Sheryl Crow prioritizes compassion and connection in Pick You Up, her most political album to date

Indianapolis indie poppers Wishy take their sound to a new level of craftsmanship and catchiness with Nature’s Pill. It’s one of the year’s best records

On their ninth release, Perfecth, Queens of the Stone Age display the full array of their sound to pinpoint distinct emotions

British folk-rock legend Richard Thompson sneeringly releases another album that reveals the complex nature of the human condition

Troye Sivan’s elusive search for connection finds him languishing in the party’s afterglow

On Chuck Timely and the Hourglass, Role Model uses an affable alter ego to navigate relationships, commitment, and what it means to be a pop star

A contender for album of the year, Greg Freeman’s All Set the Bone is an intense, stylistically varied testament to our grim reality, with lasting appeal

What makes Day and Night succeed and stand out in Carly Rae Jepsen’s discography is the confidence and strength that shine through the music

Gilla Band emerge as spokespersons for our age of solipsism, dissecting and lampooning these proclivities. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, we’re doomed

This is the album Emma Ruth Rundle has long wanted and been destined to make. These Killing Times marks the actualization of a signature artist

Nate Amos’ most heralded project, This Is Lorelei, swaps out electropop for bluegrass and folk with The Singer in My Band

Bristol duo Getdown Services turn everyday humiliations into cathartic, body-moving anthems. Move to the beat and pay attention

Distance in Static is like a conversation between two halves of Bonobo’s brain. It’s a bold statement and shows him finding new ways to connect with audiences

Oklahoma noise band Chat Pile mix more melody into their bleak message on another powerful, unsettling collection, Who Loves the Sun

NEW LOVE is the first album credited to Dexys Midnight Runners since 1985, an apposite gesture since the themes and undertones link back to Don’t Stand Me Down

Overmono’s new LP feels like a step forward as they push into new directions, crafting expansive dance music that retains a deep sense of humanity

Brandon Flowers’ melodies are largely airy, ebullient, even life-affirming. Articulating the troubles we face, he also, and perhaps ultimately, pays homage to our resilience

An ambitious concept, combining storytelling with a country/hip-hop blend

The Mountain Goats don’t go all in on a 1990s grunge-inspired record, but instead look back on that period with a fresh perspective

With acoustic guitar and banjo, Lambchop return to their Nashville roots, while the choruses create yet another idiosyncratic background for musings on America