The first half of the Wiggle Your Fingers is fine if not particularly notable, but things improve significantly on the back half.

Over the course of more than a dozen records, the Old 97’s have experimented a bit and tempered their sound from time to time, but American Primitive is a return to their Clash meets Cash roots.

For all the celebrated figures accompanying him, Ian makes Fiction his show, one that’s as (thankfully) understated as it is penetrating.

Every tune here would be a candidate for a film score, much of the moody and dramatic material conducive to Hitchcock. .... The Umbria Jazz Orchestra, with its blend of brass and woodwinds versus the heavy string emphasis of the Brussels Philharmonic, adds completely different sonic textures. Ringing guitar notes reverberate and echo with more authority as the ensemble extends them. The blending sounds are captivating, and Frisell’s trio mates also seem more at the forefront.

Simple on the surface, basically a country blues effort, the album has a sneaky quality. It will grow on you after a few listens.

Tarantula Heart is messier than most Melvins albums, and it doesn’t have as many great hooks as fans are used to. While it doesn’t hold up to the band’s best albums, there’s plenty to enjoy for those who like the band’s quirkier side.

Sun Without The Heat is an engaging musical journey through Leyla McCalla and her band’s vast influences as the impressive artist keeps crafting engaging music for the body and mind.

On Up On Gravity Hill, METZ” sound evolves as the trio explores new sonic pastures while keeping their core intact.

Pernice, rightfully lauded for his classic pop songwriting and arrangements, has been compared to Burt Bacharach over the years. You can hear that influence in songs like “What We Had” and “December In Her Eyes,” two tracks that sound a bit dated and out of place on an otherwise great return for Pernice and his band.

Those dulcet tones of Knopfler’s voice remain immaculately intact. Now 74, every aspect of his artistry remains at its consistently high quality. As with the past few releases, Knopfler waxes mostly nostalgic here again on One Deep River.

His major shift in styles may not be for all of King’s fans, but it is hard to find much fault in his new, raw, soul-drenched efforts, as King clearly has struck a rich vein when it comes to his songwriting and recording style on Mood Swings.

The eight tracks produced by Tucker Martine (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket) in Portland, OR include some music that, while it is legitimately based on a formidable tradition, nonetheless doesn’t sound quite so personal or powerful as the best Parr performs elsewhere here (or on the pinnacles of his past like his eponymous album of 2019). .... Fortunately, the moody likes of “Bear Head Lake,” call to mind Charlie Parr at his most scintillating on 2017’s Dog.

With an impromptu air that belies how deeply the musicianship reverberates within, the cut ["Po Black Maddie"] ultimately turns as stirring as it is infectious, a description that might well apply to Hill Country Love as a whole.

The duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have found that creative musical joy again, with the overarching feeling on the album being, fun.

By bringing things down to the basics, Khruangbin seemingly reinvented itself yet again without pushing too far into the future and looking too much at past success. The band is stubbornly present and takes its time creating a meditative album lined with moments of instrumental bliss and newfound territories for the band to explore.

Only God Was Above Us is more than another Vampire Weekend album, it is an amalgamation of their storied career and experiences wrapped up in a fearless take on what their genre can become.

Musically, songs like the rollicking “Dogbane” and the classic country vibe of “Stone Door,” find the Disarmers at their most adventurous taking risks that manage to pay off just about every time here. Revelations finds Shook and their band at their best across all 10 tracks.

The collective clarity of mind on cuts such as “Monaco” keeps them focused and to the point. And while both the musicianship and the material In songs such as “Last Frontier” sound distinctly of that time in the mid to late Nineties when Ride pioneered what is now described as ‘shoegaze music,” it’s also pertinent to that period when it took courage to leave the home even as it was psychically suffocating to stay inside. No question there is a tangible confidence suffusing Interplay.

The singer-songwriter’s twelfth studio album mostly sounds like 2000s-era Crow with some contemporary flourishes in the production. Crow’s diverse vocals are still solid, ranging from country twang to soulful croon and saccharine pop.

One could quibble that the album seems just a bit static in places with little change in Lloyd’s musings and the re-airing of several staples in his repertoire, but those quibblers should listen to the sheer ecstasy in “Monk’s Dance,” the album’s brightest moments.

The album is consistent on the surface but a deeper listen unveils blissful tunes that come alive via unpredictable sonic twists that get better with every listen.

Sam Evian created a potent LP with Plunge and keeps the album exciting by piecing together his lofty ideas and loosely tying them together via their unpredictable tendencies. By allowing even his loftiest visions to settle into his honed song craft he created a brand of pop music he can proudly call his own.

The sound quality is crystalline; remarkable considering how long this has been sitting in the vaults. The tone remains most serene for the first five and half minutes. .... The audience applauds after Jimmy Garrison’s bass solo thinking it’s over but the tenors and piano resume to take it out. This music is by contrast so ridiculously intense compared to the first half.

Tigers Blood album is yet another big step forward in her evolution from critic’s darling to one of the most dependably great indie artists performing today.

Glasgow Eyes takes the band’s experimental noise pop further. The expected elements are all there, from the brooding lyrics to the droning guitars to the intricate melodies. Still, incorporating electronic elements adds extra flavor for those who’ve already played Honey’s Dead a thousand times and don’t need another one.

The second segment begins with a solo lullaby “To The End of the Earth” followed by the warm trumpet tones of Keyon Harrold in the smooth, string-imbued R&B ballad, “Alone Together” with Clark Jr. singing falsetto. The empathetic mid-tempo funky shout-out for the homeless “What About the Children” features Stevie Wonder, sharing co-writing credits, singing with the leader, as well as playing his signature clavinet and harp. This is the album’s most cohesive segment. .... Take the album at its intentions. Clark Jr. is blurring the genres, as he strives to be an important voice of hope and positivity.

This album is still very much a Lenker solo project with minimal arrangements and honest songwriting but thanks to some fearlessness and a bit of patience, she can make Bright Future stand out from the rest of her solo work.

On Happiness Bastards the brothers Crowe retreat to their safer classic rock roots with efforts that gun for mid-70’s arena swagger, falling short of the band’s prime, a touch uninspired and derivative of their best work.