Best Albums: The Roots, Young Widows, Little Dragon, Tobacco

This week’s best albums

– Both dense and spare, light on raps, and full of piano and string arrangements, the latest from The Roots is a satirical look at hip-hop stereotypes that expands the band’s reach even further.

– Young Widows’ fourth LP sits comfortably between the Louisville trio’s loudest and its more pensive and spacious.

– On the first release since its 2011 breakout, Swedish quartet Little Dragon hones in on a more subdued version of the vibe-driven electro-synth that propelled it to popularity.

– In his answer to “relaxation music,” Black Moth Super Rainbow mastermind Tobacco continues his demented journey into the psychic netherworld that he’s built out of junk-culture detritus.

Honorable mentions

The Black Keys: Turn Blue (Nonesuch)

Down: IV – Part II (ADA)

Hunterchild: s/t (Temporary Residence)

Mirah: Changing Light (Absolute Magnitude)

Swans: To Be Kind (Mute)