Inspired by Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ and a recent trip to West Africa to reconnect with her family heritage, Sey’s sophomore album is a powerful statement by a unique vocalist.
Read moreMitski Crafts a Stirring Soliloquy on Heartache and Loneliness with ‘Be the Cowboy’ | Album Review
More comfortable with her anxieties, and articulating them beautifully, Mitski has taken a pop turn on her fantastic fifth studio album.
Read moreKandace Springs Casts a Radiant Glow on Soul-Soothing, Stylistically Fluid ‘Indigo’ | Album Review
The beauty of the album lies in the slight shifts in style from song to song, which allow Springs to retain control while still broadening her stylistic horizons.
Read moreEminem Nearly Back at His Best with Blistering Surprise Album ‘Kamikaze’ | Album Review
On his latest LP, the middle-aged Mr. Mathers laments his critics and contemporary rappers alike, with his signature flow that still blows away the vast majority of emcees working today.
Read moreBird Streets’ Debut Album Is a Contemporary Masterpiece That Conjures Indie Rock’s Glory Days | Album Review
A modern album that captures the classic 1980s/1990s indie rock sound, songwriter John Brodeur and guitarist Jason Falkner’s collaboration is a revelatory and refreshing listen.
Read moreSantigold Eschews Mainstream Pop Appeal for Fun & Informal ‘I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions’ | Album Review
Pulling influences from Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Santigold doesn’t stray too far from her typical sound, but pays a more direct tribute to classic reggae style this time around.
Read moreThe National’s ‘Boxer (Live In Brussels)’ Is a Showstopping Trip Down Memory Lane | Album Review
‘Boxer Live In Brussels’ was originally released in April of this year as an exclusive Record Store Day vinyl offering, with a wider release coming to fruition last month.
Read moreA Reinvigorated Middle Class Rut Capture Balance & Beauty on Auspicious ‘Gutters’ | Album Review
Boasting a big sound that makes them sound like a full band, Middle Class Rut is a two-piece band made up of singer/guitarist Zack Lopez and singer/drummer Sean Stockham.
Read moreJake Shears’ Solo Dancing Shoes Fit Him Remarkably Well on Refreshing, Eponymous Debut | Album Review
While the sound of Scissor Sisters is only as great as the sum of the group’s parts, Shears flies solo in fine form on his impressive debut album.
Read moreDJ Muggs Recruits Top-Caliber Emcees for Distinctive ‘Dia Del Asesinato’ | Album Review
Muggs might not be trailblazing as much as he used to, but in reinterpreting a distinctive sound he helped pioneer throughout ‘Dia Del Asesinato,’ he creates a very good album.
Read moreBoz Scaggs’ ‘Out of the Blues’ Concludes His American Roots Music Trilogy on a High Note | Album Review
Scaggs’ nineteenth studio album proves once again that he is a man who knows his stuff and can pay homage, rather than whitewashing all the soul out of others’ songs.
Read moreUnderworld & Iggy Pop Merge Their Musical Mojo for Concise & Compelling ‘Teatime Dub Encounters’ | EP Review
On the four-track affair, Iggy Pop plays well with Underworld, understanding the subtlety of their music, while delivering lyrics with dry humor and a light touch.
Read moreShemekia Copeland Crafts a Vital Album for Our Volatile Times with ‘America’s Child’ | Album Review
The primary purpose of ‘America’s Child’ is to make great music, and Copeland accomplishes this while still making larger points about the world in which we all live.
Read moreThe Sound of Metamorphosis: Let's Eat Grandma Grow Up on 'I'm All Ears' | Album Review
Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton’s second studio affair is simultaneously murky and bright, retiring and confrontational.
Read more‘Hive Mind’ Finds The Internet in Glorious Form, with Their Creative Peak Still to Come | Album Review
Perhaps what’s most encouraging is that while ‘Hive Mind’ elevates and updates The Internet’s formulas, it’s still very clearly not the band’s final step.
Read moreNEW RELEASE ROUNDUP: Notable Albums of the Past Few Months
Check out our thoughts on the notable long players that have arrived in stores recently and warrant your attention.
Read moreL’Orange & Solemn Brigham Unite as Marlowe for Unconventional, Eponymous Debut Album | Album Review
Together, L’Orange & Solemn Brigham create an album that isn't easy to grasp, but grips your attention nonetheless.
Read moreDirty Projectors Reaffirm Their Shapeshifting Ways with ‘Lamp Lit Prose’ | Album Review
Dirty Projectors’ eighth studio album is a short ten-track LP reassuring the band’s devotees that David Longstreth and his musical companions can still hit their marks.
Read moreDeluxe Reissue of The Grateful Dead’s ‘Anthem Of The Sun’ Is a Fascinating Snapshot of the Band Pre-Fame | Album Review
‘Anthem Of The Sun’ is one of the first records to use “song cycles”—songs intended to be performed in a sequence together—and the band’s innovation with it is paramount.
Read moreSwing Out Sister Expand Their Brand of Exquisitely Crafted Pop with ‘Almost Persuaded’ | Album Review
From ambitious big band aspirations to hip-hop inclinations, ‘Almost Persuaded’ arms itself with arresting organic and inorganic pop sonics.
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