Any decent music? We review the reviews. You get the final word

Manic Street Preachers  Critical Thinking

As with so much of the Manics’ best work, it’s an album that’s easy to listen to, but that lingers uneasily in the mind; as it should Spectrum Culture

Bdrmm  Microtonic

Microtonic is not only the best album the band have made but is also likely to be the band’s commercial breakthrough. It certainly deserves to be God Is In The TV

Jason Isbell  Foxes in the Snow

Given Jason Isbell’s track record as a songwriter, it’s no surprise that a completely stripped-down album turns out to be one of his best PopMatters

Ichiko Aoba  Luminescent Creatures

Inspired by creatures she encountered diving in the waters off a remote island, the Japanese singer-songwriter’s understated, beautiful album explores liminal worlds through softly textured ambient folk Pitchfork

Mdou Moctar  Tears Of Injustice

An acoustic reworking of Funeral for Injustice highlights the fearsome adaptability of the Nigerien singer-guitarist and his band, as well as the tensions of their position on a world stage Pitchfork

Panda Bear  Sinister Grift

Assisted by his Animal Collective bandmates, Noah Lennox’s latest solo LP is disarmingly laid-back. It might be his most straightforwardly beautiful record—and also his most emotionally complex Pitchfork

Deep Sea Diver  Billboard Heart

Frontwoman Jessica Dobson’s powerful voice and gnarled guitar solos grant the Seattle band’s propulsive, riff-laden indie rock a new level of yearning intensity Pitchfork

Bdrmm  Microtonic

A bold, complete reinvention, messy in places, beautiful in others, and constantly in motion. A first step towards greatness on the band’s own terms musicOMH

Bob Mould  Here We Go Crazy

Sometimes it feels like listening to music from a time capsule, in the best possible way, but his 16th album demonstrates that he’s never been afraid of a good hook musicOMH

Bob Mould  Here We Go Crazy

All but unchanged aesthetically at 64, this alt-rock icon's rockin' on. Print edition only Mojo

Bob Mould  Here We Go Crazy

Even on songs which tap into more difficult territory, such as "When Your Heart Is Broken", he delivers it with such a seamless knack for melodic songcraft, that he even turns heartache into foot-stomping riffs and sing-along choruses. Print edition only Uncut

Bob Mould  Here We Go Crazy

The theme of loss crops up regularly in the lyrics, as well. Loss of what? You name it. Sleep. Youth. Innocence. Life. Looks. The list goes on. None of this is to say that Here We Go Crazy doesn’t still rock hard, however Record Collector

Jason Isbell  Foxes in the Snow

A few lyrics on the album are so unguarded, so vulnerable, and so candid that they reinforce Isbell's songwriting bravery Rolling Stone

Jason Isbell  Foxes in the Snow

While popular music has embraced a period of maximalism, Isbell recalls the romanticism of a pared-down approach, effectively making the staying power of his lyricism the focal point Exclaim

Jason Isbell  Foxes in the Snow

These songs should reach and endure far beyond their context, as they're extraordinary even by Isbell's standards. Print edition only Uncut