IIt’s not my favourite batch of new releases this week – lots of solid 7.5s. Indie band Spoon release their tenth album, Spain’s Rosalía follows up her acclaimed flamenco-pop album El Mal Querer, and Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg…
It’s a strong batch of 2022 records this week – London’s Nilüfer Yanya drops a sophomore album that’s even more impressive than her strong debut. Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House still sound inspired on their eighth studio album. Black Country,…
This week on the review table, there are new albums from anthemic Australian alt-rock band Gang of Youths – think of a confluence between U2, Springsteen, and War on Drugs. English pop maverick Charli XCX is back with her fifth…
I thoroughly enjoyed this week’s batch of records. Rootsy indie darlings Big Thief deliver the record that should stand as their career legacy. I’m a year late on Jane Weaver’s impressive Flock, while Eddie Rayner and Tim Finn recontextualise their…
The title New Music Reviews is a little misleading this week, given that one of the new releases is a compilation of songs released between 1989 and 1996. Additionally, two of these three albums are from 2021. But read on…
Welcome back to the first instalment of new music reviews for 2022. This week I feature three female artists in their thirties of Asian descent – the art-rock of indie heroine Mitski, the jazz/Hindustani classical hybrid of Arooj Aftab, and…
I think it’s cheating to publish a best albums list during the year in question – like, what if the best album ever is released on the 15th of December? That wasn’t the case this year, but a lot of…
Welcome to the final batch of 2021 musi…
We’ve had a few high-profile artists recently, but we’re back to the niches this week – the folk-prog of Richard Dawson & Circle, the eclectic indie-pop of Mr. Twin Sister, and the dreamy ambient pop of Art School Girlfriend. Enjoy!…
It’s three releases from female solo artists this week. Two are sophomore records – Baltimore indie-rocker Snail Mail and London alternative R&B artist Tirzah both follow up their debuts. Both are worthy, but one is particularly great. Meanwhile, veteran Tori…
The most high-profile group of artists for a while – most music fans should have heard of Del Rey and Stevens. Conversely, it’s also the weakest group of releases for a while – Stevens and Del Rey have both made…
It’s a strong week of records this week. Two records reflect changed style – Minnesota’s Low have added distorted guitars to their slow-paced folk, as they’ve done on their previous pair of records, while San Francisco’s Deafheaven have toned down…
Welcome to what’s probably the most obscure batch of reviews for this year – Missouri indie band Foxing, Miami synth-pop duo Magdalena Bay, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Jupiter & Okwess. Since it’s almost December, brace yourself for…
This week we have roots-rock from The War on Drugs, art-rock from Spellling, and country/folk from Brandi Carlile. Two of the albums have tracks with backing vocals from Brooklyn indie-pop band Lucius. I find two of these albums easier to…
It’s not technically true, but it’s essentially sophomore albums today. Superstar Billie Eilish releases her second album, UK rapper Little Simz is back for her second record with Inflo, while Natalie Hemby follows her 2017 soundtrack Puxico with a studio…
One of my pet theories at Aphoristic Album Reviews is that artists peak with their fourth (and fifth) albums. Today, I review the recently-released fourth albums from Glasgow synth-pop band CHVRCHES (with a cameo from The Cure’s Robert Smith) and…
Not as strong as last week’s crop of records – the new black midi record is excellent but I’m less enthused about new music from Lindsey Buckingham and Torres. Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Buckingham 2021, 7/10Lindsey Buckingham has endured a tough…
Three American artists this week, although Tyler, The Creator and Tinashe both have fathers with African heritage – Tyler’s father was born in Nigeria and Tinashe’s father is a first-generation Zimbabwean immigrant. Meanwhile, Kacey Musgraves veers further away from the…
I’ve been finding lots of albums in the good to very good range this year, but not many great ones. Here are three more strong, but not classic, albums. American indie rock artist Lucy Dacus, Canadian post-rockers Godspeed You! Black…
In an unplanned coincidence, today’s three recent releases are from English settlements ending with on. Post-punk band Squid from Brighton, London’s Cleo Sol, and Swindon’s Andy Partridge. Squid Bright Green Field 2021, 8.5/10There’s a whole crop of young, critically acclaimed…
There’s a strong batch of newish albums this week. The retro 1970s sleaze of St. Vincent’s Daddy’s Home, the diverse indie-pop of Japanese Breakfast’s Jubilee, and the Nigerian ambient field recordings of Emeka Ogboh. St. Vincent Daddy’s Home 2021, 8.5/10Annie…
1970s avant-garde German band Can pull a classic show out of their archives, while Mdou Moctar plays desert blues in Niger. Indie band Xiu Xiu are up to their twelfth record, but it’s the first time I’ve checked in with…
Welcome back to new music reviews, with three recent albums. Manchester Orchestra’s earnest stadium rock, tUnE-yArDs’ eclectic indie-soul, and Wolf Alice’s valiant attempts to reignite mainstream rock. Manchester Orchestra The Million Masks of God 2021, 8.5/10In spite of their name,…
Three new-ish records this week. The fifth album in little over two years from London’s enigmatic Sault, a debut from Australian R&B artist Genesis Owusu, while Miranda Lambert joins two other country artists for a literal campfire singalong, Sault Nine…
