Layers is the debut full-length release from French DJ and producer Kungs. Composed of pulsating disco beats, bright guitar work, and varied organic instrumentation, the album features guest vocals from Ephemerals and Jamie N Commons on the singles "I Feel So Bad" and "Don't You Know" as well as his remix of Cookin' on 3 Burners' "This Girl" single.© Rob Wacey /TiVo

In the history of rap, some questions remain unfathomable. Like knowing which Roots album is the best. What is certain is that their first, Do You Want More? !!! ??! (1995), comes back frequently in the shortlist alongside Things Fall Apart (1999), Phrenology (2002) or Game Theory (2006). With his rap-jazz jam tunes, his raw and thrifty construction, he is the perfect illustration of the formation's groove, a base around which an entire discography has been built. Composed mainly of remixes of the original tracklist already published, this tasty deluxe* reissue suggests how the Roots, while cultivating their uniqueness, knew how to be deeply rooted in the New York sound of its time. The versions of Proceed remixed by A.J. Shine or that of Silent Treatment by Kelo add classic samples of the time, a definitely old school side, while respecting the untouchable drums of Questlove, the only element never disguised. Also exciting to hear another version of Distortion To Static in freestyle and scratched choruses, or the new verses and ad libs placed on Lazy Afternoon. Good new with good old. © Brice Miclet / Qobuz* This deluxe edition, which was slated for release on March 12, will be available on June 25. It is drawn from the original recordings and features eighteen bonus tracks curated by Questlove; some of which have never been released and others that have never previously been available digitally. The 3LP deluxe vinyl edition features five bonus tracks — Proceed II Feat. Roy Ayers, Proceed III, Proceed IV (AJ Shine Mix), Proceed V (Beatminerz Mix), along with five remixes of Silent Treatment. While the 4LP edition features all of the above plus the additional eight bonus tracks : In Your Dreams Kid (I'm Every MC), The Ultimate (Original '94 Version), ...… (dot dot dot… on & on), Pffat Time, Swept Away (Original Draft), It's Coming, Lazy Afternoon (Alternate Version)", and two remix versions of" Distortion To Static".Original release October 24, 1994 (USA) and January 17, 1995 (Do You Want More?!!!??! - Tracks 1-16)

Considering the esoteric materials that make up Moloko's unusual sound (trip-hop, funk, drum'n'bass, and a decidedly bizarro pop ethic), the group's music is surprisingly coherent and accessible. Things to Make and Do, the English duo's third full-length platter, is as strong as anything else they've done -- Roisin Murphy's singing style, which combines a wild variety of voices and textures, from impassively chilly to gorgeously lilting to gleefully offbeat, is instantly recognizable and endearing throughout, while Mark Brydon's broad compositional palette runs the gamut from irresistibly straightforward rock/dance grooves ("Indigo") to highly stylized electro/hip-hop programming (the Timbaland-esque "Absent Minded Friends"). Just enough live instrumentation is added to the songs to make them sound varied and human (check out the nylon-string guitar in the flamenco-flavored "The Time Is Now," which faintly recalls Basement Jaxx's "Rendez-Vu") and it adds a timeless quality to the music overall. The duo never falls into any of the clichés of any of the genres they exploit, managing instead to sound consistently fresh, adventurous, and enjoyable. Highlights include the buoyant "Somebody Somewhere" (featuring a rare vocal turn by Brydon) and the flawless, inscrutable "Indigo" (with its nonsensical chant: "Ramases! Colossus!"). Moloko is the best at what they do mainly because they are the only ones doing it. [Includes a dance remix of "Sing It Back" from I Am Not a Doctor.]© Andy Hinds /TiVo

Released 20 years after his self-titled solo debut, Twenty Twenty is the 11th album from Irish singer/songwriter Ronan Keating. With collaborations including Robbie Williams, Emeli Sandé, Shania Twain, and Nina Nesbitt, the project saw release in May 2020.© David Crone /TiVo

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After recording the material that would later comprise the bulk of Invisible Hits, the Soft Boys recorded their masterpiece, the shimmering neo-psychedelic Underwater Moonlight. Essentially, the band didn't change their style for the record -- they merely perfected it. The Soft Boys don't hide their influences -- whether its the ringing guitars of the Beatles and Byrds or the surreal humor of John Lennon and Syd Barrett -- but they assimilate them, resulting in a fresh, edgy take on '60s guitar pop. Robyn Hitchcock's subject matter tends to be more explicitly weird and absurdist than his influences, as titles like "I Wanna Destroy You," "Old Pervert," and "Queen of Eyes" indicate -- even "Kingdom of Love" equates romance to bugs crawling under your skin. But the lyrics aren't the only thing that are edgy -- the music is too. The Soft Boys play pop hooks as if they were punk rock. "I Wanna Destroy You" isn't overtly threatening like their post-punk contemporaries, but with its layered guitar hooks and dissonant harmonies, it is equally menacing. Furthermore, the group can twist its songs inside out and then revert them to their original form, as evidenced by "Insanely Jealous." Although the neo-psychedelic flourishes are fascinating, the key to record's success is how each song is constructed around rock-solid hooks and melodies that instantly work their way into the subconscious. In fact, that's the most notable thing about Underwater Moonlight -- it updates jangling, melodic guitar pop for the post-punk world, which made it a touchstone for much of the underground pop of the mid-'80s, particularly R.E.M.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Alanis Morissette hasn't racked up a lot of live releases over the years, which makes 2013's Live at Montreux 2012 somewhat noteworthy. Discounting such oddities as the 2002 home video Music in High Places, this is Alanis' first official live album since 1999's Alanis Unplugged and much has changed in the ensuing 13 years. Back in 1999, she was one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. In 2012, she's a survivor and an old pro, easily adjusting the keys of the song to fit her voice, knowing how to sequence her set so the fan favorites -- a huge chunk of Jagged Little Pill is here -- are threaded between the new songs. The band is big but not too powerful, the performance polished without being overly slick. There may be no surprises, as another titan of the late '90s once sang, but it's a satisfying performance, one that should please the fans who have been waiting years for a live souvenir.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

The Silver Jews' 1996 recording, The Natural Bridge continues the band's shift from their early, sprawling racket into a smooth foil for David Berman's laid-back vocals and evocative lyrics. When sessions with original Jews Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich and with members of the Scud Mountain Boys didn't work out the way Berman hoped, they were scrapped; the final version of The Natural Bridge was recorded in the summer of 1996 at Hartford, CT's Studio .45, which was originally a gun factory. New Radiant Storm King's Peyton Pinkerton and Matt Hunter, Drag City producer/sessionman Rian Murphy, and keyboardist Michael Deming joined Berman in this version of the Jews' lineup, resulting in a more spacious sound than on any of the group's previous recordings. The Natural Bridge is also darker than the band's previous work, with lyrics like "I think we may be losing now/Please guard my bed" from "Pet Politics" and "Burnout tramp/Waits by the ramp/For one more car" from "Ballad of Reverend War Character." However, this darkness blends and contrasts with the wry, wistful "Dallas" and "Pretty Eyes." "The Frontier Index" combines jokes and a beautiful, descending guitar line for a really nice mix of ideas and emotion. Though The Natural Bridge lacks some of the immediacy of the Jews' earlier work, and Berman's voice slips into a monotone occasionally, this album offers some of the Silver Jews' finest moments.© Heather Phares /TiVo

With the opening kick of a simple but loud drum machine beat and multiple full-throttle guitar wails over the top, it quickly becomes apparent that John Frusciante has also given a swift kick to his heroin addiction. Hard drugs left the Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist derailed, deranged, and near death before an L.A. Weekly reporter detailed his frail state in a chilling story, moving some friends to help Frusciante check into a rehab center. He got off drugs and rejoined the Peppers in time to help Californication become a critical and popular success in 1999. In his time off from the band, however, Frusciante released two solo records, which he later admitted were made for drug money. Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt and Smile From the Streets You Hold displayed an intriguingly dark departure from the Peppers' polished funky punk. The scratchy and naked lo-fi ramblings reveled in the art of voyeuristic discomfort. And while some of the results displayed intense, edge-teetering freakouts, ragged beauty, or bleak intelligence -- celebrating the idea that the process and development of a song can sometimes be just as engaging as the "finished" product -- others simply unraveled into crumbs of little or no value. To Record Only Water for Ten Days, however, is made up of 15 "legitimate" songs. The whole is still quite simple -- stellar guitar work, impressive vocal range, drum machine, and minimal effects -- but it's a much healthier and "together" sound. Still a departure from the Peppers, To Record has an overall almost goth-like singer/songwriter vibe, at times colliding into rock catharsis. But Frusciante hasn't forgotten his shaky past, utilizing similarly abstract and slightly disturbed lyricism: "Where you go doesn't matter/Cuz there will come a time/When time goes out the window/And you'll learn to drive out of focus/I'm you and if anything unfolds/It's supposed to." Although most fans will no doubt be relieved that Frusciante has pieced his life back together, appreciators of the "falling apart" aspect of his past work might be disappointed by To Record's more accessible, less collapsible sturdiness. Even the look of the record is excessively clean, with a simple two-color design and all-caps block letters.© Melissa Giannini /TiVo

While it's always been true that Ben Harper has been a musically restless soul with a penchant for changing up his groove from album to album, most of them have been recorded with his longtime unit the Innocent Criminals. As a result, both live and in the studio, a particular vibe existed. Familiarity breeds that, and it also sets up a dynamic. For White Lies for Dark Times, Harper put the Innocent Criminals on hiatus and hooked up with a new group: three Austin, TX transplants to Los Angeles called Relentless7, comprised of guitarist Jason Mozersky, bassist Jesse Ingalls, and drummer Jordan Richardson. The end result is, to say the least, explosive. While it's true that this 11-track collection does have some beautiful acoustic balladry on it, and a touch of Harper's brand of soul in its grooves, most of what we find here is balls out Rock with a potent dose of ragged, modern Texas blues thrown in. Indeed this may be the most electric sounding recording Harper has ever issued. He co-wrote six of the tracks with his bandmates, and those he wrote himself have been arranged and/or written to be played with this band. It's in the mix from the opener, "Number with No Name," the slow slide guitar playing an electric blues stomp that's pure Harper, but the drums are pure thud and whomp rather than snap and crackle. The bassline is enormous and the second guitar matches both volume and nastiness with that slide. In other words, this sounds like a band playing this jam, not Harper and his band. One can hear traces of Jimi Hendrix, early ZZ Top, and Johnny Winter in the attack, but it's pure rocking blues thunder and lightning spit out via Texas and the Delta.The more spacy rock of "U pto You Now" is more directly a "Harper" tune with its stretched rhythmic sense and soulful vocal, but the utterly popping bass and wooly distorted guitar mix move it beyond his sensitive singer/songwriter frame. "Shimmer & Shine," the set's first single, begins as a double-timed rocker with Richarsdon's drum break, but kicks in with a staggered set of power chords that blend angsty punk and anthemic rock. "Why Must You Always Dress in Black" is pure blues-rock venom, the overdriven distortion (engineer and co-producer Danny Kalb did a brilliant job on this set, and on this track in particular) makes the guitars sound like they're breathing fire. The scattershot breaks from Richardson are impressive, especially as underscored with a syncopated bass pattern that marries blues, rock, and funk by Ingalls. Harper's slide chops -- especially when matched against that screaming blues riff of Mozersky's -- marks the toughest cut on the set. And that's saying something, because there isn't a throwaway here. Whether it's the shimmering, gospel-tinged balladry of "Skin Thin," the crunchy wah-wah electric funk-rock of "Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)," the tripped out voodoo-psych, percussion-driven skronk that is "Boots Like These," or the straight up gorgeous, midtempo soul-rock ballad "Faithfully Remain," that closes the set on an uplifting (if reserved) note; it's all inspired and executed flawlessly. And while it's true that many of the tunes have lyrics that reflect anger, disillusionment, and sometimes bitterness, the snarling yet joyous attack in the music balances them. This is the record that finally matches the excitement Harper generates in a live setting and is not to be missed.© Thom Jurek /TiVo