The peaks of “The Ridge” are melodic, beautiful, and worthy of a good sonic hike.

In the hands of German composer Nils Frahm, even the most minimalist sound can be manipulated into a moving and grand piece of music.

“Wiped Out!” is different, stripped of the R&B swag and playful lyrics that their previous effort carried to mainstream success.

She comes from Sweden with a direct declaration: “There’s a conclusion to my illusion / I assure you this.”

Slightly chaotic and with plenty of character, these songs don’t get dull.

But this isn’t a Black Keys album, it’s an Arcs album.

It would be easy to lump Tijuana Panthers’ latest LP in with the beach bum sound that’s been so popular as of late, but there’s a textured depth to “Poster.”

Over the past decade, The Maccabees have evolved sonically as dictated by the times, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

A covers album is a very difficult thing to pull off, even with tempered expectations.

There is something quite comforting about the new Heartless Bastards album “Restless Ones.”

With “Beneath the Skin,” Of Monsters and Men shed their jaunty, sweet exterior, and expose some (or, more accurately, too many) darker and moodier cuts.

Straying from the path paved as the frontman of a world-renowned band is not an easy task, especially with a distinguished voice like Brandon Flowers’s.

For “1000 Palms,” the quartet strays from the pristine surf-pop sound of 2013’s “Pythons” and fills their third LP with more reverb and psychedelic accents.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with “A Forest of Arms,” but there is an inescapable taste of disappointment left in your mouth when there isn’t anything more to really sink your teeth into.

“Strange Trails” might not take listeners down the road less traveled, but it still provides the warm and familiar comfort of a wise friend.

Five albums in and the pair haven’t changed a thing; “New Glow” is more of a mixture of their previous efforts than anything novel or different.

It’s a record that comes at the heels of Darnielle’s critically acclaimed novel, and its lofty ambitions do not disappoint.

Every track on singer-songwriter Ryley Walker’s sophomore LP evokes a vivid setting of pristine pastoral beauty.

The band lifts its audience from present day, takes them back in time, and then pushes them through the atmosphere to the moon and back. Grab footage of your favorite space scenes, sit back, and enjoy.

On “We Are Undone,” Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel seem to have something to say, but they fall short of expressing it in any memorable way.

At first “Sauna”’s tracks seem a bit boring and monotonous due to their seemingly infinite lengths, but, with a closer listen, the album builds its own state of consciousness with layers of intense and profound musical compositions.

Where Dirt stuck to cranking out soulful blues-rock jams, Moonlight experiments with Khatib’s familiar garage-rock sound through higher production values.

Henry Laufer, better known as Shlohmo, is making some changes. He announced signing to label True Panther recently and released new music to share with his…