FLOOD

On his intimate sophomore effort, Strange is thankfully still not settling into one particular style as he soundtracks self-examinations on pained familial histories.

By ramping down the production value, the Swedish songwriter puts a strict focus on the small, captured moments, akin to studying a lover’s face for context clues.

This sixth album often finds a veteran band charging atop vigorous, surging melodies and not being afraid to just lean into the groove again.

The duo’s fourth LP is a multitude of things at one time, and that’s both its downfall and its triumph.

Varying in length, tone, and setting, these 10 tracks sound like a new era for both Carey Mercer’s singing and his backing trio that have pushed him along.

Dan Bejar’s emotionally rumpled pandemic album wanders through a diverse set of genres, requiring the listener to look at it from all angles.

The metal experimentalists work ’90s alt rock and ambient space-rock experimentation into the mix on their fifth LP.

The odd experiments, melodic dead ends, and other outtakes on this compilation are geared toward diehard fans of the monumental 1999 album.

Claire Cottrill’s sophomore effort is a strong footfall out of the music industry quicksand and a way to wash the past and online naysayers away.

There’s nothing too shocking on the duo’s first album in a decade, and there are still plenty of cozy vibes.

This 49-track space odyssey is a precarious and complicated release, like a a laugh escaping the mouth of someone too tired of weeping.

The group’s 11th album is an agreeable, yet predictable, verse-chorus rock album with plenty of pop accoutrements.

The Brooklyn trio’s sixth LP is an elegant metamorphosis for a group that seemed crystallized within its mid-’00s indie-rock styles.

Finn and Nicolay talk reveling in the six-piece setup, their passion for live residencies, and 8th album “Open Door Policy.”

“New Fragility” builds up a better framework for CYHSY as an Alec Ounsworth solo project.

The latest, truly masterful statement from Tamara Lindeman blooms beyond her Americana roots.

Much of the Pumpkins’ overstuffed 11th album is merely a faded approximation of ’90s rock.

The constant theme on Calexico’s new holiday album is friends and family celebrating the good times.

The group’s sixth album is a long exhale after the excited breathing and bare-chested songcraft heard on their last three records.

“The Ascension” is an unrelenting release that asks a lot of its listeners, but it gives back plenty as well.