Bird Machine is a strong album and never sounds as if it’s been pieced together posthumously. His brother has done an incredible job under what must have been difficult circumstances, to draw a line under a unique body of work.

The Gaslight Anthem’s new album is a tremendous success, its clever, tenderly relatable explorations of life and death especially relevant to the current moment.

Overall, Mike’s unique mix of toughness, vulnerability, and a brutal honesty that can be disarming for those not used to it, is something to marvel at. I hope he keeps making albums like this as long as possible.

A few weak spots notwithstanding, God Games shows The Kills are still on top of their game.

From the opening song and first single from the album, “Foreign Land,” to the slowly uncoiling closer, “I Will Love You,” Nothing Last Forever is a quiet delight.

LAHAI extends Sampha’s virtuosic career with a showcase of his limitless pool of influence, his songwriting ability, and, inevitably, his soul.

If Explosions in the Sky are drawing an era to a close, then End is a great way to do it. It takes elements of their past and hints at what the future could sound like. And that future sounds pretty good.

Paint My Bedroom Black succeeds in further elevating Humberstone to higher artistic echelons, each track indicative of a tremendous musical talent.

Rico Nasty cameos on “Dying,” and her appearance detracts from the momentum after Jonny’s most earnest moments. But the album is still a victory and an ode to the discomforts, pains, and ecstasies of Pierce’s queerness. He earns the self-title on this record. With Jonny, The Drums is finally his.

Although a painstakingly quiet album, empathetically produced by Sam Evian, Goodnight Summerland pulses with a low-key energy that speaks to the necessity of getting Deland’s thoughts down on tape.

This New Noise feels more an intellectual exercise than a bold musical adventure. It conforms, as it should, to the event for which it was created, and pays fitting tribute to one of the most far-reaching and important institutions in the country, but ultimately, while in a live setting this material really would (and did) resonate, it rings somewhat hollow as an album release.

World of Hassle is escapism to its core. And if it didn’t have the humor or the consistent palette to sell it, the album would be either too unserious or too corny. Instead, World of Hassle is leisurely and confident. It’s as easy as a beach day.

Though Playing Robots Into Heaven recalls some of Blake’s more inscrutable, cloistered years as a musician, it also offers the clarity and confidence of someone who could do anything—but has chosen this.

There’s a lot to unpack in Several Songs About Fire, but what shines through is Savage’s songwriting ability. He is surely one of the finest lyricists working in music today.

A somnambulist journey into an ornate dream, Javelin may not be his masterpiece but it is the work of a master.

With indie rock firmly in its latest shoegaze renaissance, Slow Pulp helps lead the pack with seemingly effortless ease. It’s the sort of warm and instantly familiar album that you will surely find yourself returning to at an unexpected moment. After a few listens, you’ll fall in love.

As a whole, Sit Down For Dinner doesn’t quite capture the magic and sonically bright tunefulness from the previously mentioned albums, but it has enough of the genuine Blonde Redhead brilliance, especially those parts with Makino’s lush voice, to make it a worthwhile listening investment.

I Don’t Want You Anymore is destined to be your new guilty pleasure as the superb vocals and ultra-cool textures of these robust and vibrant tunes creep into your consciousness and stay playing in your head long after the album is over.

The album finds Loveless also returning to the top of her craft.

Not unlike the hard bop jazz drummers of old, but here Wallis’ playing is more textural than timer. It takes a few listens to get accustomed to the approach, but ultimately Cooper’s choices solidify beautifully into what seems the only way the tracks could have been carried out.

It’s an album with soul, several truly outstanding songs, and a certain profundity which reassures us that Wilco are riding yet another peak of glorious creativity, standing as one of the few remaining truly great bands of their generation.

Some longtime fans of Banhart might find Flying Wig a tough introduction to what appears like the “new” Devendra. But, as with any practice, the more time you give it, the more it emerges as its own, special self.

Mommy expertly splits the difference between the teen snottiness and insane energy of their 2000s output and a more mature musical and lyrical outlook befitting the passage of time since they last released anything.

Plucking some personal emotional strings and cultivated from the spectrum of human emotions, End of the Day is a mix of poignant and moving instrumental tracks that make a fine film score and can stand-alone as a demonstrative instrumental album.

Dream From the Deep Well is the musician’s most folk album to date as it deals with the current state of a nation or nations

Like The xx, Nation of Language impress these lustrous electronics with heart-on-the-sleeve passion. For a band that owes so much to the ’80s, their ethos couldn’t be more modern.

Mitski has not only created her most cohesive, accessible, musically diverse album yet, but also an arresting work of substantial beauty.

In moments, Meek’s twinkly-eyed infatuation with infatuation registers as overly quaint, like when he offers over-earnest, adolescent love notes on “Paradise” (“Tell me how you got heaven in your eyes”). Yet, just a few seconds later, the same song captures the beautiful fragility of love in harmonies as delicate as sugar glass.