The titles on SAULT’s ‘Untitled (Black Is)’ reveal the narrative at play and the scope of its ambitions, fully realized through a dazzling distillation of the constituent elements of soul and hip-hop.
Read moreBob Dylan’s ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ Magnifies the Enduring Mystery Behind His Words | Album Review
The music is almost simple, mostly acoustic with thick blues stuffed in every wrinkle. Dylan doesn’t sing. It’s poetic delivery that plants every sentence firmly in the ground.
Read morePhoebe Bridgers Floats in Unsettled Space on Magnificent, Melancholic ‘Punisher’ | Album Review
While the author can’t say he was prepared for ‘Punisher’ to ask as much of him as it did, he’s still moved by it, unsettled by it, and captivated by it.
Read moreNeil Young Resurrects Long-Lost ‘Homegrown’ From the Vaults and It’s Well Worth the Wait | Album Review
‘Homegrown’ was recorded during the same two years as ‘On The Beach’ (1974) and ‘Tonight’s The Night’ (1975), and sonically, the three records are sisters. But each tells its own story.
Read moreRun the Jewels Encapsulate the Zeitgeist of America on the Brink with ‘RTJ4’ | Album Review
The fourth album by the team of Killer Mike and El-P couldn’t have arrived in a more timely and topical manner. It’s raw, politically charged, aggressive, and confrontational.
Read moreNorah Jones Navigates The Darkness And The Light On ‘Pick Me Up Off The Floor’ | Album Review
Jones reinforces once again that somewhere in the darkness, uncertainty and disillusionment we feel, music can heal and imitate life.
Read moreLady Gaga’s Captivating, Cathartic ‘Chromatica’ Embodies the Power of Music to Heal and Inspire | Album Review
‘Chromatica’ harks back to Lady G’s dance floor driven roots, while proving to be yet another feather in her already incredibly accomplished “cap” of artistry.
Read moreThe Harmed Brothers Craft Arresting Anthems for Broken Souls on ‘Across The Waves’ | Album Review
‘Across The Waves’ finds the band rethinking many of the assumptions of Springsteen's older music, while also embracing many of his familiar elements.
Read moreTeddy Thompson Redefines What a Break-Up Record Sounds Like with Inspired ‘Heartbreaker Please’ | Album Review
Who else could make a break-up record that's deep and sad lyrically, right down to its title, but musically feels like a skip through the park on a beautiful day?
Read moreMoses Sumney Expands and Emboldens His Creative Scope with ‘græ’ | Album Review
The ‘græ’ of the title is a nod to the in-between states that Sumney exists in and his resolute refusal to be put into a box of anyone’s making.
Read moreThe 1975’s Expansive ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’ Is A Disorienting Yet Ultimately Rewarding Trip | Album Review
The band’s fourth studio affair is a grab bag of sonics that is as muddled and multifaceted as frontman Matt Healy’s introvert-extrovert existence.
Read moreCarly Rae Jepsen Synthesizes Her Extraordinary Range of Ideas and Influences on Dazzling ‘Dedicated Side B’ | Album Review
With ‘Dedicated Side B,’ the charismatic Carly Rae Jepsen proves yet again that the art of genuine songcraft is very much alive and well in the pop genre.
Read moreNick Hakim Captivates and Confounds on ‘WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD’ | Album Review
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.
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