You don’t often hear about an artist reinventing their sound nineteen albums into a celebrated career. But for Todd Snider, his latest release, First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder, fulfilled his longtime vision of combining funk with folk. He produced the record and played most of the instruments on it, including electric bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo and piano.

Joe Satriani and his touring band, all recording remotely in separate areas of the world during lockdown, answered that challenge in spades. The Elephants of Mars crackles with an exciting new energy, briskly traveling through stylistic roads that feel freshly updated, and viewed through new eyes.