Imagine Dragons give away the plot with the very title of Evolve, the 2017 sequel to 2015's sophomore set, Smoke + Mirrors. Not content to stay in one emotional or musical spot, Imagine Dragons consciously move forward on Evolve, pushing themselves into a positive place, a transition that mirrors lead singer Dan Reynolds working through a heavy depression. Some of that darkness seeped into Smoke + Mirrors, but it's not heard here. Opening with "I Don't Know Why," a glitzy dance-rock song that nods at a disco past but exists in an EDM present, the record often rides along to a neon pulse. It's not that Imagine Dragons have abandoned the heavy-footed stomp they patented on "Radioactive," but they've threaded in busy, percolating electronic beats and give plenty of space to gilded keyboards. When the tempo is quick, the results are festival-friendly electro-rockers. When the tempo is slow, the results feel like a hybrid of Coldplay and Mr. Mister -- power rock ballads spiked with laser drums. As throwback as that sensibility may be, the band strives to be thoroughly modern, emphasizing rhythms and gargantuan hooks to tightly constructed compositions. Whenever the group tries a new sound -- pumping up "Mouth of the River" with fuzz guitars or attempting a bit of rap-rock on "Start Over" -- it feels not like experimentation but like a quick scan through a new music playlist. And that means Evolve feels very much like the digital Zeitgeist of 2017.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Capping nearly three decades on the scene, Sum 41 bid farewell the only way they really could: merging their punk and metal extremes on the sprawling double album Heaven :x: Hell. All those years of stylistic evolution collide on this 20-song collection, which is split evenly into the pop-punk Heaven side and the metal-leaning Hell side (naturally). Finding the sweet spot among Billy Talent, Green Day, and blink-182, this is standard, anthemic pop-punk goodness, designed for pogo-bops, fist-pumping, and light moshing, all centered on Deryck Whibley's acrobatic vocals. The big singalong choruses of catchy standouts like "Dopamine" and "Bad Mistake" ride Frank Zummo's freewheeling drumming, as the twin guitar attack of Dave Baksh and Tom Thacker propel this track headlong into the sunset. Heaven, according to Sum 41, sounds fun, urgent, and energetic (even when the lyrics say otherwise). Descending into Hell, fans of 2016's 13 Voices and 2019's Order in Decline will have plenty to enjoy as the relatively lighthearted punk fest gives way to a hardened, emotionally charged whirlpool of rage and frustration. The pummeling "Rise Up" crushes with a head-caving breakdown and death scream, while the hardcore "Stranger in These Times" shreds and tears its way through "imbecilic morons" and Whibley's insecurities. Hell highlight "I Don't Need Anyone" lurches its way atop Jason McCaslin's bass groove before a killer guitar solo slashes its way through this metal assault, just as emotions are pushed to the limit on the Linkin Park-leaning "How the End Begins." There's even a martial cover of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" that showcases their technical skill and adaptability (especially on the breakdown). Regardless of which Sum 41 you prefer, there are two expertly executed albums here, each highlighting just how this group has grown from being rascally jokesters to hardened, concerned members of society. As far as swan songs go, Heaven :x: Hell is a heartfelt goodbye to fans, an overly generous gift that aims to please the full spectrum of diehards and thank them for all their years of dedication.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

Even with six different vocalists lending their talents to the album, Pyramid still remains an average bit of material from the Alan Parsons Project. Not only does the album's theme evolve around the mystique of the pyramid, but it also touches on man's fascination with superstition and its powers. The instrumental "Voyager" opens things up, and its provocative style sets the tone for the album's supernatural mood. The bright-sounding "What Goes Up" is one of the highlights here, as is "The Eagle Will Rise Again," sung by Colin Blunstone. The anxiety-ridden "Pyramania" enhances the album's concept the best, accompanied by some excitable keyboard playing and a friendly middle. The lesson-learning "Can't Take It with You" teaches that our souls are our most important asset, in typical Parsons-type charm. While not a stellar album, Pyramid completes the task of musically explaining its concept. Its short but slightly compelling nature grows after a few listens, but the album itself isn't a necessity.© Mike DeGagne /TiVo

It's not that the Offspring sound behind the times on their eighth album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace -- it's that they sound disconnected from it. They may rant about George W. Bush's America and all the crass consumerism accompanying it, but they don't seem to realize that Coldplay beat them to a power ballad called "Fix You" just three years ago, offering a different melody but the same sentiment carrying the same title (to make matters worse, another of the album's power ballads, "A Lot Like You," opens with a surge straight out of "Clocks"). They snipe at dance beats on "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid," not quite caring that the alienated adolescents who comprise the core of their audience now don't quite care whether anybody puts disco in their punk or not. This sideswipe at dance -- complete with a "dance f***er dance" chorus -- is par for the course for the Offspring, who always seems to get a neo-novelty tune out of some rhythm or fad they don't like, so things haven't changed, which is part of the problem, as the band operates in a bubble. Nothing changes their attitude or their attack, as they still favor frenzied downstroked guitars and shout-along choruses that have the inevitable effect of having all the songs kind of blend together. Still, the Offspring can't quite hide the passing of time, as they start to drift into power ballads and angsty anthems like "Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?," which feels tailor-made for a CW TV show. Such softening of their stance illustrates that it's impossible to avoid maturity, but the band would be better off injecting some maturity within the music, finding a different rhythm outside of its pummeling eighth notes, or maybe mustering a protest deeper than "S*** is F***** UP." Without this kind of maturity, the Offspring wind up offering plenty of rage but not much grace.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Piet Blank and Jaspa Jones continue their summer ritual with the twelfth episode in their Relax Edition series, released in 2006 alongside the Milchbar-Seaside series, inspired by Norderney, a sea-side resort off the North Sea. A double album which throws us back into the downtempo/acid-jazz/lounge movement which reached its peak at the end of the 90s, it is also presented in the image of the famous Café del Mar compilations, the legendary bar popular for its sunset DJ sets. It’s a place that Blank & Jones know well through playing there several times. In 2002, their chill out track Desire (Ambient Mix) even featured on Cafe Del Mar 9. Between trip hop, downtempo, Brazilian rhythms and beachside grooves, the German duo give the voice of Zoe Durrant (member of Swedish trio Little Majorette) star billing as she features on five tracks on this ultra-smooth record. Also on the vocal bill is the French Coralie Clément (sister of Benjamin Biodlay known for her collaborations with Nouvelle Vague, who also worked with Blank & Jones from 2010 with J’en rest là on the album Relax Edition 5) on the brilliant C’est pas la mer à boire, an ideal addition to a record which strives to reinterpret the concept of dolce vita. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz

When listening to the Flobots debut album, Fight with Tools, there's a feeling that all the destruction and injustice this politically motivated alt rap crew speak of has been seen through CNN YouTube. There's a certain grit missing, a certain soul that comes from living the nightmare and surviving, and whether they've been through it or not, the Flobots just don't display it. Fight with Tools also feels like a college class project partly because it's so clean, but also because it's incredibly busy with ambition and new ideas overflowing as everything and the kitchen sink get thrown into the record. This youthful ambition and willingness to explore is also what makes the record special. The Denver crew enter by spitting out a Gil Scott-Heron by way of Def Poetry Jam bit of prose on the opening "There's a War Going on for Your Mind," offering surreal lines like "It's raining pornography/Lovers take shelter" over melancholy chamber music. That's the Flobots' real hook; they rap with a live band, and not the guitar, bass, drums beat combo you've seen before. It's all of the above and some strings, horns, and other things left over from the orchestra and marching band. This isn't as Kids from Fame as it sounds, since the Flobots do have a believablly stern pose, and if they aren't experienced, they are brilliantly educated and aware. Good points are made with skill and fine wordplay, the guitars and drums crunch along driving home the message with head-bobbing grooves, and then album opens up with the marvelous "Handlebars," a carefully crafted, slowly building tale of the ego run wild via some beautiful muted trumpet. It's a very Fort Minor moment, and sweet relief from all the pain and in-your-face politics, suggesting the Flobots could benefit from a little more restraint. Here, they've got so much to stay it's hardly worth considering. If the talented young bucks want to shout down the world as if they own the place, why curb their inspiring appetite for justice by asking for discipline and composure?© David Jeffries /TiVo

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You can be wary of the idea of a child prodigy (questioning not the notion of precocity itself, but rather the way the entertainment industry takes over and manipulates it) and still recognise talent when it makes itself known. Especially when it asserts itself with such brilliance, as it does here. Origin is Joey Alexander’s first album released under the Mack Avenue Records label, though, at the tender age of 18, it’s his sixth in total. However, this release doesn’t just see the young Indonesian pianist prove his talent as an outstanding musician, but by approving all the tracks on this album he reveals his personality as a composer for the first time, giving his music a new lease of life. Accompanied by his usual accomplices, Larry Grenadier on double bass and Kendrick Scott on drums, a large part of this album features this mesmerising trio of musicians. The music is both organic and incredibly sophisticated in its composition; meticulously composed forms are brought to life through a sense of interplay and the overall sound is simply amazing for someone so young. Saxophonist Chris Potter and guitarist Gilad Hekselman join the group for a few tracks in quartet and quintet. On top of their lyricism and great sense of improvisation, they provide Alexander with an additional range of sonic colours and textures which he integrates into his arrangements with a great fluidity and nuance, capturing the personality of each musician. Alexander’s playing is masterful, though never demonstrative, and is essentially based on the art of precise rhythmic placement. It’s clear he favours natural sounds and giving his piano room to breathe. This album fully indulges in the true joy of swing and it’s without doubt his best release yet. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz 

After a very brief period of identity crisis and vocalist turmoil, the members of Asking Alexandria reintroduced themselves with prodigal frontman Danny Worsnop on the band's fifth full-length, Asking Alexandria. Produced by Matt Good (From First To Last), this eponymous return is the group's most polished effort to date, less raw and muscular than past albums. While this evolution might prove divisive to longtime fans, Asking Alexandria remains highly enjoyable, a triumphant offering that benefits as much from familiarity as it does from pure power and Worsnop's inimitable presence. Kicking off with a strong opening run of powerful anthems, Asking Alexandria wastes little time getting back into the groove with Worsnop. The urgent "Alone In A Room" highlights some new vocal directions -- perhaps inspired by Worsnop's work during his time away from the band -- which incorporate more '80s arena-rock singing than '00s metalcore screaming. Meanwhile on "Into the Fire" (co-produced by Korn's Jonathan Davis), the band reminds listeners that they can still pummel with a brutal grace, combining soaring gang choruses with Worsnop's blood-curdling bellows. "Eve" is the closest they come to old-fashioned viciousness, an epic explosion of demonic wails and chugging riffs. Yet, even through that brutality, Worsnop's vocal warmth on the chorus elevates the track to an arena-worthy singalong. Of the potentially contentious inclusions, "Hopelessly Hopeful" and "Rise Up" feature programming flourish one might find in a Top 40 pop song, reaching a peak on "When The Lights Come On," which could easily be mistaken for the heaviest Fall Out Boy song yet-to-be-written. Despite this mainstream sheen, these songs hit as hard as anything in their catalog; the true winner for most jarring moment comes with "Empire." Featuring Seattle rapper Bingx, this misstep completely pulls listeners from the flow of the album. On any other record, "Empire" could be passable, like an unholy alliance of Machine Gun Kelly teaming up with All Time Low. However, inserted at the close of an album that has made a point of throttling listeners with its might, it's an unwelcome and unexpected shift in tone that would have been better as a b-side or inclusion on a soundtrack of mash-up tunes. Overall, Asking Alexandria is a worthy return from the classic lineup, retaining the best aspects of its past and taking steps into its future. Regardless of a stumble or two, Asking Alexandria is well worth a listen. While The Black was a passable offering at a time when it seemed like it would be a permanent arrangement, this reunion simply feels right. © Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo