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

Borrowing heavily from Marc Bolan's glam rock and the future shock of A Clockwork Orange, David Bowie reached back to the heavy rock of The Man Who Sold the World for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Constructed as a loose concept album about an androgynous alien rock star named Ziggy Stardust, the story falls apart quickly, yet Bowie's fractured, paranoid lyrics are evocative of a decadent, decaying future, and the music echoes an apocalyptic, nuclear dread. Fleshing out the off-kilter metallic mix with fatter guitars, genuine pop songs, string sections, keyboards, and a cinematic flourish, Ziggy Stardust is a glitzy array of riffs, hooks, melodrama, and style and the logical culmination of glam. Mick Ronson plays with a maverick flair that invigorates rockers like "Suffragette City," "Moonage Daydream," and "Hang Onto Yourself," while "Lady Stardust," "Five Years," and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" have a grand sense of staged drama previously unheard of in rock & roll. And that self-conscious sense of theater is part of the reason why Ziggy Stardust sounds so foreign. Bowie succeeds not in spite of his pretensions but because of them, and Ziggy Stardust -- familiar in structure, but alien in performance -- is the first time his vision and execution met in such a grand, sweeping fashion.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

After two EPs, Playground in 2017 and Lonely City in 2019, which revealed her to fans and propelled her into the small, hybrid, and blended world of young British jazz, the saxophonist, singer, flautist, keyboardist and above all songwriter, producer and arranger, Laura Misch, has released her debut album under the label One Little Independent Record, and it is as ambitious as it is seductive. Conceived in close collaboration with the electronic music producer William Arcane, Sample the Sky, in a series of original free-flowing songs, develops an immersive sonic realm, that is at once funereal, melancholic, and insidiously unsettling, and highlights the angelic yet sensual voice of the singer. Mixing strings layered on synthesizers, skilfully deconstructed grooves, ethereal saxophone loops, Maria Osuchowska’s dreamy harp and Tomas Kaspar’s guitar, the music builds dreamlike, highly sensory landscapes on the fringes of ambient and alternative pop, serving a backdrop of intimate and subtly activist poetic discourse that invites a form of connection and reconciliation with our environment. The birth certificate of a new major voice in the British scene! © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz

Borrowing heavily from Marc Bolan's glam rock and the future shock of A Clockwork Orange, David Bowie reached back to the heavy rock of The Man Who Sold the World for The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Constructed as a loose concept album about an androgynous alien rock star named Ziggy Stardust, the story falls apart quickly, yet Bowie's fractured, paranoid lyrics are evocative of a decadent, decaying future, and the music echoes an apocalyptic, nuclear dread. Fleshing out the off-kilter metallic mix with fatter guitars, genuine pop songs, string sections, keyboards, and a cinematic flourish, Ziggy Stardust is a glitzy array of riffs, hooks, melodrama, and style and the logical culmination of glam. Mick Ronson plays with a maverick flair that invigorates rockers like "Suffragette City," "Moonage Daydream," and "Hang Onto Yourself," while "Lady Stardust," "Five Years," and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" have a grand sense of staged drama previously unheard of in rock & roll. And that self-conscious sense of theater is part of the reason why Ziggy Stardust sounds so foreign. Bowie succeeds not in spite of his pretensions but because of them, and Ziggy Stardust -- familiar in structure, but alien in performance -- is the first time his vision and execution met in such a grand, sweeping fashion.© 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

Wolfgang Haffner has been a prolific drummer on the German jazz scene ever since his 1983 debut at the tender age of 18—the year he joined legendary trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff’s band. In the years that followed, Haffner has infused his unstoppable groove into an impressive number of sessions (appearing on no less than 400 albums alongside some of the greatest modern jazz musicians). He’s also produced nearly twenty records under his own name, each one showcasing his fantastic sense of casting and leadership, as well as his talent for composing and arranging.After a stunning trilogy of recordings that put a modern spin on cool jazz (Kind of Cool) and Spanish and Argentinian tradition (Kind of Spain & Kind of Tango), Haffner is back with Silent World. This album is considerably less referential, containing only original tracks. Heading up a small band composed of the faithful and talented trumpet player Sebastian Studnitzky and pianist and keyboard player Simon Oslender, Haffner welcomes a sparkling array of prestigious guests (including saxophonist Bill Evans, trumpet player Till Brönner, guitarist Dominic Miller, trombonist Nils Landgren and keyboardist Eythor Gunnarsson) to produce a cool and sophisticated jazz-fusion that develops a shape-shifting landscape and pulsates with minimalist grooves. With this landmark album, Wolfgang Haffner thoughtfully and assertively establishes a true sonic and compositional signature. © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz

One of the most influential heavy metal albums of the 1990s, Vulgar Display of Power is just what is says: a raw, pulverizing, insanely intense depiction of naked rage and hostility that drains its listeners and pounds them into submission. Even the "ballads," "This Love" and "Hollow," have thunderingly loud, aggressive chorus sections. Preaching power through strength and integrity, Phil Anselmo discards any further attempts at singing in favor of a militaristic bark and an unhinged roar, while the crystal-clear production sets Diamond Darrell's pummeling riffs against a rhythmic backdrop so thunderously supportive that Darrell often solos without underlying rhythm guitar parts. The album again follows Cowboys from Hell's strategy of stacking the best songs at the beginning and letting their momentum carry the listener through the rest, but the riffs and sonic textures are more consistently interesting this time around. Pantera's thick-sounding, post-hardcore power metal and outraged, testosterone-drenched intensity would help pave the way for alternative metal acts like Korn and Tool; Vulgar Display of Power is the best distillation of those virtues.© Steve Huey /TiVo

With his sixth album, Gregory Porter excels once again in perfectly blending jazz, soul, rhythm'n'blues, pop and gospel. In addition to being blessed with a voice of pure velvet (so cliché, but so true), the Californian, who knows Great Black Music inside out, is also a real wordsmith. In these troubled times, Gregory Porter's music refreshes and rejuvenates, like on "Revival Song," a sort of neo-gospel hymn that ignites the soul and frees the body. This sense of wellbeing can also be felt when Porter puts on his crooner hat on "If Love Is Overrated" or when he channels his inner Marvin Gaye and George Benson on "Faith In Love." Brilliantly produced by Troy Miller (Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Emili Sandé), All Rise propels the American singer towards greater global recognition, reaching audiences well outside the jazz sphere. © Max Dembo/Qobuz

We’d been waiting for it for a long time, too long in fact: after having brilliantly and repeatedly interpreted the works of the American composer Eric Whitacre, the Voces8 chamber choir have now devoted an entire recording to him. This has now been accomplished with Home, which illustrates Whitacre’s musical portrait and the entire evolution of his language. Here, the selection brings together works from his youth (even his very first composition, Go, Lovely Rose), to other pieces finalised just a few months before the recording. With its harrowing light and overwhelming theme, The Sacred Veil, as a central piece, probably stands out as one of the greatest vocal works of our time - here, Eric Whitacre delivers the story about the death of his friend's wife in heart-wrenching deferential modesty. As always, it's hard to find anything wrong with a Voces8 release: the timbre is unique and it reaffirms the humble strength of the collective beyond the dissonance of individualistic voices. The purity of the breaths, the melismas’ caresses, the sound recording’s closeness; it all plunges us into a soothing bath of humanity. While the Voces8 early work is exquisite, they become almost unsurpassable in the contemporary repertoire, and leave an invaluable gift for future generations. © Pierre Lamy/Qobuz

Chappell Roan's first studio full-length The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is an absolute breath of fresh air in a crowded pop landscape. Playful, a little naughty, and full of heart, this debut brims with spirited pop gems that stick in the brain long after the album is finished. Blending the youthful Gen-Z delivery of Olivia Rodrigo, the best-friend-approachability of Taylor Swift, and the songcraft of Maggie Rogers, Roan is the main draw here, taking whatever producer Dan Nigro (Kylie, Rodrigo, Caroline Polachek) throws at her and making it irresistible. Opener "Femininomenon" perfectly captures the album's ethos: transforming from a sweet, string-laden ballad into a pulse-pounding empowerment anthem, it's punctuated with a mid-song pep talk and hilariously escalating adlibs demanding a "fucking beat." From there, it's a nonstop flood of catchy, synth-backed anthems that could lay waste to mainstream radio if given the chance. The playfully horny "Red Wine Supernova" rides a bubbly beat, Roan's pure vocals, and girl gang background vocals that boost energy, while the funky strut of the confident, boyfriend-stealing "After Midnight" turns the lights down low as she purrs that "everything good happens after midnight." Taking Taylor's Midnights hit one step further, Roan takes aim at an ex on the sardonic, synth-laden "My Kink Is Karma," where she finds pleasure in the little things like watching them "ruin [their] life... losing [their] mind... [and] crashing [their] car." There's a handful of delicate ballads ("Coffee," "Casual," "Picture You," "Kaleidoscope") peppered amongst the pogo-bounce singalongs ("HOT TO GO!" and early hit "Pink Pony Club") that offer a few moments of rest while the party continues. On an album packed with highlights, standouts include the '80s-synth throwback "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" -- a cowbell-laden, late night party saga that explodes with one of the most rousing choruses on Midwest Princess -- and the closer, "Guilty Pleasure," which mirrors the opening track's quiet-to-loud approach, morphing from warm dreampop into pulsing electro-pop. Bold and fearless, Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is the best kind of pop album: capturing a generational zeitgeist and introducing the world to a refreshing new voice that can hopefully stand the test of time and a fickle industry.© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

The full range of Ben Harper's influences would not come to bear until later albums, but his debut, Welcome to the Cruel World, lays a strong foundation. "Like a King" and "Take That Attitude to Your Grave" burn with a political conviction rarely heard during the 1990s. "Forever" has a tenderness which demonstrates Harper's emotional range. Lackluster hippie jams that cultivated his early following may have served a purpose but feel fluffy by comparison when compared to the meatier tracks. Ben closes the album with a song that frequently closes his concerts, "I'll Rise." This song, built around Maya Angelou's 1979 poem "And Still I Rise," reminds one of art's ability to pierce through society, self, and the soul.© Ryan Randall Goble /TiVo

Eddie Vedder's Into the Wild is a collection of nine original songs and two covers for Sean Penn's film of the same name, based on Jon Krakauer's novel. The novel and film are concerned with the short life of Christopher J. McCandless, an honor student and athlete who literally walked away from his life, donated his 24,000 dollars in savings to Oxfam, and left what he perceived to be a sick society behind. He stepped into the hinterlands of Alaska and never returned. He eventually died of starvation. Penn handpicked Vedder to score the project. Vedder in turn came up with this collection of folksy, rootsy tunes where rock & roll makes fleeting appearances (most notably on the opener, "Setting Forth," and the first single, "Hard Sun"). It's a true solo project in that he played virtually everything on the set, and had help in only two places, backing vocals by Corin Tucker on "Hard Sun" (written by Gordon Peterson), and a little extra acoustic guitar assistance and backing vocals from Jerry Hannan on "Society," a tune Hannan authored. That said, these songs stretch Vedder to the breaking point as a writer. There are no enormous emotive vocal explosions like there are on Pearl Jam records save for one restrained attempt near the end of the album. As the cycle begins on "Setting Forth" ("Be it of no concern/Point of no return/Go forward in reverse/This I will recall/Every time I fall..."), the notion of walking away is one of "for good." The rest of the record deals with existential questions of losing everything in order simply to lose it and find something undetermined instead, rather than in terms of absolute "freedom." Vedder does a fine job of letting the listener know the cost in "No Ceiling" and "Far Behind." On "Long Nights," one gets the picture that the singer is whistling past the graveyard: "Have no fear/For when I'm alone/I'll be better off/Than I was before/I've got this life/I'll be around to grow/Who I was before/I cannot recall/Long nights allow/Me to feel I'm falling/I am falling...." These songs all feel like a score, and that's not necessarily a good thing. They all seem to be of a piece, but musically there isn't enough imagination to distinguish them, to set the tension of dynamic in motion. There's something telling in the fact that "Hard Sun" is the single, because it's the only song that moves above the fray in terms of color, texture, and emotion. Most of the rest -- with the exception of an all too brief organ and voice tune called "The Wolf," which is where the well of Vedder's power as a singer gets touched but never dug -- is an extended meditation on this existential notion of freedom, and the words begin to repeat, even as the recording draws to a close. There is a poet at work here, but in some ways, outside the context of the images, the notion of a man freezing and starving to death even as he embraces beauty is a tough sell with a solid wall of calm enveloping the listener -- meaning that simple is fine but difficult is another, and Into the Wild contains not enough of either to really reach out and grab the listener, let alone convince.© Thom Jurek /TiVo