Nicki Minaj, Animal Collective, and Death Cab lead a busy week in new releases
Nicki Minaj reaches for the throne room, Animal Collective unearths an interesting live artifact, Death Cab do more…
Music
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Mitski is alone in the middle of the dance floor on the playful Be The Cowboy
Mitski makes music about inexpressible emotions—urgent, intimate dispatches that seem to come from her very soul. At…
Foxing’s excellent, elastic Nearer My God leads this week’s new releases
Foxing reaches for the skies on its biggest and best record, country singer Shooter Jennings fires off a spotty but…
YG, Helena Hauff, and more albums to know about this week
YG stays dangerous, while Helena Hauff’s Qualm is her rawest collection to date, and The Nature Of Imitation is a…
The Internet, Skeletonwitch, and more albums to know about this week
In this week’s notable new releases: Hive Mind is a step forward for The Internet, while Devouring Radiant Light…
Dirty Projectors, Deafheaven, and more albums to know about this week
Dirty Projectors’ Lamp Lit Prose calls to mind the band’s late-’00s peak, while Deafheaven reach higher on album No. 4,…
Bjørn Torske, Bodega, and more albums to know about this week
In this week’s notable releases, Byen finds nü-disco fixture Bjørn Torske blending more ambient textures into his…
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Scorpion is a whole shitload of Drake
The worst thing that ever happened to Drake was becoming a great rapper. He was always good—funny, direct, emotive—but…
Florence + The Machine, Gorillaz, and more albums to know about this week
Florence + The Machine open up old wounds (and stick to old sounds) on High As Hope, while both Gorillaz’s The Now Now…
B+
Don’t let the preposterous flood of major rap releases make you forget Jay Rock
It’d be hyperbolic to say this has been the biggest month in hip-hop history, but the sheer wattage of Beyoncé…
Nine Inch Nails, Kamasi Washington, and more albums to know about this week
Bad Witch is a thin, if rewarding, listen from Nine Inch Nails; while Kamasi Washington’s cinematic soul-jazz is more…
B+
Everything Is Love is big enough for Beyoncé and JAY-Z both
It’s tempting to view Everything Is Love as the conclusion of a trilogy begun with Lemonade, Beyoncé’s revelatory 2016…
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Nas and Kanye make a rushed connection on Nasir
Note: This review is based on last night’s livestream of Nasir, which hasn’t been officially released at the time of…
Melody’s Echo Chamber, Rolling Blackouts CF, and more albums to know about this week
Melody’s Echo Chamber pushes its warped psych pop to new lands on Bon Voyage, while Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever…
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Kid Cudi lifts Kanye up on Kids See Ghosts
What is freedom to Kanye West? The answer to that question is becoming exceedingly difficult to understand. He’s always…
Lykke Li, Zeal & Ardor, and more albums to know about this week
Zeal & Ardor forges an exhilarating new sound on second LP Stranger Fruit; Lykke Li turns inward on the hit-or-miss So…
B
Ye won’t change your mind on Kanye
In a way, Ye is what everyone wanted. The word “Trump” appears nowhere on the album. Kanye only acknowledges his…
Father John Misty, LUMP, The Dreebs, and more albums to know about this week
Father John Misty reaches the apex of hopelessness on God’s Favorite Customer, while Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay…
A
Neko Case is a force of nature on the masterful Hell-On
In a statement accompanying the announcement of her new album Hell-On, Neko Case wrote, “I don’t have a pretty voice.”…
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Oneohtrix Point Never goes pop, then obliterates it on the excellent Age Of
There are harpsichords all over Age Of, electronic composer Daniel Lopatin’s eighth studio album as Oneohtrix Point…
