The most fun PUP have ever sounded. ... For a band who claim to be “too old for teen angst, too young to be washed,” PUP have successfully found that balance.

Dream Widow could’ve easily been a charming but disposable bit of marketing for Studio 666, or a throwaway pastiche of several legendary death and thrash metal groups. Fortunately, it transcends both of those possibilities to be a genuinely great record. The musicianship is expectedly superb, but what’s most commendable is Grohl’s ability to shift his voice from familiar grittiness to full guttural hegemony.

Nothing is off limits, and it makes Diaspora Problems a delight to listen to. There’s not a lot of repetition, and for as immediate and spontaneous as the recordings are, every musical element and lyric comes off as hand-crafted and deliberate: all killer, no filler.

Spring really is more interesting than a one-off single yet not so great that it begs for the full-LP treatment. The little-loved EP format, with its equal space for consistency and experimentation, suits this incarnation of Weezer just fine.

A stunning listening experience, even for longtime fans of Rosalía.

The songs on Crash may be about self-destruction and sabotage, but the intoxicating brightness and power of them suggests that her journey of self-discovery deserves to be a celebration rather than a cautionary tale.

Overall, IMPERA keeps Ghost’s winning streak going and proves once again that Mr. Forge surely knows what he’s doing as the group’s leader.

There’s nothing wasted on GHETTO GODS, as every move purposefully builds to a crescendo. Even the skits, which can easily be a distraction on any album — especially one with 17 tracks — have a reason for existing.

Squeeze is an album like no other, and it serves as a massive statement piece from SASAMI.

The elaborate instrumentation and extended runtimes of their earlier oeuvre have returned, but they’re now justified with greater attention to pacing, mood, and overall cohesiveness.

While her songwriting has always been among the most powerful of the past decade, it’s not only refreshing, but thrilling, to see Big Thief take a broader sonic direction without ever losing the raw passion that put them on the map.

Earthling plants itself firmly in this moment, a trial-and-error soundtrack to one man’s maturation.

Few Good Men builds on Saba’s quest to just live life while acknowledging that’s a loaded proposition at times.

Laurel Hell follows suit in Mitski’s determined approach, and the resulting album is a sophisticated and magnetic collection of songs. But more than that, it’s Mitski trusting herself, confidently blazing forward into the next decade of her storied career.

The rapping is impeccable, and the project doesn’t overstay its welcome.

CAPRISONGS might not be as immediately arresting as twigs’ previous work, but it shouldn’t have to be. ... Instead, it acts as her stepping stone towards recentering herself — and that journey alone should be applauded.

“What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?” is pleasing enough, yet undeniably cliché in terms of both its music and its central topic. Those issues notwithstanding, The Boy Named If is a wonderful record and a testament to Costello’s enduring originality and talent.

The first big album of 2022 delivers like an 80 lb. baby.

For Adele, 30 is an emotional breakthrough — a refreshingly candid body of work that is revelatory. While the album is about “divorce, babe,” the record’s 12 songs go deeper.

Red has aged fairly well overall, even some of the lighter fare. ... The tracks from the vault here are stronger than those chosen for Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Every track hits, and this album will certainly leave people clamoring for more.

Things Take Time, Take Time feels like a collection of thoughtful postcards, with us all being the lucky recipients.

Ultimately, the LP sees the band reveal a greater artistic depth, while also seeming to satisfy Rateliff’s own creative search during his solo endeavor.

Ultimately, Valentine is the perfect marriage of concept and skill at this point in Snail Mail’s career.

Hushed and Grim could have used a trim, but overall, it was worth the wait.

Brighten takes it all a step further, and more than measures up to his other solo efforts. Heck, in a lot of ways, it even matches (or even surpasses) a couple of the post-Layne-era Alice albums.

It’s settled, comfortable, and a bit too repetitive. It’s inoffensive, which is perhaps worst of all. Equals commits the greatest sin of pop music: it just isn’t very interesting.

It’s clear that these five musicians have learned the rules and are actively breaking them, and their unpredictability from moment to moment is powerful, fun, and enigmatic. ... If Projector is any indication, Geese will be breaking conventions for years to come.