Mark Trecka Creates Glorious Industrial Noise
Mark Trecka releases his 2024 album "Romance Wake Naming," a dense blend of experimental trip‑hop, illbient, and industrial art‑punk. The record features collaborations with veterans such as Paul Barker, Susan Alcorn, and Sam Skarstand, who also engineered much of the material. Trecka’s vocal delivery, likened to a desolate Bowie‑Scott Walker hybrid, anchors tracks that oscillate between noisy industrial bursts and surprisingly melodic structures. The album revisits a standout from his previous release, reimagining it with fresh bass and synth layers.
Adam Schatz Creates a Passionate, Unique Improvisation
Adam Schatz’s new album *Civil Engineering, Vol. 1* captures a day‑long improvisational session in a Manhattan studio with bassist Carmen Quill and drummer Qasim Naqvi. The trio weaves jazz foundations with punk, neoclassical, krautrock, and ambient textures, producing tracks that range...
Maya Hawke’s Path to Contentment
Maya Hawke’s fourth album, *Maitreya Corso*, delves into the tension between ambition and personal fulfillment, using tracks like “Slacker in the Rye” and “Lioness” to critique celebrity cynicism. The record blends Laurel Canyon‑style acoustics with unconventional minor‑key choruses, underscoring her...
Teddy Thompson Delightfully Remains the Same
Teddy Thompson’s new album “Never Be the Same,” his first collection of original songs in six years, arrives on May 15, 2026 via Royal Potato Family. The ten‑track record leans on classic pre‑Brit Invasion rock influences, with half the songs under three...
Laurie Anderson Helps Us Face Catastrophe on Live LP
Laurie Anderson’s new live album Let X = X, recorded with the avant‑garde jazz collective Sexmob, serves as a musical guide through today’s technological turbulence. Interweaving original songs with spoken reflections, Anderson critiques AI‑driven bots, likening them to modern angels while questioning who...
Wendy Eisenberg Strikes the Perfect Songwriting Balance
Brooklyn singer‑songwriter Wendy Eisenberg released a self‑titled album that marries pastoral folk melodies with contemporary, introspective lyrics. Backed by bassist Trevor Dunn, drummer Ryan Sawyer and co‑producer Mari Rubio’s pedal‑steel, synth, and string arrangements, the record balances simple guitar‑driven songs...
Matt Evans Creates “Zone Poems” On This Inventive LP
Matt Evans’s new LP *Daydream Observatory* presents ten “zone poems” that fuse synth textures, eclectic percussion, and guest improvisations. The New York‑based experimentalist enlists trumpet, flute, saxophone, kalimba, vocals and guitar to create shifting soundscapes ranging from meditative drones to...
Lip Critic’s ‘Theft World’ Is Beautifully Structured Chaos
Lip Critic’s second album, Theft World, emerged from a bizarre real‑life incident where an obsessed fan stole frontman Bret Kaser’s identity to buy the band’s catalog, prompting the group to interview the fan and turn those tapes into music. The...
Metric Look Back and Learn to ‘Romanticize the Dive’
Metric marks its 25th anniversary with the release of "Romanticize the Dive," the band’s first album in several years. The record leans heavily into synth‑driven indie rock while preserving the big‑hook sensibility that defined their earlier hits. Lyrically, frontwoman Emily...
Chicago’s Body Shop Will Make You Sweat and Think
Chicago’s industrial‑dance punk outfit Body Shop has dropped its new EP *Sex Body*. The record mixes harsh industrial beats, club‑ready dance rhythms and punk aggression while foregrounding breathy vocals and a deliberately intimate live vibe. Band members stress that the...
Kneecap’s Remarkable Sound of Righteous Fury
Kneecap’s new album *Fenian* pushes the Irish‑language rap trio from party‑fuelled protest to a mature, genre‑spanning statement against British imperialism. The record blends gangsta rap, UK rave, post‑punk and Detroit hip‑hop, while reclaiming the term “Fenian” as a symbol of...
Thundercat’s Humor Undermines an Otherwise Radiant LP
Thundercat’s 2024 album *Distracted* builds on the smooth, soulful direction he established with 2020’s *It Is What It Is*, delivering lush basslines, falsetto‑driven vocals, and a star‑studded roster that includes Mac Miller, Tame Impala, and A$AP Rocky. The production, co‑handled by Greg Kurstin, blends...
Radiohead’s ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ Is Gorgeous and Moving
Radiohead’s seventh studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool, arrived in May 2016 to widespread acclaim, praised for its lush orchestration and emotional depth. The record showcases Thom Yorke’s haunting vocals layered over strings and ambient textures, marking a mature evolution...
Jolanda Moletta Showcases the Female Voice’s Power
Jolanda Moletta’s third album, *Oceanine*, expands her vocal‑only approach by pairing each track with a distinct female vocalist, while the underlying soundscape remains built entirely from her own layered voice. The record, described as a distinctly feminist musical practice, weaves...
15 Underrated Albums of the 1990s
The article lists fifteen 1990s albums that critics and year‑end lists frequently overlook, ranging from Placebo’s *Without You I’m Nothing* to En Vogue’s *Funky Divas*. It highlights how gender bias, commercial expectations, and shifting genre trends cause quality records—such as...
And Also the Trees Dig Into Their Deeply-Rooted Art
And Also the Trees, the English post‑punk/gothic rock duo, have issued their 17th studio album, *The Devil’s Door*, which may serve as the closing chapter of their 47‑year career. The record leans heavily on tremolo‑laden guitars, Euro‑blues textures and atmospheric...
Miss Grit Creates Hallucinatory Electro From the Soul
Miss Grit, the project of Korean‑American musician Margaret Sohn, releases the album *Under My Umbrella* after a grueling tour for *Follow the Cyborg*. The new record abandons the cyborg persona in favor of raw, hallucinatory electronic soundscapes that blend synth‑wave,...
Blood Countess Create a Generic Black Metal Masterpiece
Blood Countess releases *Imperatrix Sanguinis*, a second‑wave black metal album that leans heavily on raw tremolo riffs while sprinkling thrash‑style chugs. The record revisits classic Bathory‑inspired themes, narrated from Countess Bathory’s daughter, Anna Nádasdy, adding a fresh lyrical angle. Production...
School Is Back in Session for the Teaches of Peaches
Canadian electroclash pioneer Peaches returns with her first album in over a decade, titled No Lube So Rude. The record’s provocative name is framed as a call for socio‑political smoothing rather than a literal reference to lubricant. In interviews, Peaches...
Scotland’s the Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s American Revolution
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (SAHB) released a hard‑rock single titled “Boston Tea Party” in 1976, coinciding with the United States Bicentennial. The five‑minute track became a surprise hit, reaching #13 on the UK singles chart, and offered the only...
Josiah and the Bonnevilles Display Craft and Vision
Josiah Leming’s latest record, *As Is*, is presented as his artistic arrival, marrying folk roots with polished rock production. The album showcases deft songwriting, vivid imagery, and a vocal range that shifts from gravelly intimacy to soaring confidence. Tracks like...
Croz Boyce Create Fragmentary, Beautiful Music
Croz Boyce, an instrumental side project of Animal Collective, pairs Avey Tare's intimate acoustic guitar with Geologist's drifting electronics. Recorded separately in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Washington, D.C., the album feels like a fragmented soundscape stitched across distance. Track...
They Might Be Giants Are As Delightfully Weird As Ever
American alternative duo They Might Be Giants released their 18‑track album The World Is to Dig, arriving 40 years after their debut. The record juxtaposes bright power‑pop hooks—such as the titular “Wu Tang” homage—with off‑kilter experiments, including a French‑language song and...
Jazz Vibes Man Simon Moullier Creates His Best Album
French‑born vibraphonist Simon Moullier releases *Ceiba*, his third quartet album and sixth as a leader. The record features ten original compositions that foreground his melodic, rhythmic, and textural sensibility, supported by pianist Lex Korten, bassist Rick Rosato, drummer Jongkuk Kim,...
Ben “Baby” Copperhead’s ‘Catch a Cold’ Is a Wild Journey
Ben “Baby” Copperhead returns with his fifth studio album, *Catch a Cold*, his first release since 2023’s *Wailing Viridescence*. The record expands his psychedelic‑folk foundation, adding sophisticated arrangements, jazz‑inflected improvisation, and occasional country twang. Copperhead performs most of the instrumentation...
Kyle Craft’s ‘Dolls of Highland’ Is Genuine Theater
Kyle Craft’s 2016 debut album *Dolls of Highland* arrived as a theatrical blend of glam‑rock, folk, and surreal storytelling, earning praise for its cinematic production and vivid character sketches. The record’s lyrical focus on death drive, voyeurism, and self‑destructive romance...
Foo Fighters’ New LP Shows Dave Grohl Needs to Go Solo
Dave Grohl’s latest Foo Fighters record, *Your Favorite Toy*, reads more like a solo effort than a full‑band project. Critics note that longtime members Nate Mendel and Pat Smear are under‑utilized, while Grohl’s vocals dominate the mix. The album also...
Could Alt-Rockers Sub*T Be the New Fanny?
Sub*T, an all‑female alt‑rock duo led by Grace Bennett and Jade Alcantara, released their debut album “How My Own Voice Sounds.” The record fuses 1970s hard‑rock aesthetics with modern production, delivering gritty power ballads, swamp‑laden tracks, and a commercially‑leaning single...
Empire Child’s Music Could Heal the World
Ruth Rothwell, performing as Empire Child, has released her debut album The Empire Child on Fine Roots Recordings. The record fuses soul, jazz, electronic, and reggae textures while drawing on Rothwell’s South‑African, Indo‑Jamaican and British heritage. Lyrically, the songs confront imperialism,...
Melanie C Offers a Brilliant Club-Ready Mixtape
Melanie C released her ninth solo album, "Sweat," a 40‑minute, club‑ready mixtape aimed at both dancefloors and gym playlists. The record leans on 1990s dance nostalgia, sampling Diana Ross and echoing Daft Punk‑style disco while weaving house, reggaeton and piano‑house textures. It marks...
Kiki Cavazos Says ‘Goodbye Blues’ and Keeps on Travelin’
Montana‑born singer‑songwriter Kiki Cavazos has issued her debut album, Goodbye Blues, a collection that fuses folk, country, and blues with stark fingerpicking and a resonant double‑bass foundation. The record’s ten tracks weave personal narratives of wandering, heartbreak, and the search...
‘Léve Léve Vol. 2’ Highlights Lusophone Coalition
Swiss label Bongo Joe has issued Léve Léve Vol. 2, a curated compilation of São Tomé and Príncipe popular music from the 1970s‑80s. The collection spotlights the puxa genre, a hybrid sound drawing on Haitian, Congolese, Angolan, Cape Verdean and Brazilian influences, and...
Ant Thomaz’s ‘Gaia’ Is a Warm Embrace of Rhythmic Reflection
Ant Thomaz released his sophomore solo album *Gaia* in 2026, weaving Cajun‑flavored rhythms with folk‑pop and occasional rap verses. Named after his daughter, the record centers on father‑child connections and broader community bonds, delivering tracks such as “Believe,” “Drawn to...
Evil Warriors Travel the Entire Spectrum of Extreme Metal
German extreme‑metal outfit Evil Warriors has progressed from a thrash‑centric debut, *Expressions of Endless Dreams*, to a genre‑spanning sound on their third self‑titled album. Their sophomore effort, *Fall From Reality*, already hinted at a deeper black‑metal immersion, but the new...
Charley Discusses Being an Idealist at the End of Everything
Australian singer‑songwriter Charley releases her debut album, The Chronicles of a Serial Idealist, a 12‑track pop‑centric project that fuses nostalgic 2010s sounds with queer‑forward storytelling. The record, shaped during a lakeside retreat with co‑producers Harry Charles and Ned Houston, showcases...
Anitta’s Spiritual Turn Meets Brazilian Pop’s Momentum
Brazilian pop star Anitta has released EQUILIBRIVM, an album that turns inward toward her Candomblé faith while expanding her sound beyond funk into Afro‑Brazilian styles such as batuque, samba and ijexá. She brands the new rhythmic blend as “macumbeats” and...
Seefeel’s ‘Sol.hz’ Offers a Disorienting Clarity
British electronic collective Seefeel returns with "Sol.hz," their first full-length album since 2011. The record deepens the group’s minimalist, texture‑driven approach, reducing guitars and drums to faint feedback and fragmented percussion. Across nine four‑minute tracks, Seefeel favors sustained sonic fields...
Harriet Tubman and Georgia Anne Muldrow Cook a Powerful Brew
Harriet Tubman, the avant‑jazz trio, releases its first album in eight years, "Electrical Field of Love," featuring Los Angeles‑based vocalist Georgia Anne Muldrow. Producer Scotty Herd reshapes six hours of studio improvisation into twelve tightly edited tracks, echoing Teo Macero’s legendary collage...
Tomora’s ‘Come Closer’ Is a Perfect Collision of Styles
Tomora, the new collaborative project of Chemical Brothers co‑founder Tom Rowlands and Norwegian singer‑songwriter Aurora, has released its debut album *Come Closer*. The record fuses techno, trip‑hop, euphoric house and psychedelic textures, giving Aurora a platform to stretch beyond her Scandipop roots. Their...
Paul Weller’s New Live Compilation Is Dazzling
Paul Weller’s new double‑album *Weller at the BBC, Vol. 2* compiles live BBC radio sessions recorded between 2008 and 2024. The set showcases acoustic reinterpretations of recent solo material, high‑energy renditions of classic Jam and Style Council songs, and a diverse...
Guy Clark’s ‘Old No. 1’ Revisited By Americana’s Best
Guy Clark’s 1975 debut *Old No. 1* has become a songwriting touchstone, inspiring generations of Americana artists. To mark its 50th anniversary, Truly Handmade Records—an imprint of Guy Clark LLC—has issued *Old No. 1: Revisited*, a track‑by‑track tribute featuring younger stars like...
Poison Ruïn Explore the Intersection of Punk and Post-Punk
Poison Ruïn’s latest album, *Hymns From the Hills*, dives deep into the crossroads of punk, post‑punk, neofolk, industrial, and classic metal. The record balances raw, urgent tracks like “Pilgrimage” and “Turn to Dust” with atmospheric pieces such as “Crescent Sun”...
Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” And the Love of Myth and Ritual
Peter Gabriel’s 1986 hit “In Your Eyes” fuses African call‑and‑response, cyclical musical structures, and mythic storytelling to create a love song that transcends linear pop conventions. The track features a looping guitar ostinato, repeated lyrical motifs, and a Wolof coda...
Built with an Old Hammer: Dale Watson’s Honky-Tonk Truth
Dale Watson’s career began in a Texas refinery town where classic country records shaped his ear. After a brief stint in truck‑driving school, a label deal sent him to England and launched a lifelong touring habit. Known for improvising songs...
American Football Expand Their Sound to Great Success on ‘LP4’
American Football’s long‑awaited fourth album, LP4, arrives with a darker, more expansive sound that builds on the band’s emo legacy. The record opens with heavyweight tracks like “Bad Moon” and “No Feeling,” featuring guest vocals from Turnstile’s Brendan Yates and...
Stephen Becker Offers a Unique Take on Indie Pop
Stephen Becker’s new album *Gravity Blanket* arrives as a self‑written, produced, and mixed indie pop record available on Bandcamp. The collection mixes dreamy bedroom‑pop, psychedelic flourishes, and crunchy power‑pop, featuring guest contributions from NYC musicians while Becker handles most instrumentation....
Ghost Hounds Party Like Its 1969 with “Gimme Shelter”
Ghost Hounds released a charity cover of the Rolling Stones’ 1969 classic “Gimme Shelter,” featuring Rolling Stones touring vocalist Chanel Haynes. The single, paired with an original B‑side titled “Justified,” will funnel proceeds to St. Jude Research Hospital’s pediatric programs. Critics...
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of April 2026
The April 2026 MetalMatters roundup spotlights a wave of genre‑blending releases that push black, death, and progressive metal into new territory. Black Hurst’s debut fuses Hellenic black metal with classic NWOBHM riffs, while Evil Warriors deliver a self‑titled album that...
Tori Amos Brilliantly Soundtracks the ‘Times of Dragons’
Tori Amos returns with "In Times of Dragons," her first album of original songs in five years, delivering a dark, allegorical concept record that blends piano virtuosity with experimental synths and harpsichord. The double‑disc work follows a surreal road‑trip narrative, confronting...
Mildred Are Philosophically Listless on the ‘Fenceline’
Oakland‑based indie outfit Mildred released their debut LP Fenceline, a week‑long studio session captured at Luke Temple’s Pasadena space. The record fuses slacker rock, Americana, and existential lyricism, drawing comparisons to Pavement, David Berman, and early Dylan. Songs such as “Fish...