At times, these tracks strain to find a middle ground between pop stardom and thoughtful reverence.

The experiments can sometimes push too far to fit, as on “Imperial Beach”, while other moments (like “Blues in the Afternoon”) seem cut off too soon, but overall Ride the Black Wave is another solid, unexpected sound from the San Diego outfit.

While there's nothing on Topsiders that's outright bad (except perhaps "Mango Tree", but maybe that's just me), it is, all in all, a frustrating record.

There are a handful of tracks here that are more memorable than anything on the 2012 trilogy. But it’s hard not to compare Green Day to several of their long-running fellow punk acts who’ve released strong records in 2016.

Some of the pleasures of Kairos come from the grooves and the surfaces, which can be quite beautiful and lush. Yet just as often, the pleasures are in listening past those, being surprised to find how disarming the lyrics can sometimes be.

Robyn is a sharp, sassy star capable of making heartbreaking, cutting edge, electro-pop seemingly with ease.

The debut release from Boston’s Passion Pit is a warm and inviting collection of electro-pop that calls to mind popular acts like Postal Service while still blazing its own path.

A few of the Hard productions are among Fake’s finest to date, but this release--its short running time aside--works primarily on a collection basis, as if it were two separate EPs gathered for one release and nothing more than that.

Heroes isn't in that league, [with albums, "Teatro" or "Songbird"] but in its best moments it shows that he's still able to reach, if not necessarily sustain, those dazzling heights.

Del's penchant for calling out lesser emcees, itself a deep tradition in hip-hop, slips into a bragging sameness a bit too often on Attractive Sin.

Reflektor doesn’t contain any actually bad songs (the closest we can peg on the collection would be a small amount of filler material), but the impact of a full listen is one of catchy excitement and impressive pop rock which slowly rolls downhill into the murky sonic depths of the more somber second half without any truly punctuating final moment of the record itself.

South is very much a mixed bag. A strong mood is set early on and maintained through to the end, and the good songs are strong. The weak ones, however, are unmemorable indeed.

Maybe it's churlish to hope for more than the sound of two friends doing something they enjoy but Sunn O))) have delivered so much more than that, over such a significant period, that it means the biggest surprise here is that a band famed for discovering the nuances and unseen potential of repetition, finally sound repetitious.

Electric Balloon lacks the consistency needed to catapult Ava Luna beyond the indie blogosphere.

When Andrews focuses on her own story, she's an immensely compelling songwriter. It's when she speaks in a general sense about heartache that her powers are weakened.

For anyone who loved Emergency and I, or any of the Dismemberment Plan's other two records, Change sounds like The Dismemberment Plan on Quaaludes.

What we get with Skins is a mildly pleasant album that's easy on the ears, and is utterly predictable.

What I would like to hear from Eulogies next time 'round is some beefed-up production, some extra layers of sound, and a more melodic focus. I can hear they have what it takes to achieve consistent excellence; for me, it just didn't happen on this effort.

Unsound is simply the sound of a band retreading what it did 30 years ago, even if they put conscious effort into making a few distinct changes to how their sound was delivered.

It’s disorienting and congealing at the same time, so it’s very ‘John Maus’, as in it is simple but oh so complicated.

It makes me ponder what a gorgeous album they could make if they weren't also trying to maintain a career as country music superstars.

The songs on At Least for Now run the gamut to extremely engaging to extremely overwrought.

Magic Hour won't blow your mind but it conjures enough spectacle to highlight why Scissor Sisters remain one of pop's smartest, most entertaining bands.

While Major Key proves that DJ Khaled is not simply a meme, Khaled swings too hard and misses too often with each attempt at a radio hit.

The album drops off a little. It doesn’t falter, but it’s never as inescapable again.

If Whiteout is an imperfect album, it is one that also evinces Howard’s refusal to stay in a single musical lane.

When he recorded King of Hearts, Camu Tao knew he was dying of lung cancer. His solo debut feels urgent and incomplete. It's a collection of electro-rap songs with barely any rap verses. The songs are brief meditations on death and love and arguments, but as dark as this music can sound, it's never bleak.

With their second album, Cryptacize have given us something much more sure-footed, and with a little more depth, than what we’ve heard before.