Jason Isbell and the 400 UnitWeathervanes

Fingerpicked ballads breathe quiet before detonating into fuzzed-out rock, and that tension never lets up. "Death Wish" opens slow and erupts into squalling guitars as Isbell stares down a partner's mental illness. "Cast Iron Skillet" turns homespun aphorisms into a devastating story of family rupture, while the seven-minute closer "Miles" finally lets the band stretch into release. His darkest, most unflinching record, and it won the Best Americana Album Grammy. Put it on and sit with it.