With 'DAMN.', Kendrick Lamar has created a cyclical album full of jarring beats and tempo switches that prove he hasn't given up on his adventurous side. And sonically, Kendrick is going places he hasn't gone for years. 'DAMN.' is the sound of Kendrick having his cake and eating it, too.

Get ready to face the ugliness of humanity, head on, per the gospel of Father John Misty.

The latest album from the New Pornographers features some personnel changes, yet it is another gift from a terrific band.

Conor Oberst's eighth solo studio album is a kind of companion piece to last year's effort, 'Ruminations.' Plugged in and fleshed out with a full band made up of Oberst's friends gives 'Salutations' a loose and fun feel that DJ Bill DeVille likens to Bob Dylan and the Band's Big Pink sessions.

Grandaddy's fifth studio album -- and their first since 2006 -- is 'Last Place.' It's our album of the week. Brian Oake writes, 'This album is nostalgic, reflective, and, on most levels, hopeful.'

Spoon's ninth studio album, 'Hot Thoughts,' is our Album of the Week. 'The band from Texas delivered a dang good record,' writes Mary Lucia.

Laura Marling's latest album presents a California-tinged evolution of Marling's sound, exploring new ways of using her gifts and searching her creativity for a new form of muse. Although Marling may twist our expectations, 'Semper Femina' may be her most accessible album yet.

Fluctuating between soulful love ballads, blues standards, hip-hop flavored reflections about his hometown, and funkified gospels, Rag'n'Bone Man's debut full-length album, 'Human,' pulls from several previous releases to showcase Graham's powerful and spirited voice.

For more than 20 years, singer-songwriter Jay Farrar has been exploring the Americana genre he helped define back in the early '90s. Now he's back with his band, Son Volt, for their eighth effort, 'Notes of Blue.'

'Highway Queen' is the new album from Nashville singer-songwriter Nikki Lane, also known as the First Lady of Outlaw Country. Lane operates outside the norms of the country music world, making her own rules and not apologizing for it. Being labeled an outlaw suits Nikki Lane's image, her fashion sense, her blend of country and rock, and her feisty lyrics.