It’s a testament to her songwriting skills and sensitivity that she can take potentially difficult subject matter and still make it feel both relatable and uplifting, and it’s certainly an album that serves as a reminder that there is light even in the darkest of places.

The result is a record that is kinetic and dynamic, paralleling its lyrical explorations.

The shrugged shoulder irony of real life places such as the Adam & Eve sex shop or a Southern-themed amusement park give Rat Saw God its substance. The slurred lines of dual guitars and pedal steel that run rampant over most of its course provide the PICC line to serve it up to you.

Overall, Cherry Stars Collide is an impressive collection that acts as a gateway to discovering a host of bands and artists that previously would have gone recognized, and that alone makes this boxset an indispensable artifact.

In less capable hands, this sonic goulash could sound incoherent or sloppy, but that’s the magic of Deerhoof; they take all of these disparate elements and somehow transfigure them into cohesive songs. At its core, Miracle-Level is a celebration of the human spirit, one that offers optimism and wonder in the face of pessimism and hopelessness.

The track [Understudies] underscores how, after 20 years, The Hold Steady is hardly a restrictive creative framework, while The Price of Progress reminds longtime fans why they continue to look forward to each album.

Overall, Time’s Arrow is a sturdy representation of business as usual and by all accounts, business is booming.

The Future Is Your Past is the culmination of its creator’s relentless work ethic, its 10 tracks proving that out of uncertainty and instability comes some of the most everlasting art.

Although the band cites Gentle Giant, Focus, and early King Crimson as influences, True Entertainment sounds a lot like Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones fronting Men Without Hats. An interesting combination, I’m sure you’ll agree. Occasionally, it works.

I Play My Bass Loud is a lot of fun to listen to. It’s heartfelt, naïve, and made with genuine love for the material, and while it may not be earth-shakingly great, you can’t help but get caught up in it.

A Comforting Notion is never anything less than mesmeric, it’s a master class in how to utilize your influences and produce something that is uniquely your own.

It’s Tumor’s willingness to occupy space on their own terms that has made them feel like such an important and unique artist. With its lengthy title and constant metamorphoses, Praise may be the definitive Yves Tumor album.

The manic and swaggering rock cuts that colored Superstar and their preceding record, LONER, give way to thoughtful and layered shades of art pop, fused with some soaring arena-worthy highlights.

The Hypnagogue reaffirms why this band have been held in high esteem for so long, as the swashbuckling former single “C’est La Vie” and pensive “Thorn” in particular beam with a radiant glow that emits throughout the entire album.

They take the refuse of pop culture’s past and transform it into something deeply and necessarily joyful.

It showcases the entire process and in doing so furthers one’s appreciation of a work of art that is so consequential as it already is. Along with a book of essays and ephemera to further instruct and illuminate, Fragments is as essential to the Dylan catalog as Time Out of Mind itself.

Maybe How to Replace It is a tentative return to recording and the baby steps will be replaced by giant strides.

At almost 70 minutes long, at times the album begins to run together past the point of cohesion. Despite this, Fantasy, which features some of the most singing and lyrical work done by Gonzalez, sits as a deeply personal and ambitious record that shines.

It’s an accomplished return for Rose, who has crafted an album brimming with iridescent beauty that shimmers across a meticulously crafted dream pop soundscape.

Strange Dance is Selway’s third solo album and carries on where 2014’s Weatherhouse left off. The synths and electronic adornments are all in place, but here they’re augmented with strings and brass. Selway had the good taste to invite Portishead’s Adrian Utley to contribute and his involvement is pretty much guaranteed to elevate the quality of a project.

As long as we’re stuck in the system, it seems we’re stuck with Sleaford Mods as well; for better or worse, they’re still the one band that do, well, that thing they do…and that’s something to cherish each time they load the barrel.

There are multitudinous joys to be found here—humor, sadness, and warm, true tenderness, all enveloped in the delicate velvet of strange and magical pop music. It’s time H. Hawkline received the due kudos and love for his wonderful work.

She delivers an effortless balance between ambition and accessibility, offering a record that is both a deeply layered work of art and full of euphoric escapist joy. Even though it is still early in the year, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You is already a strong contender for the best pop album of 2023.

Bless This Mess splits the difference between Remy’s last two outings. Considerably more focused than 2020’s Heavy Light, but also foregoing the scuzzy charms of 2018’s In a Poem Unlimited.

Xiu Xiu’s albums have always been strictly motivated by their creator’s instincts. Ignore Grief sounds more like a radio play than a batch of songs; a direct, dispassionate transmission of humans at the heat of their harrow. Mancini meets Ministry, grandiose in all its perversity, not to mention based on true events.

Gorillaz was once a creative outlet that allowed Albarn to explore new territories. But Cracker Island suggests that the concept has grown stale. Those lovable animated creatures feel like they’re on an island of their own, isolated and untethered to what’s actually been churning the project forward all along.

Emotional songs with a layered and attractive sound justifying repeated plays that are more rewarding each time.

Food For Worms is a dark, deeply felt album that resonates even at its most frantic and obscure.