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Indie rock giants Guided By Voices are back with yet another album. Their second of 2022, Tremblers and Goggles by Rank, may not have the swagger of Crystal Nuns Cathedral released in March, but it does stand on its own. With Tremblers and Goggles by Rank, Robert Pollard has pushed his non-traditional songwriting well beyond anything accomplished in the past.

Standout Songs: Lizard on the Red Brick Wall, Goggles by Rank

Whether you categorize them as indie rock giants, prolific players of power pop, hi-fi indie rockers, or something else, Guided By Voices are back with their 35th album. Let that sink in a minute… 35. And Crystal Nuns Cathedral very well may be their best in recent memory. It has everything you expect from Robert Pollard and company on full display. Mix in Travis Harrison’s stellar production, and you have an album that stands to push the rock envelope in a world where sticking to a formula is expected and rewarded. Robert Pollard explains what to expect, “This record is a statement, a challenge, a monument, a call to arms. Top this one if you can, this is the new benchmark. Who will best it? Who will try?”

Standout Songs: Re-Develop, Never Mind the List, Come North Together, Huddled, Mad River Man, Crystal Nuns Catherdral

After working together on and off for the better part of the last two decades, Danger Mouse and Black Thought have released their first full-length album. 'Cheat Codes' offers the listener a dozen tracks with some of the best names in hip hop: Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, MF DOOM, A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, and Conway the Machine.

Standout Songs: Cheat Codes, The Darkest Part (feat. Raekwon and Kid Sister), Because (feat. Ba$$, Russ, and Dylan Cartlidge), Belize (feat. MF DOOM), Aquamarine (feat. Michael Kiwanuka), Strangers (feat. A$AP Rocky and Run The Jewels), Saltwater (feat. Conway the Machine)

Upon your first listen to Yard Act’s debut album, The Overload, you will hear brash, in-your-face music accented with a sense of humor. From the first track to the last, they steamroll through the 10 tracks one by one and force their way into your heart and mind. And they don’t let go. To say they are making a bold entrance would be an understatement. It may be only the first month of the year, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Yard Act is standing tall at the year’s end. Punishing through and through, the album doesn’t let up. It’s fresh, confident, and full of conviction. Just what you want in a post-punk album from a few boys from Leeds. There’s a reason they’re some of the best new music right now. Check them out to understand why.

Standout Songs: The Overload, Payday, Rich, Land Of The Blind

'Expert in a Dying Field' could be the breakout that the New Zealand quartet has been hoping for. Buoyed by the title track and a handful of other intoxicating indie-pop songs, they really don’t miss over the 12-track project. Their attention to detail is impeccable and exacting. This is the album that deserves to propel them into the spotlight.

Standout Songs: Expert In A Dying Field, Knees Deep, Silence Is Golden, Your Side, Head In The Clouds, 2am

Stockholm post-punk band Viagra Boys have returned to release their third album, Cave World. Raucous, crass, and explosive, Cave World is an album filled with life and confidence that only they can deliver. Twelve tracks deep and 40 minutes later, you may end up in a pool of sweat after listening to the album.

Standout Songs: Baby Criminal, Troglodyte, Punk Rock Loser, Ain’t No Thief, Return To Monke

Beach House is back with their first album since 2018’s 7 and their 8th overall. The album, Once Twice Melody is a sprawling affair that spans 18 tracks over 4 distinct chapters. On it, the Baltimore duo supply a multitude of fascinating and delightful moments that are second to none. And at almost an hour and a half of music, the album has something for every Beach House fan. As for the rollout, it happened gradually. The first chapter was released on November 10, 2021, the second on December 8, 2021, and the third on January 19, 2022. The final chapter was released on February 18, 2022, all through Sub Pop. Once Twice Melody is the band’s first self-produced record and deserves to be on your short-list of albums to listen to.

Standout Songs: Once Twice Melody, Through Me, Sunset, Masquerade, Hurts to Love

Bill Callahan (Smog) and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (Will Oldham) have been busy during the pandemic. The album is an album of covers from fellow label mates and musicians they’ve looked up to (Steely Dan, Billie Eilish, Robert Wyatt, Iggy Pop, and more.) The 19-track album is a sprawling album. And coming in at 1 hour and 30 minutes the collection is a commitment to listen to. But what you’ll find during your time listening is a feeling of warmth and peace set by a cast of musicians that change from song to song. Bill Callahan & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, the Americana/indie-folk masters, have added a commendable album to their already well-respected discographies.

Standout Songs: Blackness of the Night, OD’d in Denver, Our Anniversary, Deacon Blues, Ive Been The One, Arise, Therefore

Eight tracks deep, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s latest project, 'Cool It Down' is a bold experiment that’s been nine years in the making. In a press release for the album, Karen O stated: “Don’t have to tell you how much we’ve been going through in the last nine years since our last record, because you’ve been going through it too […] So yes we’ve taken our time, happy to report when it’s ready it really does just flow out.”

Standout Songs: Spitting Off The Edge of the World, Fleez, Burning, Different Today

Neil Young’s latest album, Barn is a classic Young recording that resembles many of his trademark sounds while talking to the future. The album’s name, Barn, came as all the tracks were recorded in an old 19th-century barn high in the Rocky Mountains. The sounds bounce off of those old, rustic barn walls and through your speakers like an old friend embracing you. From the onset of the album’s first track, ‘Song Of The Seasons’ one could tell quickly this was gonna be a good listen. Young’s trademark harmonica are those first sounds. And they set the mood perfectly. The album also sees Young and his voice never sounding better. He’s reflective, confident, and at times, prophetic. Young brings back Crazy Horse and their lo-fi, vintage sound for the 10 songs. The band swirls between bluesy tracks and pure rock n’ roll. You can just tell that Young and company love what they do. And they do it quite well. The album oozes the sounds of Americana and drips of cuts that compose what should be a well-regarded Neil Young album for years to come.

Standout Songs: Song Of The Seasons, Heading West, Human Race