Since emerging in the late 2010s, hyperpop duo 100 gecs' sound has been somewhere between pop and panic attack, chaotically combining the most extreme versions of multiple styles and then speeding everything up to near breaking points. It's fun, funny, knowingly and brazenly ridiculous music and would be easy to write off as simple obnoxious experimentalism if the songs weren't so fantastically catchy. Their 2019 debut 1000 Gecs sounded like club bangers made by psychedelic cartoon characters, and sophomore LP 10,000 Gecs (a "long-player" in name alone as its ten songs clip by in just under 27 minutes) expands the duo's cultural collaging to include cannibalizations of Limp Bizkit-style nu-metal, pop-punk, '90s alt-funk, ska, and anything else that captures the gecs' fleeting attention. "Hollywood Baby" sounds like blink-182 with the entire mix filtered through Auto-Tune, but the 8-bit feel somehow enhances the impact of the song's hooks. The album quickly detours between legitimately strong blasts of energy like the slap-bass weirdness of "Doritos & Fritos" or the computerized thrash metal of "One Million Dollars" to goofy Kidz Bop childishness like "Frog on the Floor" or the third wave ska send-up "I Got My Tooth Removed." Somehow 100 gecs take things even more over the top on 10,000 Gecs than they did on their already mind-boggling debut. The very nature of the group's hyperbolic and perpetually exploding design means they're still inherently polarizing, love-it-or-hate-it kind of music. For those who love it, 10,000 Gecs offers more -- so much more, always more -- to love.© Fred Thomas /TiVo

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Most North Americans seem to believe Yello's career began and ended with "Oh Yeah," the 1985 tune from their album Stella that became unavoidable in movies and television for years afterward. But the truth is, Yello have been a presence in international pop music since 1980, and with their 13th album, 2016's Toy, they've reminded us that they're still making smart, well-crafted, and politely subversive electronic pop more than three decades after their biggest hit. Stylistically, Toy doesn't sound radically different than the work Yello did in the '80s and '90s, though their touch has grown a bit lighter with time. These tunes are pop that exists somewhere between crisp EDM-influenced rhythms and witty ambient music. Boris Blank (who handles the group's music and production) moves back and forth from upbeat numbers with tuneful hooks and dance-friendly percussive effects to low-key soundscapes that, despite their playful edge, communicate a mood far more than a melody. Vocalist and lyricist Dieter Meier was 71 when Toy was released, but his gruff, smoky instrument fits the clean, polished surfaces of this music remarkably well, like Leonard Cohen's eccentric cousin from Switzerland. Toy wisely front-loads the catchier numbers, especially "Limbo," "Cold Flame" (featuring guest vocals from Malia), and "30,000 Days," while the set closes with more abstract and free-flowing tracks such as "Magma" and "Toy Square." Toy doesn't sound especially innovative, but it certainly demonstrates that Yello haven't been resting on their laurels, and at its best, the album applies new thinking in electronic pop with the melodic and production approaches that have always been part of Yello's music, for a set that's fresh but unmistakably their work.© Mark Deming /TiVo

For two decades now, the Texas-reared and California-based sultry-voiced singer-songwriter Jolie Holland has perfected a folk/country hybrid with a distinctive singing style deeply rooted in blues and jazz. On her sixth studio album, she fearlessly encompasses even more genres and styles, but with a forceful ease and downright dreamy tempos. Guitars slither awake and bark distorted tones over percolating ambient tones. Fiddles and cellos drone from classical realms into Appalachian territory and back. It’s all collaged together with the clarity of a great soundtrack.Holland's always strong songwriting is helped in parts by Big Thief's Buck Meek, who adds his own verse to the title track. (And yes, that’s the same Meek who included a version of the song on his own 2023 album, which he named … Haunted Mountain.)  His contributions to "Highway 72" are such that you have to listen over and over again. The term "instant classic" has been used to death, but the song (which references one of Hank Williams' best) just seems to have been there forever. If only Deadwood was still filming, so that it could close out an episode.This release is no sell-out, by any means. It's Holland's most ambitious, clear-sounding, and overtly political recording to date. Its themes tackle what Naomi Klein has termed disaster capitalism, the onus of patriarchy, the legacy of colonialism, and the onset of fascism across the world. It's so strong and so real that one cannot imagine a world where such music might be released and not resonate with the larger world. Haunted Mountain matches its thematic cohesion with a slower tempo that's at times—as with the whistle-and-strum closer "What It's Worth"—downright somnambulant. This is very powerful stuff; don't drive at night or operate heavy machinery while under its influence. © Mike McGonigal/Qobuz

Big Thief songwriter and frontwoman Adrianne Lenker's aesthetic falls somewhere between rough edged Appalachian Mountain music filtered through an urban Brooklyn sensibility, and something further out, more individualized, and in the end, not completely expressible. While stanzas like "When I say celestial/ I mean extraterrestrial/ I mean accepting the alien you've rejected in your own heart/ When I say heart I mean finish/The last one there is a potato knish/ Baking too long in the sun of spud infinity" might make you smile, her lyrics often seem like they're only scratching the surface of what she's thinking and feeling. Her voice, which can shade into a Hazel Dickens kind of portentousness, often strains to reach a place that only she can visualize. But the overall effect is a rigorous, engaged, and inviting musical experience. Recorded in four locations—Topanga Canyon, Upstate New York, Colorado, and Tucson, Arizona—there's nevertheless a cohesion thanks to Lenker's singing. "Red Moon," with guest Matt Davidson of Twain on fiddle and harmony vocals, is the band at their most Americana-esque. The album's sweetest melody is found on "No Reason" with Buck Meek on twelve-string guitar and guest Richard Hardy on flute. The only misstep is "Love Love Love," where Lenker's voice wobbles and nearly breaks in spots. At times the foursome (rounded out by bassist Max Oleartchik and drummer James Krivchenia) do get noisier, as in "Little Things," where Meek's electric guitar chimes and reverb gives Lenker's voice extra force; guitar effects and electronics add a textured bass thump to "Flower of Blood." You may wonder if this double album would have been tighter and less indulgent condensed into a single, but Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You justifies its length, staying steady until the goodtime honky-tonk closer, "Blue Lightning." © Robert Baird/Qobuz

Kiss' 1974 self-titled debut is one of hard rock's all-time classic studio recordings. Kiss is chock full of their best and most renowned compositions, containing elements of Rolling Stones/New York Dolls party-hearty rock & roll, Beatles tunefulness, and Sabbath/Zep heavy metal, and wisely recorded primal and raw by producers Richie Wise and Kenny Kerner (of Gladys Knight fame). Main songwriters Stanley and Simmons each had a knack for coming up with killer melodies and riffs, as evidenced by "Nothin' to Lose" and "Deuce" (by Simmons), "Firehouse" and "Black Diamond" (by Stanley), as well as "Strutter" and "100,000 Years" (collaborations by the two). Also included is the Ace Frehley alcohol anthem "Cold Gin," "Let Me Know" (a song that Stanley played for Simmons upon their very first meeting, then titled "Sunday Driver"), and one of Kiss' few instrumentals: the groovy "Love Theme from Kiss" (penned by the entire band). The only weak track is a tacky cover of the 1959 Bobby Rydell hit "Kissin' Time," which was added to subsequent pressings of the album to tie in with a "Kissing Contest" promotion the band was involved in at the time. Along with 1976's Destroyer, Kiss' self-titled debut is their finest studio album, and has only improved over the years.© Greg Prato /TiVo

Leave insular bedroom pop to the kids. Kings of Leon (millennials approaching middle age) are back with their first album in five years, and it's as big and grand as ever. In fact, When You See Yourself feels like an '80s throwback: huge. Credit that in large part to the phenomenal rhythm section of bassist Jared Followill and drummer Nathan Followill; the punchy bass, in particular, on this record is as much the star of the show as Caleb Followill's unmistakable voice. It imbues irresistible opener "When You See Yourself, Are You Far Away" with a bouncy island quality, while bursts of charging drums punctuate the verses. It throbs so deeply on "100,000 People" that, combined with slinky guitar, you might think you're listening to a Peter Gabriel track circa '86. Meanwhile, "The Bandit"—driven by galloping drums that match the open-sky lyrics ("Chiseled their names in stone/Heavy the load you tow/ And the red horse is always close/ And the fire don't burn below")—glows bright with guitar that can only be compared to Joshua Tree-era Edge. When KOL came out of Nashville in 2003—three sons of a Pentecostal preacher plus their cousin from Mississippi—who ever would have predicted they would be the heirs to the anthemic arena rock of Springsteen and U2? (Especially since they looked like Molly Hatchet throwbacks, all shags and mutton chops and flared jeans.) The only problem with being so big that you're a festival favorite is getting written off as having lost your edge: phoning it in, married to models and living in mansions. Those last two points may be apt, but KOL are far from phoning it in. If anything, they're still growing—actually getting better as a band, coming up with thoughtful new ways to manipulate their instruments—and still full of surprises. "Stormy Weather" rumbles like a funk track cut with swooning guitar. "A Wave" comes on as a ballad, all moody piano and sustained organ, before erupting into a Springsteen-like bop, Caleb's voice bright like a searchlight. And while Caleb has always had a way with words, he's trying his hand at poetry this time around. "There's a glow at the face of the canyon/ And a sound blowing 'round/ Says you're nowhere you've ever been before," he sings on "Claire & Eddie"; it's not especially deep, but it is an evocative match to the loose-limbed desert drums and ghostly guitar. "My heart's hard of hearing/ My head's full of sand/ Feet point both directions if you need a hand," he sings on "Echoing," which, with its majestic marching drums and livewire guitar, feels most like the band's earliest spitfire singles (think: "The Bucket," "Molly's Chambers"). The record fades out with "Fairytale," a dreamy, strings-laden song practically floating in space. "Heard your little cause playing on the radio/ It's getting good, real good at getting old," Caleb sings. That's nothing he needs to worry about right now. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Alive! was the album that catapulted Kiss from cult attraction to mega-superstars. It was their first Top Ten album, remaining on the charts for 110 weeks. Culled from shows in Detroit, New Jersey, Iowa, and Cleveland on the Dressed to Kill tour, the record features producer Eddie Kramer doing a masterful job of capturing the band's live performance on record. The band's youthful energy is contagious, and with positively electric versions of their best early material, it's no mystery why Alive! is widely regarded as one of the greatest live hard rock recordings of all time. "Rock and Roll All Nite" became a Top 20 smash and was the main reason for the album's success, but there are many other tracks that are just as strong -- "Deuce," "Strutter," "Firehouse," "Parasite," "She," "100,000 Years," "Black Diamond," and "Cold Gin" all shine in a live setting. Although there's been some speculation of extensive overdubbing to correct mistakes, Alive! remains Kiss' greatest album ever. An essential addition to any rock collection.© Greg Prato /TiVo

What would happen in you crashed classic club rhythms into classic rock? Pendulum pick up the pieces on their sophomore album, but American debut, In Silico. It's a "Showdown" between late-'60s hard rock and raging techno beats on the set opener, as the band blast the arena with their big, bold sound. "The Tempest," which bookends the set, is filled with ominous clouds, while a metal rain splatters the grooves. Throughout this set Pendulum swings across the rock spectrum. The stomping "Mutiny," for example, clashes glam rock with classic rock -- think "Radar Love" played by the Glitter Band. That could be a single; "Granite" already has been, its dizzy mix of slamming techno beats, incendiary synths, fiery guitar licks, and space rock effects shooting up the U.K. and Australian dance charts. "Granite" has a New Romantic tincture, a style that also tinges "The Other Side"'s funky/hard rock hybrid and "Different," a number that blends jungle beats with psychedelia and prog rock. The latter's rhythm is ripped straight out of Prodigy's hands, as is the one that supports "9000 Miles," where the band board the Caravan and travel from the Canterbury scene to the chill room. Prodigy aren't their only obvious influence, Moby gets his due too, as Pendulum tip their hats to his take on the "James Bond Theme" with the pomp-rocky "Propane Nightmares," another sizzling single. Yet it's the far more subtle "Visions" that's the band's epiphany, where they weave together a sewing box worth of threads from the '70s electronica scene into a sunny tapestry of sound. Long ago synths and guitars were both integral to the rock scene, eventually they parted company, then found themselves at odds. Pendulum is determined to heal that breach and bring the warring parties back together, looking to the past for support, while striding boldly into the future.© Jo-Ann Greene /TiVo