Amoeba Music

Bonny Doon's latest musical journey is one that has big payoffs for devoted followers and undeniable rewards for anyone just discovering them. Let There Be Music presents the band at their most dynamic and the songwriting deftly explores new terrain. Indelible guitar lines lay the solid foundation while the lyrics reach skyward with philosophical truths - both profound and mundane, comforting and difficult. More

Filled with lively, catchy rock that calls to mind The Cars and David Bowie, Boeckner's solo debut is the culmination of his deep library of musical influence and his quest for self-realization. In Boeckner's hands, the journey of working through the grit and gravel that accumulates in the heart involves post-apocalyptic synth and guitar heroism. Throughout his work with Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, and other bands, the Canadian indie rocker recognizes that few feelings are more gratifying than hope. But it takes getting the hell out of your own way.More

1993's Recipe for Hate is Bad Religion's most eclectic album and a controversial one for the fans. The band focuses on events of the day, serving scathing commentary on the state of the nation, specifically alcoholism, abortion, and homelessness. Greg Graffin reaffirms his place as one of the best punk rock vocalists with his trademark combination of perfect pitch and skeptical emotion. The album also features guest vocals from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano. More

Everything you've ever wanted from Sum 41 can be found on their new double album Heaven :x: Hell . Heaven is packed to the gills with the pop-punk gems that brought Sum 41 infamy. Hell takes listeners on a journey to the band's more recent heavy metal side. It's a raucous, rowdy thrillride meant to be turned up loud. Heaven :x: Hell may be Sum 41's final album but these tracks will keep fans headbanging for year to come. More

Chicano Batman takes you on a voyage with Notebook Fantasy . Produced by in-demand producer John Congleton (Erykah Badu, Budos Band, St. Vincent), the album feels like a throwback to a more psychedelic, sexy, jet-setting time. "Era Primavera" is a lush, shimmering number with soaring strings, dreamy harmonies, and romantic melodies. The appropriately named "Fly" just feels superfly, with elements of classic '70s funk, sexy sleaze, and an addictive chorus. Notebook Fantasy is absolutely sensational. More

Exotic Birds of Prey is the new seven song mini-album from the inimitable Shabazz Palaces. These tracks are gloriously weird, pushing hip-hop forward into cosmic, funky, and unsettling territory. The ultra-experimental "Angela" features haunting synthscapes and woozy basslines. "Myths of the Occult" is a short-but-sweet track with a trippy, slightly eerie melody and dreamlike, goth rap vocals. "Take Me to Your Leader" sounds like a forgotten classic from the era that brought us weirdo synth-funk legends like Charlie and Egyptian Lover. Exotic Birds of Prey is innovative, enjoyable, and unlike anything else you'll hear this year. More

Rarely do legendary acts have a second act as creative, interesting, and essential as Ride. Interplay is some of the band's best work. Opener "Peace Sign" is shoegaze with pop sensibilities and an early '90s indie quirk. "Last Frontier" is romantic, wistful, and moody. "Monaco" kicks off with danceable electronic beats before melancholy post-punk guitars and stabbing synths add urgency and intensity. With so many top-notch songs, Interplay is one of those records that quickly becomes a favorite. More

The Smile's Wall of Eyes is a powerful slow burn. These languid, lush songs unroll at their own pace, building a powerful mood that crescendoes as the album goes along. The tracks are devastatingly lovely, discordant and unsettling, with moments of sublime beauty. Alongside drummer Tom Skinner, Radiohead members Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke magnificently blend familiar elements of their legendary band's sound while still charting exciting new sonic ground. More

SPRINTS's first album, Letter to Self , is one those heady, intoxicating debuts that barrels straight at you, no holds barred and ready to reaffirm your faith in rock 'n' roll. The Dublin four-piece combines post-punk, garage punk, and riot grrrl into an intense, cathartic listen. Singer/guitarist/lead songwriter Karla Chubb doesn't shy away from hard-hitting topics, delving into mental health issues, religious guilt, bodily autonomy, sexuality, and self-acceptance. But this isn't a "message" album: instead, it's a full-throttle reckoning with the issues through loud, ferocious, gritty rock 'n' roll. Letter to Self announces SPRINTS as a band to watch. More

The self-titled debut from San Francisco's Spiritual Cramp is high-octane, rough and rowdy punk rock in its purest form. These ultra-catchy tracks feel like direct descendents from classic NYC and London punk, even when the band is singing about totally modern concerns (see "Talkin' on the Internet") or dipping a toe into post-punk ("Herberts on Holiday"). Spiritual Cramp will have you longing for basement shows and sticky floors, late nights and living on the edge. This album is pure good times. More from these guys, please. More

SPELLLING proves once again she's a powerful force in music, magic, and the space in between. On her latest for Sacred Bones, SPELLLING & The Mystery School , the experimental pop artist reimagined studio tracks from the length of her career, spotlighting the ways in which they've grown and morphed. The songs are sparkling with life, at times witchy and enchanted, at times earthy and comforting. There are elements of disco, trip-hop, and grandiose '80s-style fantasy pop. It's an intoxication potion that showcases the power of art and the remarkability of the creative process. More

Sleater-Kinney's Little Rope is a remarkable album. Written in the wake of the deaths of Carrie Brownstein's mother and stepfather, the arrangements are sparse and meditative, intense and careening — much like the process of navigating loss itself. Through the comfort and challenge of songwriting, Brownstein and Corin Tucker transmute grief into striving, sympathetic, transcendent songs. Little Rope feels like a companion, a friend, someone to walk beside you on a long, dark road. Because isn't that what music, at its best, does? More

The mighty IDLES find power in love on TANGK . (Pronounced "tank.") The best British post-punk band in modern music can always be relied on for intelligent lyrics, punishing riffs, and no holds barred truth-telling, but whereas on earlier releases the band directed their talents at taking down the failures and apathy of society, now they're funneling that same forceful sound into the not-so-simple act of perseverance. The band's inimitable stomp is present on "Dancer" — even as the song intros with golden age of Hollywood cinematic strings — before segueing into a bold, brutal melody. On "Grace," those pounding basslines and fierce drums are toned down in an aural echo of the title; this anthem for communal love and solidarity feels both open-eyed and comforting. An essential album for rough times, TANGK is some of the most intriguing material from the ever-excellent IDLES. More

Scuzzy, hedonistic, and ridiculously fun, Push is Sextile's first release for Sacred Bones. Long an LA underground mainstay, the band sounds better than ever as it descends in darkly pleasurable new directions, cranking up the volume on an unholy mixture of '90s Manchester, bigbeat, breakbeat, acid, post-punk and punk rock. This is music for 3am, with all its possibilities, wooziness, latent drama, and the inevitable comedown. Sextile has always received a serious amount of buzz, so if you're one of those people that gets turned off by hype, you'll just need to hear this one to believe that it's well-earned. A breath of fresh night air. More

Health's RAT WARS is some of their most intense, heaviest songwriting yet. The band artfully blends metal, hardcore, electronic, industrial, post-punk, and noise into tumultuous, tortured tracks that do, often, ultimately find redemption. The full-on sonic assault of RAT WARS feels justifiably angry and heartbroken, sometimes weary and broken — the album is like a mirror held to the exhausting, seemingly endless slog of bad news and bad times. But in those dark moments, Health always finds the tiniest sliver of light, which imbues these songs with an emotional resonance and power that makes them simply unforgettable. A bold, brave album that's ready to soundtrack your roughest times and remind you that hope is always just on the other side of the night. More

Glen Hansard's All That Was East Is West of Me Now is a record about realizing your days are numbered, making the most of what's to come, and honoring what's in the rearview. Perhaps not surprisingly, it's an album of emotional highs and lows, the mood shifting between meditative and resolute. Hansard gets sweepingly romantic on the Leonard Cohenesque "Sure as the Rain." On "The Feast of St. John," Hansard brings authenticity and to Springsteen-like guitar grandiosity. "Bearing Witness" is powerfully raw, an ode to making the most of the hand you're dealt and not looking back. An excellent, moving album from one of modern music's most treasured songwriters. More

Future Islands have just released one of the best albums of their career. The songs on People Who Aren't There Anymore are totally bops, the type of ear worm tracks that become instant favorites. At the same time, there's a sense of emotional exploration to these songs that gives them real heft — Future Islands has gotten introspective in these slowed-down jams, delivering songs that feel like companions for the most uncomfortable moments of change and growth in life. It's a lovely album that will linger in your mind longer after the last note fades out. More

Every once in a while, an album comes along that's such a surprising delight it goes into heavy rotation from the very first spin. That's Hard Light from Drop Nineteens. The Boston-based noise-pop/shoegaze band originally operated in the early '90s, eventually becoming something of a rediscovered cult sensation during the streaming era. Now, they're back together and writing new material that also deserves instant cult status. You'll find haunting, wistful, and catchy-as-all-get-out tracks here, with the otherworldly vocals of Paula Kelley alternating with those of fellow guitarist/vocalist Greg Ackell for a listening experience that'll keep you on your toes in the best way possible. An album to get lost in. Highly recommended. More

Chelsea Wolfe finds the beauty in pain on She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She . As expected, it's atmospheric, bristling, and otherworldly. Wolfe's voice moves between ethereal and enchanting, menacing and morose. The music seamlessly blends trip-hop, industrial, metal, avant-garde, and rock...if that sounds like an over-the-top combination, fear not, because listeners are in capable hands with Wolfe and producer Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars). The cathartic, sublime She Reaches Out is a career high for Chelsea Wolfe. More

No exaggeration: Sierra Ferrell's Trail of Flowers is a masterpiece. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter writes captivating, fresh songs inspired by classic country, bluegrass, and folk. These are ramblin', rootsy tracks that chronicle the excitement and disappointment of life on the road, gently make fun of Ferrell's ability to drive a suitor mad, and take a tongue-in-cheek look at romantic despair at a dive bar. All of which is to say that — woo boy — Ferrell has a voice, both in terms of her dulcet tones and her ability to weave a tale. An eclectic, electrifying indie country album that's likely to top many end-of-the-year "best of" lists. More