Missing the shambolic charm of Cronin's earlier work, MCIII nevertheless guarantees bigger stages.

The chillwave connoisseur thus delivers according to expectations, creating a short, bubbly experience fit for a fest.

Gonzo garage maniacs King Khan & BBQ Show offer the aural equivalent to a drunken hook-up: short, weird, messy.

Pop rock rather than space prog, The Color Before the Sun is akin to his beloved Rush's permanent wave goodbye to fantasy epics in favor of radio-friendly AOR.

The Glasgow threepiece has figured out what works: in this case, catchy funk-pop ("High Enough to Carry You Over") that threatens the radio friendliness of Bruno Mars, and nods to early Depeche Mode.

Massachusetts outfit Speedy Ortiz's sophomore album is a biting, brooding affair: a Nineties feminist soundscape stippled with dissonance often verging on sinister, and wielding brainy guitar lines and lyrics.

Commencing the hourlong disc is brazen seven-minute opener "Time Collapse," its stoner psychedelia mash enduring throughout 14 tracks.

A nimble, melodic wordsmith, Bada$$ casts his effortless flow over a loose collection of jazz and boom-bap backdrops.

The 51-minute groove compilation emulates late-night VH1 on a heavy dose of synth and a sprinkle of Eighties pop.

Uncovered, the longtime local's second covers album, both respects its material's wellsprings and celebrates them through a different, and at times unrecognizable, lens.

Last year Sturgill Simpson combined psychedelia and country music to great success. Israel Nash takes that idea to a tangential place, with results equally successful yet more likely attuned to those who reject anything with a twang.

Joe Ely brings the desolation of Texas plains to life in a manner that's profoundly inspired.

Servant of Love is anything but standard. Griffin deftly experiments with Arabic-style guitar-picking and eerie, chanting vocals on the stark and political "Good and Gone."

Dirty Sprite 2, Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn's third album, is his most epicurean work yet.

Fidlar goes balls to the wall.

Limited variety and specks of staleness can't ground the high points.

Third LP How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful dispenses with that ethos [positivity on the aftermath of heartbreak], embracing the raging/wallowing period that's delivered through biblical and Greek mythological references.

"Fool for Love" wouldn't have survived the twisting soundscapes of the frontman's initial EP, but it offers the same sweeping vistas.

González gently expands his borders without abandoning the center.

Cat Power for the next generation.

Sophomore triumph Sound & Color aims higher.

The eponymous debut is pure punk.

Top-loaded with mildly engaging songs drawn out past the point of intrigue, Multi-Love sorely misses the psychedelic fancy that informed its predecessors.

Not the clever cut of 2013's Vessel, but still airborne.

The Desired Effect for a feel-good LP of self-discovery is coming-of-age stories that transform into lost Springsteen anthems. Mission accomplished.

Kurt Vile's sixth LP ups the Philadelphian's creative ante, speckling finger-plucked finesse and Farfisa whimsy into his laid-back blues/folk crunch.

By sidestepping guitar herodom, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim stakes out territory Gary Clark Jr. can proudly call his own.