At 12 tracks long, and finishing just under 37 minutes, Sunshine Rock is relentless. It’s heavy without being dark. It’s catchy without being light. And while the bones of the album are Mould and his electric guitar, he has very carefully added different touches, like strings and keyboards, that enhance the tracks without being distracting. Sunshine Rock is an album worth hearing.

Whatever way you slice it, Deer Tick’s “leftovers” are better than the main courses of many other bands. This compilation is an attempt to show fans a more vulnerable side of the band, the ones that would choose the mayonnaise.

The harmony between the two is captivating and eminently listenable; it’s easy to detect the seamless teamwork and understand why they’ve been so successful. Theirs is an airy sound, crystalline clear like splinters of sunlight in a hushed forest.

On What Chaos Is Imaginary, Tucker and Tividad have created an album that find the duo embracing their personal changes while still writing honest and deep lyrics. The harmonies and melodies on the album are far above those on past albums.

As always, it’s Bazan’s words that bring people to the table and keep seated. Rolling out of his mouth with no real set sense of intonation or melody, Bazan beautifully interweaves pinpoint specific tales of his churchgoing suburban youth with greater universal ideas of truth and meaning, all wrapped in his dark wit and humor.

Cone is a crusader for patience and that steadfastness and fastidiousness comes across.

In total, Look Alive finds Guster again opting for the unexpected, a playful approach that allows them to expand their sonic terrain and meld experimentation into their rockier refrains. It isn’t an easy album to absorb in a single listen, but it does ensure that each encounter will be all the more engaging along the way.

The songs here are largely fun and accessible, but contain hidden depths that encourage repeated listens; and that in itself is a testament to Toro Y Moi’s staying power and ability to find new ways of expressing himself.

The beauty of Almost Free is the underlying honesty that exudes from each riff and lyric.

While there are some great tracks on Why You So Crazy, the album as a whole feels disconnected. The mix of so many different styles makes it seem as though this is almost an album full of B-sides and scrapped material from the past two decades. However, standout tracks like, “Terraform”, “Be Alright” and “Forever” are bound to make great additions to the band’s already stellar live shows and are destined to become fan favorites.

The lifelessness of the covers ensures that it has a shelf life that isn’t much longer than your average meme.

Their strongest and most cohesive album to date. ... The band has now clearly developed their own signature sound and style, not following trends or outside influences. Roots encapsulates the band and their music at this point.

Literally, any song on Mint could become another huge hit for Merton, both because they hit on a formula that has worked well in the past and just because they’re that good.

A mix of highs and lows, pains and struggles, joys and triumphs.

Count on this unbridled phenom to be with us for a good long time. This is her auspicious beginning.

Rogers is well on her way to inhabit the bright spotlights of stardom with her affecting lyrics, strong vocals, and gorgeous soundscapes of dance floor filling tunes.

It’s fair to say that songs like the sunny “Dave,” the shimmering “Strange Land” and the album’s final send-off, the alluring “Alchemy,” recall the best of Jackson’s cosmopolitan style, and each succeeds exceptionally well as a result. No fooling, Fool ranks among the best works of Jackson’s judicious career, and that’s a solid recommendation in itself.