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.

Since Ryan Adams's debut solo album in 2000, the songwriter, lyricist, and performer has quietly become a prolific artist and producer. His 16th studio release, 'Prisoner,' is an exercise in perfecting what a tortured love song can and should be. It's also a more personal album, examining our relationships to the everyday realities of the world.

Foxygen's newest album is lushly backed by a 40-piece orchestra, creating a rich sound that harks back to 1960s pop and to landmark albums of the 1970s.

Ty Segall's ninth studio album is his second self-titled release (after his 2008 debut), but it's the first one he's recorded with producer Steve Albini. In her review of the album, Mary Lucia says it could be labeled 'garage rock,' but it seems to be a lot more than that.

It's been five years since the xx released an album, and their new release, 'I See You', bravely wipes away the film that misted over the band's previous music and instead leaps forward with clear vocals front and center.