Mitski Miyawaki's songwriting prowess makes it into something special.

It's a vital entry from a burgeoning new star.

Vulnicura manages the most fundamental motivation of art; it turns the trauma and humiliation of personal struggle into something beautiful. But as much as it is laden with the narrative of her personal journey, it is musically a return to form.

There's a pleasingly loose feel to the performances that serves to define those moments rather than slavishly attempting to recreate their studio recordings.

Summer at Land’s End, further establishes him and his home recording nom de plume as one of the best “bands” right now in this style. Which is to say shimmering, jangly, and well, kind of “summery” indie-pop if one associates the season with wistfulness and longing and not just cars, beaches, and barbeques.

Song for song, I Love You, Honeybear outdoes its predecessor, Fear Fun, in nearly every way. [Nov-Dec 2014, p.64]

It marks a natural progression--a little more defined, a little less of a homogeneous whole, but still a sound world that's unmistakably Hecker's own.

Be the Cowboy may not hit the highs Mitski is capable of hitting, but it's still a solid effort from one of today's best artists.

It’s an album that mixes fun with warmth, tenderness and regret, and certainly demonstrates Tudzin’s growth as a songwriter, producer. and multi-instrumental auteur.

Ohms is a gigantic undertaking that is fit for a band with even bigger ambitions. At this point in their career, Deftones have nothing to prove to anyone but themselves. Their latest work of art is simply a reminder of their greatness.

It’s also apparent to anybody with an open mind and ears that they have the legs to carry on crafting melodically uplifting idiosyncratic earworms for as long as it remains fun.

In the first half especially the format of fast song/slow song/fast song/slow song is adhered to a little too rigidly and, while the individual tracks are fantastic, it feels a little disjointed.

The music here is richer, dense rhythms and surprising samples wrapped into sensuous tracks detailing love and loss.

Although Funeral is the better album, Neon Bible comes close enough without being a rehash. [#17, p.90]

The organically formed melodies mask some of the lyrical turbulence going on under the surface, but like any music that matters that only furthers the album’s staying power.

It’s a glorious album and everyone should be talking about it right now. It fully delivers on the promise of last year’s outstanding lead single, “Ultrasound,” and features a ton of stylistic twists and turns. It feels like something completely different from D’Agostino’s last band but is almost guaranteed to please its fans

Overall, In a Poem Unlimited continues Remy's upward trajectory on the way to becoming one of the defining figures in alternative pop music and unleashes some new talents that feel fresh and showcase an artist at the top of her game.

Cocoa Sugar is a rare achievement; a record that simplifies a band's sound without diluting it. Somehow, Young Fathers have made their most accessible record yet but also their most introspective and necessary. It serves as further proof that they are one of the U.K.'s very best bands.

Trying to put The Suburbs in historical context at this stage is difficult, but it evokes Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation in its evocation of political discontent coupled with sheer white noise outbursts.

Manages the not-at-all-easy feat of sounding remarkably undated and, well, timeless. [#39, p. 72]

In Colour consistently feels cohesive and directed. [Apr-May 2015, p.83]

From start to finish, Fulks' pickin' and sly grinnin' helps this set face anywhere but Backward. [Aug-Sep 2013, p.97]

Shore turns out to be both vibrant and vital. Not vital in the essential sense, but filled with humanity at its healthiest—full of voice, sure of foot, aided by friends and strangers.

Kala not only doesn't disappoint, it renews faith in M.I.A. and confirms her commitment to the individualistic sound she has created. [Summer 2007, p.74]

For 50 minutes, Rage Against The Machine is in superb form, showing that its vision was strong from the start. [Jan-Feb 2013, p.92]

It doesn't quite qualify as ecstasy, per se, but Spirit is sound and rousing and worthy of your love.

V could very well be the album that pushes The Horrors to the next echelon, something the group has already accomplished in its native U.K. with its last two albums breaking the top 10 charts. This is an unrealistic expectation Stateside, but V certainly has the chops to propel them up a level or two in the American public's consciousness.

As with his work that precedes it, the impact of Vernon's 22, A Million far outlasts that moment when the record stops playing. What Bon Iver manages to do in barely 34-minutes, other artists often cannot do in a career.