Hakim’s second studio affair contains a few standout compositions, but relative to its precursor (2017’s debut LP ‘Green Twins’), far fewer memorable melodies that stay with the listener after the album has finished.
Read moreCar Seat Headrest Embrace Transition and Push Boundaries on ‘Making A Door Less Open’ | Album Review
What’s happening on Car Seat Headrest’s new record is Will Toledo’s instincts to shift gears away from the safe-bet patterns of his previous records.
Read moreThe Dirty Clergy Seamlessly Traverse Light and Dark on Ambitiously Conceived ‘In Waves’ | Album Review
Part of what makes this album so much fun is the way The Dirty Clergy are able to replicate the denseness of shoegaze and synth pop with conventional rock & roll instrumentation.
Read moreThe Vapors Reunite in Mighty Fine Form on ‘Together’ | Album Review
Together’ could be the soundtrack to a musical about a dramatically underappreciated band getting back together and finding the success they should have received 40 years ago.
Read moreLeven Kali’s ‘HIGHTIDE’ Embodies the Redemptive Power of Music in These Disruptive Times | Album Review
Kali built a strong foundation with his debut album ‘Low Tide’ (2019) and he builds on it with his latest offering.
Read moreMan Man Invite Us Deep Into Their Weird, Wonderful World on ‘Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-Between’ | Album Review
The band’s sixth studio affair thrusts their signature uncanny instincts of heavy horns and xylophone choruses out into the cosmos.
Read moreLaura Marling Summons Her Most Lucid of Lyrical Powers on Stirring ‘Song For Our Daughter’ | Album Review
Marling finds the right variations on ‘Song For Our Daughter,’ her sonically intimate seventh album.
Read moreSurf Rock Is Dead Hang Ten (Songs) Across the Musical & Emotional Spectrum with ‘Existential Playboy’ | Album Review
On their debut long player, the Brooklyn based duo set up their songs by punctuating sadly intense runs with upbeat explosions.
Read moreLittle Dragon Solidify Their Stirring, Sublime Songcraft with ‘New Me, Same Us’ | Album Review
Thirteen years after the band first came onto the scene with their eponymous 2007 debut LP, it appears the band have finally found their feet sans their signature collaborations.
Read moreTom Misch & Yussef Dayes Meld Their Masterful Musicianship on Winsome ‘What Kinda Music’ | Album Review
‘What Kinda Music’ showcases the best of the duo’s respective worlds and is further evidence in itself of a British music scene that bristles with talent and moves fluidly between many genres.
Read moreFiona Apple’s ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’ Is a Vital, Visceral Call to Action for All of Us | Album Review
Apple’s fifth studio affair possesses so many moving parts, shifts, changes, and barely any bridges. The songs are surprising and engaging, just like the act of acceptance itself.
Read moreLåpsley’s ‘Through Water’ Reflects a Creative Force In Command of Her Craft | Album Review
A self-assurance has now taken over and the broken relationships and internal hurt that permeated through Låpsley’s debut LP appear to have taken a back seat here on her follow-up effort.
Read moreEnemy Radio’s ‘Loud Is Not Enough’ Captures the Power & Spirit of Public Enemy’s Most Salient Work | Album Review
Though regrettably overshadowed by the recent Chuck D vs. Flavor Flav conflict hoax, ‘Loud Is Not Enough’ is raw, confrontational, thoughtful, and poetic, just like the Public Enemy’s best work.
Read moreDua Lipa Looks Back to Take a Giant Leap Forward with ‘Future Nostalgia’ | Album Review
There’s a genuine sense of joy and musical discovery that permeates every part of Lipa’s second album that not even the staunchest rock press pundit could disavow.
Read moreKandace Springs’ ‘The Women Who Raised Me’ Is The Aural Antidote We Need Right Now | Album Review
What better antidote to the increasing insanity of our world than Springs’ set of great cover songs, which she sings brilliantly with panache and style.
Read moreVanessa Carlton Fulfills Her Artistic Purpose with Career Pinnacle ‘Love Is An Art’ | Album Review
Eleven songs constitute the record and they all cohere into a beautiful whole, at the same time, each selection is unique and capable of standing on its own.
Read moreJay Electronica Rewards Our Patience with Intriguing, Better-Late-Than-Never Debut Album ‘A Written Testimony’ | Review
‘A Written Testimony’ isn’t the transformative album that so many hip-hop heads had been dreaming about for over decade. But perhaps such expectations were misguided to begin with.
Read moreChildish Gambino’s Genius Manifests in Multiple Forms on Enthralling ‘3.15.20’ | Album Review
Though there may be a lull at the midway point of the album, the rest is an endlessly interesting, shape-shifting beast where nothing stays still for too long.
Read moreMorrissey’s ‘I Am Not A Dog On A Chain’ Accelerates His Descent Toward Irrelevance | Album Review
Perhaps Morrissey’s biggest failure with ‘I Am Not A Dog On A Chain’ is that it actually unites us where it is intended to divide.
Read moreExtra Prolific Surprises and Delights on Stellar Return-to-Form ‘Like It’s Supposed to Be’ | Album Review
Being mature and pious on record without being overly preachy is a difficult needle to thread, but Snupe succeeds with ‘Like It’s Supposed to Be.’
Read more