Overall, The Next One is a fantastically adventurous sonic landscape, making it a compelling addition for both fans of the avant-garde and those seeking a fresh musical experience.

Where Hope Goes, Fear Follows not only represents a culmination of Peck’s artistic journey but also further establishes him as a formidable voice in contemporary electronica.

Industrial Tribute_ is not just a homage; it’s a bold statement that reaffirms their role as innovators in the industrial genre.

Although JBNG are such a new group, they’ve already carved out such an impressive niche for themselves, and prove that there’s still new gold to be mined within the alt rock genre.

With Crimson Legacy, McDuffee joins the ranks of great musicians like Danny Elfman and Brian Eno who inhabit the film and music worlds with effortless ease, creating vital works of art in both spheres.

Little Blue Dot makes an important and necessary statement about the threats facing our planet, and it also represents a high watermark of creativity for The New Students, as they sound tighter and more inspired than ever.

Cautionary Yell is an impressive addition to an already storied discography for Sluka, and a real jewel in the crown to cap off what has come before.

For all of the different influences, it’s a remarkably cohesive collection of songs that form a stunning debut statement and will easily appeal to any fan of 80s goth and goth-adjacent music.

The Gospel of Getting Free is in many ways Taubman’s greatest artistic statement yet.

Embrace Form certainly does exactly what it says on the tin as it embraces certain pop conventions while staying true to the band’s experimental roots, creating a brilliant hybrid masterpiece.

Reaching Out is a beautifully moving and fitting companion to the album before it and even manages to surpass it in terms of execution and the profound emotions expressed with deft nuance.

Influenced by the likes of Tom Waits and Neil Young, there is an intellectual, referential quality to the songs as they explore the contemporary climate in four new songs.

Listening to Autopoiesis is a wonderfully strange experience where you feel like you’re floating in space, completely untethered from any and all genre distinctions.

By exploring ambience and space, Danny Peck has easily created his most profound and captivating work yet.

Some might argue a trilogy is an overambitious way to begin a music career, but Spencer Skyline has meticulously crafted the first part with an incredible amount of skill and detail.

This EP may seem on the surface to have a lot in common with the folk genre, but the listener quickly realizes there really is nothing else exactly like it.

In a year where there are a number of emerging names in pop music, Indiana Rich should be placed among them with Gemini as evidence why.

Veil Lifter is new territory for Post Death Soundtrack, but it’s a brave, bold move that really pays off as the band thrives in this environment, perhaps better than they ever have.

There’s a certain askance, left-of-center quality about Gammage’s music that prevents it from ever sitting comfortably in the traditional singer-songwriter genre, making the experience of listening to Redeemed all the more exciting and unpredictable because of it.

The Love Insane is hands down one of the most electric and dynamic releases to come out of the COVID era creative boom, and also stands on its own as a new peak for the ensemble.

It might have taken the band a long time to get to this point, but the wait was clearly worth it as Postcards From Lonely Places is a defining statement that also points to a number of open doors that lay ahead for them.

Every Moment All At Once marks a huge, astounding leap forward for the band.

Shapeshifter leaves the listener with a terrific and bold display of passion, ambition, and a huge amount of talent.

Andy Messing wears his heart on his sleeve with his lyrics, and Rise Again beautifully captures the number one punk necessity of authenticity.

2024 isn’t even here yet, but it looks like Pray to the Knife, which is released February 16th, is already set to be one of the year’s most exciting releases.

In The Rain Shadow is a testament to the persistence of true positivity in our modern era, and ultimately it’s a truly inspiring musical expression.

Reaching In is not the first album to tackle these themes, but it’s definitely one of the best and it’s executed with delicacy, great care, and a startling amount of talent.

Blow My Cover is hands down the artist’s finest collection of songs yet, representing a brilliant milestone for his evolution as a musician.

With a sound that is stretches broadly across different rock genres, Micarelli manages to graft the more exploratory sides of artists like Pink Floyd and even the slow burning epics of Bruce Springsteen.

From the outset Warm Weather Starter Pack sounds like a real labor of love and an emotionally convincing display of passion from a group who clearly love making music together.

aTYPICAL is a perfectly fitting title, because SuperWAV are true standouts in this genre, creating an intensity between two people that couldn’t be replicated with an entire orchestra.

TAMI is indeed a truly compelling affair that brings something fresh and alive to the genre, and it is at once challenging and accessible as the collective create a work of art that perfectly straddles both styles with ease.

With everything produced by The Last Optimist, the results are deceptively ambitious and the true power of seed water sun grows by completely immersing yourself in the album.

Hypnotized is an impressive, intelligently executed debut from an artist who seems to have emerged already fully-formed.

It’s impossible to guess the impact this would have had in 1998, but Throbbing Flip Out feels like a crucial missing link in the genre’s evolution that should be a vital addition to any aficionado’s collection.

Self-described as a “reverse White Stripes,” Lemon Knife are a husband and wife duo from Chicago consisting of Mia Blixt-Shehan on guitars and John Retterer-Moore on drums.

New York City-based musician Paul Maged is back with a politically charged EP titled Crossroads, named after the perceived crossroads of both the singer-songwriter’s own life and the social and political problems facing the country.

For such a prolific duo, their output remains consistent and their songwriting as strong as ever. Answers Belie shows a growing maturity for the pair as well, as they do an outstanding job of the ever difficult task of capturing world issues in succinct yet profound ways.

A lot of minimalistic lo-fi bedroom pop has emerged since 2020, for better or for worse, but Open Dream is a massive and challenging exploration of an artist pushing his own boundaries as well as a clear love letter to the possibilities of music.

Frantic Hearts is a statement from a band not just pushing their musical boundaries, but the boundaries of rock music itself, without ever once becoming too theoretical or needlessly experimental. It’s a truly exciting album that continues to surprise regardless of how many times you listen.

You know what? I’m about to say it: We need Sparks now more than ever. With a lyrical voice that is in turn witty, observant, detached, self-referential, satiric, and above all, entirely their own, only the Mael brothers are adequately equipped to comment on the current times while simultaneously providing a much needed dose of escapism.

Regardless of what your favorite 70s band is, there is something in While We Were Making Plans for everyone, but The Splatter Pattern emerges with a fully formed, compelling artistic voice that is all their own.

Recreate is not blindly optimistic, but it is an infectious burst of compassion from a voice that is so needed in this moment.

Always You is a wonderful addition to the artist’s repertoire, and a testament to the continued importance of jazz pop.

King Analog remains compelling and exciting over the entire album, an often difficult feat for instrumentalists, and the artist emerges as a dynamically challenging force to be reckoned with right out of the gates.

Hopefully this tour is not the band’s swansong and Love and Rockets will continue to play live. At the risk of sounding too greedy, one can only dream that they will record another album as well.

The generous hat tips the group gives to their predecessors will win over staunch traditionalists, but First Penetration will undoubtedly appeal to almost every fan of the genre.

Bergquist doesn’t try to shake the world with Wiser Then, but it’s almost as if he wants to slip into the room quietly, preferring to slowly blow away the listener with the accumulation of his strongly poetic lyricism over time.

A coming-of-age album, Chuck Rock is the work of a group still growing, and it’s a fantastic snapshot of a moment in time, while the band purposely plays down the album’s remarkable merits at every corner.