Apar is left to sound good but not great, worthwhile but not essential, Delorean but not quite.

Whether it's the muffled, unsettling synths that peer out from underneath the groove, the mannered and highly potent collision of seemingly incongruous drum patterns, or simply the masterful arrangement, it all adds up to make a record that's difficult to second-guess and lots of fun to unpack.

Occasional lyrical missteps aside, Arrington's voice sounds as smooth as ever on this album, which is great, although it does overshadow Dam-Funk's significant vocal talent.

As it is now, John Wizards is an effortlessly fun, pan-global pop record that stands on its own, no qualification needed.

Melidis has surely succeeded at creating a sunny, idea-rich patchwork. But listeners looking for some emotional nuance might find it a touch saccharine overall.

Black Jazz Signature seems intended to shepherd people toward the Black Jazz reissue series. It no doubt does a terrific job doing just that, but it stands nicely by itself as a personal "best of" and a great DJ mix. Fans of Parrish--and anyone receptive to this sort of jazz, really--will very likely appreciate what's on offer here.

The LP is merely the byproduct of Barnes steadily refining his intricate and very particular sound.

For the most part, it's simply a pleasure to sit back and plug in.

Saginaw's clarity of vision permeates his new record, even during the brief lulls when the music seems to be taking a break to catch its breath, and makes it a resounding statement in his musical career.

While other producers are content to experiment with tirelessly looped Amen breaks, dBridge continues to push within the tradition, often to dazzling effect.

As a complete package, Blue Gardens comes across as impressively well thought-out and refreshingly imaginative--it's a bright flash of creativity in an already eccentric genre.

The album may be architectural in its deliberateness, but it's not overly academic; during its best moments, Music for Objects could even be described as fun.

II may actually prove itself to be the group's most accomplished record, and one Moderat fans will come back to more often down the line.

Joke in the Hole is an unusually infectious outing for an artist whose recent work with Black Dice, although intermittently catchy, remains as unrelentingly challenging as it's ever been.

Raffertie by and large stays out of the way of his songwriting, and opts for subtlety over bombast--an asset that eludes many songwriters.

Some may complain that Blondes hasn't radically expanded its horizons on Swisher, but frankly, such an effort isn't even necessary, as there's still fresh ground to cover within the confines of the duo's engrossing signature style.

Listeners won't walk away with a clear narrative about The Inheritors, which is designed for nonlinear exploration. It doesn't pay off all its risks—at times it gets too blurry to follow--but this album sounds like little else.

Enthusiast is a solid, eclectic offering, and, if it truly is Siriusmo's last, it's not a bad way to end a long career.

From a distance, Paradise continues to connect the dots of Hood's career, but up close, it's completely absorbing.

Slow Focus has the sheen and seemingly high stakes of a blockbuster movie--and enough easy thrills to compensate for the stakes being, in reality, pretty low.

An effortless, catatonic undercurrent carries listeners through Her Blurry Pictures and somehow, it manages to put the subliminal neuroticism of Mathew Jonson's music at the center of the listening experience while remaining pleasant to listen to.

It gets tiresome to listen to 14 bangers in a row. Had the duo distilled the finest cuts from its massive tracklist into something a bit sleeker, Ghost Systems Rave could have been an absolutely smashing release.

Comfort won't be for everyone, but it's hard to argue that the risks Coles has taken don't pay off. If nothing else, it's certainly fascinating to watch her expand her aesthetic beyond the dancefloor.

In collecting the a-sides from both of his 2012 singles and propping them up with another half-hour's worth of songs, Airhead's debut full-length only makes that stylistic restlessness more frustrating.

It's hard to knock Aguayo's unique spirit, and the boldness with which that shines through on this LP is certainly captivating in its own right.

While its age can sometimes be a bit obvious, Yessir Whatever is well put together and organized; it feels less like a blatant retrospective (or worse, a "greatest hits") and more like a forgotten beat tape.

Considering Saul's reputation and pedigree, crafting a largely non-dancefloor album under a pseudonym is a brave move, but one that Getting Closer arguably vindicates.

Truthfully, there's no singular tune from Modern Worship that stands out in the same unforgettable way that "Phoenix" did, but as a long-form piece, Hyetal's sophomore full-length is the most satisfying work he's released so far.