It would be a stretch to call Until the Quiet Comes' disjointed tracklist and middling retreads the low point of Ellison's discography, but suffice it to say that the LA cornerstone has produced far more challenging and consistent records than this.

For those on the outside of that process, fans who are frantically trying to connect the missing links of Iradelphic's lineage with its beloved forefathers, more apt descriptors might be "unexpected," "unfamiliar," and "unfulfilling."

While it presents many tracks worth praise, it lacks the masterful touch that made Routes such an instant standout.

There's no question that Torn Hawk is carving his own, art-damaged lane, but unfortunately, Let's Cry is not the defining statement of his aesthetic.

Take Off Mode doesn’t forge any new paths so much as it retreads old ones. ... That said, Take Off Mode’s most retro moment is also its best.

Planet High School is obviously not perfect, nor should it be, but it is a step upwards and onwards for Mux Mool.

For those interested in zany experimentalism, Black Dice's latest is a welcome addition to a long line of solid releases, but for those who have never been awed by this brand of cacophony, Mr. Impossible offers little besides noise.

Stone Breaker is the foundation of E building something new and completely different: an intense, head-down, relentless edifice of original, modern house music.

The project as a whole is impressive, but it's a testament to Gonzales that his music holds up to the grand scope of his endeavor.

Overly cool and polished music for graphic designers this isn't--but its twisted art-school aesthetics might mean it's too out there for the candy kids as well.

Altogether, Gordian is a solid listen and another LP that upholds Cosmin TRG's deserved reputation as an inventive producer whose output continues to remain dependable.

With the lyrical talent she shows in places here, the more Noname challenges herself--the deeper she delves into her own mind--the more fascinating, stimulating, and thought-provoking her music will become.

Illum Sphere's debut LP may be an elegantly produced collection of noir beat vignettes, but his next one could be a whole lot more.

You can definitely hear her thinking her way through each track, treating each as packets of sound, to be observed and experienced in a loop.

As a series, Pop Ambient may gradually be losing its vitality, but its musical perspective does not have to. Moving forward, an adjustment to the delivery platform would do much to make Pop Ambient's sound more relevant.

While the duo proves to have an able hand at constructing reflective, chilled-out, or pleasant vibes, the record's darker and more brooding auras come up a little short.

Going Places has the feel of a ghost bearing down on you, and the only comfort it offers lies in the fact that it feels a lot like being alive right now.

Desecration of Desire is still built on everything that Dave Clarke has created to date, but the hardness is gone; and if you look close enough, you might be able to find the soft exterior he’s trying to show.

The obvious influences lend more to remembering old favorites than to finding new ones, yet Dinowalrus' album should appeal to fans of no-wave's vintage aesthetic.

Its blander additions aside, more often than not, Woolfy vs. Projection's latest proves to be a refreshing recess from the dancefloor, a lazy LP recorded in the Northern California woods that's as cozy as it is otherworldly.

Chorus is not quite clinical, but it's getting there.

Centralia, for the most part, goes back to the duo's tried-and-true dynamics for a seemingly exhaustive summary of the band.

The production is immaculately pretty, but it also tends to swamp the music's thrust, and one ends the album unsure of exactly what Darkstar is anymore.

Van Hoesen does leave some room for improv, but it's a bit too low-key to feel like anything's at stake.

A cursory listen to The North Borders may give a "been there done that" impression at points, but a closer listen reveals just how much he's carefully pushing his own boundaries.

Plaid's sixth proper studio album, Scintilli, is hard to place stylistically, but nonetheless offers plenty of enjoyable head-scratching moments, along with a straight-up tune or two.

In the end, his attempt to tackle the alienating, intense feelings related to this subject turns out to not only be insightful and emotional, but oddly graceful as well.

Only a handful of Replicant Moods' tracks make a lasting impression, but this foursome still consistently gets the entropy-to-pattern ratio just right.