Cream teamed up with producer Felix Pappalardi for their second album, Disraeli Gears, a move that helped push the power trio toward psychedelia and also helped give the album a thematic coherence missing from the debut. This, of course, means that Cream get further away from the pure blues improvisatory troupe they were intended to be, but it does get them to be who they truly are: a massive, innovative power trio. The blues still courses throughout Disraeli Gears -- the swirling kaleidoscopic "Strange Brew" is built upon a riff lifted from Albert King -- but it's filtered into saturated colors, as it is on "Sunshine of Your Love," or it's slowed down and blurred out, as it is on the ominous murk of "Tales of Brave Ulysses." It's a pure psychedelic move that's spurred along by Jack Bruce's flourishing collaboration with Pete Brown. Together, this pair steers the album away from recycled blues-rock and toward its eccentric British core, for with the fuzzy freakout "Swlabr," the music hall flourishes of "Dance the Night Away," the swinging "Take It Back," and of course, the old music hall song "Mother's Lament," this is a very British record. Even so, this crossed the ocean and also became a major hit in America, because regardless of how whimsical certain segments are, Cream are still a heavy rock trio and Disraeli Gears is a quintessential heavy rock album of the '60s. Yes, its psychedelic trappings tie it forever to 1967, but the imagination of the arrangements, the strength of the compositions, and especially the force of the musicianship make this album transcend its time as well.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Greta Van Fleet hail from Frankenmuth, Michigan, home of Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, the store that keeps the holiday spirit alive nearly every day of the year. Living with the specter of Santa is bound to keep a young man residing in a fantasy land, and so it is with Greta Van Fleet: They inhabit a world they never experienced, namely the '70s. Every member of Greta Van Fleet -- which consists of a heap of brothers called Kiszka and a drummer named Danny Wagner, all born too late to witness either Kingdom Come or Jimmy Page & Robert Plant's Unledded reunion -- act as if the earth stopped turning in 1974, the year when Led Zeppelin still traded in myths learned from J.R.R. Tolkien and strode the earth like golden gods. Try as they may -- and, lordy, do they try -- Greta Van Fleet never seem immortal on Anthem of the Peaceful Army, the 2018 album billed as their debut (From the Fires, a record that is only 12 minutes shorter than Anthem, is apparently a double-EP). Blame it on GVF's desperate desire to hit their marks precisely. The group is so intent on recapturing the majestic lumber of Zeppelin at their peak, they dare not miss a step, letting the riffs pile up so they suggest epics. Sometimes, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist Sam Kiszka, and drummer Danny Wagner do work up a head of drama -- no swing, of course, because it's harder to replicate John Bonham's beat than approximate Jimmy Page's guitar army -- but they're undone by Josh Kiszka, a singer who is intent on singing with velocity that he can't muster. Josh may be the weak link, but he merely reveals how the whole band seem to have learned their moves from watching late-night concerts on Palladium while buying pre-worn vintage-styled T's at Urban Outfitters. For the band and audience alike, Greta Van Fleet is nothing more than cosplay of the highest order.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

The sixth studio long player from the Windy City-based outfit, Immortalized finds Disturbed bolting down the house they finished building on 2010's Asylum, offering up a 13-track slab of vintage mid- to late-2000s heavy rock piled high with bottom-heavy riffs, piston-like percussion, and big modern rock radio-ready choruses filled with randomly generated declarations of defiance. To say that the old "if it's broke don't fix it" idiom looms large over the proceedings is a bit of an understatement, but Disturbed's particular brand of 21st century hard rock has brought in enough platinum over the years to warrant a bit of metathesiophobia, and their myriad post-hiatus projects ultimately failed to yield the same dividends. With that noted, the listener's likelihood of deriving any kind of enjoyment from the album is directly related to their amore for previous outings, and Immortalized has more than its share of vintage Disturbed goodies, like the soaring first single "The Vengeful One," the stadium-ready "Who Taught You How to Hate," and the nervy Muse-lite title track. The band's shamelessly melodramatic reading of Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence," which effectively utilizes the pared-down piano and vocal treatment that helped Gary Jules resurrect Tears for Fears' "Mad World," and the anthemic and refreshingly upbeat mid-album gem "The Light," impress with their unabashed theatricality and strong vocal turns from David Draiman. And as per usual, Don Donegan's stellar guitar work is the glue that keeps the whole affair from disappearing into the populist ether. However, a five-year break between albums should lend itself to a bit of growth, even for a band as everyman as Disturbed, but there's just not much here to keep the group's detractors from bringing out their pitchforks, and over time, staying the course may leave fewer and fewer townsfolk to protect them.© James Christopher Monger /TiVo

In the promotional materials that accompany Live in Brooklyn 2011, Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo says "It was a pretty magical, if kinda weird day." As far as understatements go, that one's a pretty rich double whammy. When Sonic Youth took the stage at the Williamsburg Waterfront on August 12, it was not only their last U.S. show ever, but it was also a band that was imploding before the crowd's eyes. The marriage of Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore—a relationship which had been both a creative and personal fulcrum of the band's entire history—was ending in a spectacularly acrimonious way, and two months later, the two would announce their separation after 27 years of marriage. "Kinda weird" doesn't even begin to cover it. However, the tension and weirdness—and looming sense of finality—all combined to make this show one of the most magical in the band's storied history. As Moore says during the set, "it's been a while since we played some of these," and indeed, the setlist for this outdoor summer show was rich and deep, launching with early Bad Moon Rising classics "Brave Men Run" and "Death Valley '69," neither of which had been played in concert for years. Later in the set, more Bad Moon Rising songs make an appearance, in the form of the Thurston/Kim two-fer "I Love Her All The Time"/"Ghost Bitch,” and the dazzlingly intense (and just plain tense) energy in the performance makes a whole lot more sense now knowing what was going on behind the scenes. By the time "Flower" comes along, Gordon gets the last, cathartic word on the matter. A Sonic Youth set that features five cuts from the Bad Moon Rising era but only one each from EVOL/Sister/Daydream Nation, two from Dirty, and zero from Goo ... well, that's a weird one indeed, but it's also quite magical. Despite being at the literal end of their career as a band, Sonic Youth is completely on fire on Brooklyn 2011. Whether it's Gordon's gut-wrenching vocals on "Calming the Snake," the full-bodied staccato attack of "What We Know," or the explosive dissonance of "Kill Yr Idols," the band leaves it all on the stage, performing in a cohesive, propulsive fashion that serves as testament to their power, and the rich, dynamic sonics of this album presentation absolutely do their live legacy justice. This is a set that is as rewarding musically as it is important historically and is essential listening. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

Toto attempted to satisfy commercial considerations by loading up the first half of their seventh album with the kind of power ballads that had given the band recognition before, especially songs named after women whose names end in "A" like "Pamela" and "Anna." But these thinly veiled rewrites of "Rosanna" earned only modest radio play, and the rest of the album, which rocked harder as it went on, while it may have been truer to the band's musical aspirations, continued to sound too anonymous to earn any response beyond the band's fan base, especially its international one (which it seemed to be acknowledging by printing some of the sleeve notes in Japanese).© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

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For the third installment in Bungie's blockbuster Halo series, composers Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori offer up a whole new world of themes, while still maintaining the orchestral, modern rock foundation of the first two volumes. This time around, the beloved "Master Chief" has been replaced by a ragtag crew of "ODST" (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers), and while the objective remains the same (kill or avoid the "Covenant"), the action takes place primarily among humans, and as the player navigates the streets of occupied "New Mombasa," moody strings, jazzy piano, and even saxophone provide accompaniment. As the action ramps up, so does the music (the back end of Halo 3: ODST will feel more familiar to fans than the front), but it's the early moments that set this collection of video game music apart. One doesn't require knowledge of the game to enjoy the score, as it's got an atmosphere all its own. © James Christopher Monger /TiVo

Arriving earlier than expected as both a global pandemic and a nationwide movement against police brutality gripped the United States, RTJ4 distills the anger and frustration of the people through Run the Jewels' hard-hitting, no-nonsense revolution anthems. Trim with no filler, this fourth set from the outspoken duo provides relevant history lessons that are more useful than a classroom textbook. Rousing and lyrically dexterous, Killer Mike and El-P deliver their densest collection yet, balancing clever bon mots with tongue-twisting screeds decrying police brutality, systemic racism, class injustice, and a litany of other ills plaguing the nation. RTJ4 rarely strays from the intensely political; when it does, the duo shine with boastful quips and chest-thumping bravado, loosely weaving their "Yankee and the Brave" personas -- alluding to the baseball teams from their respective home bases -- with production that merges old-school hip-hop nostalgia with aggressively sharp contemporary stylings. BOOTS and Dave Sitek return for the very RTJ-titled "Holy Calamafuck," a menacing attack that's bested only by the clattering "Goonies vs. E.T.," which sounds like a Prodigy track without the techno breakbeat. Additional guests include 2 Chainz on the breathless "Out of Sight"; DJ Premier and Greg Nice on the "DWYCK"-sampling "Ooh La La"; and Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire on the neon dystopia of "Never Look Back." Meanwhile, an unlikely pair join forces on the swirling "Pulling the Pin," with Josh Homme's ghostly wails and Mavis Staples' pained cries creating an RTJ-meets-...Like Clockwork doomscape that pushes back against a power structure that allows for "filthy criminals...at the pinnacle." On album highlight "JU$T," "poet pugilist" Zack de la Rocha and Pharrell Williams join the fight by contributing popping production and a condensed socio-economic lecture, pulling back the curtain to reveal "murderous chokehold cops still earning a living" and "all these slave masters posing on your dollars." On "Walking in the Snow," Mike, El-P and Gangsta Boo tackle the American school-to-prison pipeline and those "chokehold cops," directly invoking the spirit of Eric Garner -- who was killed by Staten Island police in 2014 as he pleaded, "I can't breathe" -- and unwittingly honoring George Floyd, whose murder under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer prompted protests across the globe and pushed RTJ4's early release. Bringing the past and present full circle, Mike reminds listeners to "never forget in the story of Jesus, the hero was killed by the state." Much like reality, the raw and unflinching RTJ4 is a lot to take in, both a balm for the rage and fuel to keep the fire burning. Although eerily prescient, RTJ4 is less prophetic and more a case of deja vu, addressing the endemic issues of a broken country that sadly continue. This has all happened before and, as El-P laments, this is the "same point in history back to haunt us."© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

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A Few Small Repairs, the proper follow-up to Fat City, was recorded on the heels of Shawn Colvin's divorce. And while the album is certainly a response, she avoids the obvious clichés in dealing with the aftermath, revealing instead the complex thought processes and complete range of human emotion, from anger, sadness, confusion, yearning, and disillusionment to resolve and recovery. Colvin has always been a songwriter of note, but with A Few Small Repairs, she reaches new heights, painting hauntingly vivid images that address not only relationships but also life in general with great insight. The subject matter predictably gives a generally dark mood to the album, but musically, the results are both diverse and irresistibly catchy. A Few Small Repairs marks a reunion with former collaborator/producer John Leventhal, and the two have found a perfect blend between words, music, and tasteful, organic arrangements for Colvin's finest effort to date.© Chris Woodstra /TiVo

A few years after the release of her fourth album with Verve, a gospel-themed set of reinterpretations titled Fellowship, Lizz Wright signed to the Concord label with an eye toward concentrating on original material. The vocalist made a connection with veteran multi-instrumentalist and producer Larry Klein and recorded Freedom & Surrender with a stable backing band that included drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, percussionist Pete Korpela, bassist Dan Lutz, guitarist Dean Parks, and keyboardists Pete Kuzma and Billy Childs. For most listeners, the change of label and mostly new set of supporting musicians will seem transparent. Like Wright's previous albums, Freedom & Surrender is graceful and exacting, yet those qualities come across in a fashion that does not seem deliberate -- remarkable for material that draws from folk, blues, jazz, soul, and gospel and often fuses two or more of those genres. Longtime collaborator Toshi Reagon contributes only two songs, "Freedom" and "Surrender," but they neatly begin and end the album in spirited and assured form. David Batteau and Jesse Harris separately collaborated with Wright and sometimes Klein on the writing of seven selections. In "The New Game," one of the grittier moments featuring a contribution from Batteau, Wright delivers the lines that most applicable to the state of her career: "I remember the way in/I got my new dancin' shoes/This is a new game, no tears/Ain't no shame shiftin' gears." Two guest appearances fit into place with ease. Gregory Porter is a duet partner on "Right Where You Are," a languid ballad written by Wright and Klein with J.D. Souther. A spectral version of Nick Drake's "River Man" -- along with an update of Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody," one of only two covers, and a highlight -- features a soft-hued flügelhorn solo from Till Brönner. It's doubtful that Wright and her creative partners could have more effectively synthesized her past work with her current outlook.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

In 2013, rapper El-P - the representative of independent New York rap (with Company Flow, then going solo and creating the label Definitive Jux) – joined up with Killer Mike, a solid street rapper from Atlanta who made a name for himself on OutKast’s debut album. Seven years and three albums later under the name Run The Jewels, the duo has not only become inseparable (and almost exclusive) but also an essential group on the contemporary rap scene. On RTJ4, the two forty-somethings continue to carry the torch for a noisy and rebellious rap inherited from Public Enemy. While the influence of the Bomb Squad, which was tangible even from their first productions in the mid-90s, is more present than ever, El-P stirs up his own sonic revolution and sets fire to all kinds of things by sampling the post-punk group Gang Of Four (the ground below), distinguishing himself over dancehall riddims (holy calamafuck, co-produced by Dave Sitek from TV On The Radio), recording Native American saxophonist Cochemea (a few words for the firing squad (radiation)) and bringing together big names as diverse as Pharrell Williams, Zack de La Rocha, Josh Homme, Mavis Staples and DJ Premier. Articulate and never overly wordy, the two rappers complement each other impressively in their timbres, their flows and their writing. El-P has retained from the golden age of indie rap a taste and talent for double entendres and witty punchlines, and Killer Mike, who in the civilian world has become one of the leading voices on the American left, alongside Bernie Sanders, manages the feat of putting social commentary back at the heart of rap. Being released in the midst of the public uprising in the United States following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police, RTJ4 is like a real-time and inevitably icy autopsy of Trump's America. © Damien Besançon/Qobuz

Just months after the release of their fourth Japanese-language LP Celebrate, K-pop superstars Twice added an 11th EP to their catalog with the buoyant Between 1&2. Typically vibrant and technicolor, the seven-song set offered pop bliss with "Talk That Talk" and "Queen of Hearts," dropping low with the beat-forward two-step throwback "Basics," and amplifying the urgency with "Brave" and "Gone." The album's lone uplifting ballad is the aptly titled "When We Were Kids," which comforts like a warm hug. Between 1&2 is another fine addition to their growing discography, delivering a variety of accessible hits-in-the-making aimed to please fans and attract new listeners.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo