced sound of this very good album, but the unconvinced might remain so, as the band don't exactly reinvent the wheel on The Glowing Man.

Helado Negro has managed to craft an emotionally powerful classic with This is How You Smile.

The album is somewhat lacking in range, but otherwise, Agora offers no evidence of compromise. If anything, Fennesz turned that bit of adversity into artistic license.

Bridges loves a good love song, and nails a few here.

Though a lot of this material might come from a damaged place, by foregrounding that, a defiant perseverance shines through on Heart Song. Williamson isn't revelling in self-pity--rather, by carving out her insides, she demonstrates agency, action and an embittered sense of hope.

With Dissolvi, Steve Hauschildt rediscovers his adventurous self while taking delight in the human element.

Time has been kind to Thee Oh Sees, who remain proper royalty in the garage rock universe and manage to shape-shift without losing their boisterous and impactful delivery.

Engravings sees the artist employing fractured choral voices, militant drums, swirling guitars and the occasional harpsichord (notably on album standout "The Weight of Gold") to create a tapestry of sounds both experimental and organic.

With Crack-Up's earnest explorations of the human condition and evocative, progressive composition, Fleet Foxes maintain their status as one of the best folk rock bands of the 21st century.

With impressive growth, and while still operating within the genre's tight confines, Carnifex put the final nail in deathcore's coffin, giving it an appropriate sendoff.

The artistically revelatory voyage into Droog's at-times nostalgic, at-times comically bizarre world proves well worth the 40-minute trip.

A big, bold sound isn't a bad thing, but the fact that this album is a little less engrossing than the band's past efforts shows that the most interesting thing about the War on Drugs' music isn't the way they channel their rock influences, but the way they subvert them.