With each rotation of the record, Albarn’s artistry allows for discovering new puzzle pieces in a masterfully crafted way.

CRAWLER is the sound of a band intently looking forwards, even if that means revisiting their demons from the past.

She reunites the fragments of herself into a work that is bold and propitious. For perhaps the first time in a long time, she is complete, and Public Storage is just the beginning.

A few songs drag a little, but even those have interesting flourishes.

Once again, Hopkins invites us to experience the meeting of heaven and earth and be transformed.

Talk Memory is their most compositionally refined album yet, an ode to their maturity as songwriters and their abilities as conceptualists; a form of anti-bombast; a subtle listen that soothes just as often as it surprises; that not only wears its influences on its sleeves but invites them to the recording studio. Don’t miss it.

It’s an album that provides a deft mix of happy/sad songs that run the full gamut of emotions from euphoria to anger to the more reflective and wistful numbers.

This project not only shows the latest iteration of a highly skilled lyricist, but the journey it took to get there.

While not necessarily “solid” and occasionally clumsy. ... Enjoy Optimist for what it is—an honest and insightful bit of commentary from a seemingly centered, obviously talented young artist.

Actually, You Can is a testament to the human spirit and the seemingly endless creativity of four people. It’s also a welcome addition to rock’s most diverse catalogue.

It’s an album that demonstrates that following your artistic instincts rather than what’s “on trend” can lead to work that is much more rewarding, powerful, and enduring.

Long-awaited, Kid A Mnesia is a testament of Radiohead’s phenomenal abilities, and stands as one of this year’s most exciting reissues. Fans of the group may rejoice, while newcomers will receive the full experience of two of the 21st century’s major creative achievements.

While the days of Born to Die have long since passed, Lana Del Rey is still seeking paradise, closer now than ever as she turns her search inward, seemingly recognizing that paradise is ultimately found within the best of oneself. Still, if there is indeed a physical Arcadia to be revealed, it has not emerged in its entirety on Blue Banisters. That said, its intoxicating hints are enough to keep seekers thirsty.

No Snail Mail fans are going to be shocked or shaken by Valentine’s 10 tracks, but they’ll definitely be delighted at their continued elegance.

Reissued for its 25th anniversary by Craft Recordings, R.E.M.’s subtle ’90s masterwork has made a triumphant return, with something to offer listeners both old and new.

In its best moments, all of which come, ironically enough, on the solo tracks of the record rather than the collaborations, this questioning and double guessing of himself really comes through.

I Don’t Live Here Anymore is truly successful as an arena-ish rock record. It’s perhaps their most accessible record, yet never sacrifices the core elements that have made The War on Drugs one of the greatest rock groups of the last decade.

With their most refined work yet, Martin and Taylor cement themselves as acoustic indie pop mainstays, a more playful alternative to Big Thief.

It’s a concept album that fundamentally refuses to engage with its own premise. Instead, the band doubles down on lyrical clichés about love and arena-friendly electropop. ... Frontman Chris Martin was never known as a brilliant songwriter, but his lyrics were never this vapid either.

Do they succeed at evolving their sound? The vote is yes. Does it outdo Wide Awake!? The vote is no, but that hardly matters. They’re such different albums that it’s easy to see those more attuned to electronic music digging this far more than rock guys. These guys are such creative songwriters that almost anything they put out is a pleasure to listen to.

Wayfinder is Taylor Vick at her best: direct, magically ephemeral, and as fragile as a piece of tangible media can be. In order to maintain a strong sense of intrigue, Vick will have to move forward in terms of musical depth and scope. But, for now, a simple follow-up to Free Company is more than welcome.

Like a menagerie of the rickety carnival rides of old, it’s easy to get swept up in the array of what Fun House has on display. That the album also contains a gut wrenching inventory of Duffy working through their past without hammering you over the head with it, is Fun House’s best sleight of hand.

What’s striking beyond the excellent song choices is Isbell’s choice to sit in the background for much of the record, singing lead vocal on only six of the album’s 13 songs. Elsewhere, Amanda Shires brings a mystery, intrigue, and an eerie fiddle hook to Cat Power’s “Cross Bones Style.”

All in all, I’ll Be Your Mirror can be skipped by even the most devoted fans. It may be worth returning to The Velvet Underground’s legendary discography instead, especially for uninitiated listeners.

One of the finest jazz releases in a long while, Love for Sale is a must for fans of the genre, as well as its two incomparable performers. One only regrets that the duo had not received an opportunity to tackle Hoagy Carmichael in the same manner.

Overall, if Costello’s aim here was to not only draw renewed attention to a much-loved album in his catalog, but to also draw attention to singers in the vast Spanish-speaking world, he has succeeded on both fronts.

Cameos from the poet Kara Jackson (“Straight & Narrow”) and Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard (“Plates”) help round out an album that, on the surface, is a pleasant and hypnotic indie pop collection—but examined just a little bit more deeply is a concerted effort by a talented and thoughtful artist who is trying to find the deeper meaning to what their art (and life) is all about.

Bombastic, bold, and vulnerable. It’s easily her most ambitious effort to date: 19 tracks over the course of an hour and yet somehow, it feels as though nothing is wasted.