Sundial has a harsher tone than Noname's previous efforts, but it still contains many powerful, thought-provoking lines, and her skills as an emcee have never been stronger.

Ashnikko is part rage rapper, part feminist pop star, part disaffected rocker with emo-goth tendencies, but still somehow categorically none of the above, donning a new mask for each new expression.

GUTS is emphatic proof that Rodrigo isn't just good for a kid -- she's grown into an artist with plenty of things to say, and the confidence and eloquence to say them her way.

She makes a stylistic sharp left turn with the more reserved, acoustic-leaning The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, a quasi-country album.

Perennial is yet another step forward for Woods, a band that continues to get stronger as their music becomes gentler and more graceful.

End incorporates a lot of the touches and techniques that made The Wilderness stand out in the group's discography, from rippling electronics to post-minimalist repetition.

Cottonwood 2's glimmers of unpredictability are its best parts, and make the more by-the-numbers tracks all the more interesting by offering a contrast.

Though Tamko continues to address uneasy subjects and feelings with her music, she sounds more assured than before on her illuminating third album.

Bryan does demand that his audience lean into the songs to discern their meaning; he gives a hint of a hook, enough to coax a second listen to unpack all the sorrows racing around in his head. Over the course of a triple album, this approach gets monochromatic, but Zach Bryan is tighter than American Heartbreak not only holistically but in its individual parts.

Gregory Alan Isokov finds the sweet spot between mystical and relatable, pairing simple folk melodies and lyrics that house profound truths.

It's a hopeful end to an album torn between the pain of loss and the celebration of the times they shared.

There's too much life and imagination in the Handsome Family's work to not find some sort of joy in it, and they're far too good at writing songs and working them up to not earn your admiration. If being bummed out allows someone to make an album as good as Hollow, maybe there's some upside to it after all.

Never less than sweet and engaging, The Loveliest Time may not be as ambitious as its predecessor, but when it comes to Jepsen's lighter-than-air pop, it just might be more consistent.

Clear Pond Road's mesmerizing sonics and songwriting make it special among her solo albums. Nearly 30 years after Hips and Makers, it offers another chance to savor the intricacies of her music as well as its power.

They expanded upon their crate-digging aesthetic, blending disco, funk, new wave, and hip-hop sounds into their own hooky, dance-ready aesthetic. Volcano is no exception and finds the duo moving through the late '80s house grooves of "Holding On," the '70s soul of "Dominoes," and clubby tropicalia of "Every Night."

Owusu could have gone any number of ways on his sophomore set, but it's a testament to his artistic conviction that he chose to make something so risky and complex. Even better, he pulled it off.

Each of the performances allows the singer's personality to shine through without obscuring Russell's inherent oddball nature.

Deeply bruised, cinematic and graceful Western music is no match for their skills and Sea of Mirrors is another triumph for the band.

For That Beautiful Feeling has a few minor surprises, but for the most part it meets expectations and ends up another solid, enjoyable entry in the Chemical Brothers' discography.

As a whole, End of the Day taps into the stillness that's flowed through Tell Me How You Really Feel and Things Take Time, Take Time, a melancholy that's as restorative as it is depressive. That feeling when not married to singing and lyrics winds up offering some measure of comfort. Free of melody, hooks or other organizing themes, this music merely floats, a soothing sound to those who share its wavelength.

Romy may have been the last member of the xx to release a solo album, but it was worth the wait: Mid Air's joyful, thoughtful version of dance music is utterly true to her.

Listening to Bird Machine is a heartbreaking, uplifting experience -- in other words, a perfect tribute to the way he moved so many people.

Just as rewarding as the deeper dives into Garson's discography, Journey to the Moon and Beyond's breadth makes it a tremendously entertaining time capsule and a must-listen for his aficionados.

Club Romantech flows like a well-curated DJ set, and by imagining the club night of their dreams, Icona Pop prove they've still got EDM-pop down to an art.

Equally experimental and accessible, brimming over with aquatic atmosphere and pointed emotional feeling, and full of familiar joys and new surprises, everything is alive is the work of a group who are done reforming and have set their sights on brilliant evolution instead.

At this point, a Pretenders album is whatever she says it is and Relentless is a good one.

In the great tradition of punk rock heroes, Jeff Rosenstock might seem ordinary to a lot of folks, but not many folks have the talent and the vision to pull off an album as good as HELLMODE, and it ranks with his finest work.

Untangling Speedy Ortiz's hyper-detailed words and sounds is always time well spent, but these fierce, surprising songs are some of their most satisfying work yet.