New album: The Chicago singer and poet moves from 2019’s socio-historical Legacy! Legacy! LP, to a more experimental, soulful album of self-analysis, examining the life cycles of relationships across 17 tracks, in which love evolves and develops like a living cell
Read moreUnknown Mortal Orchestra: V
New album: New Zealand’s Ruban Nielson and co return with a post-lockdown double album, a fifth LP keeping that distinctive dirty mic vocal filter, and a mixture of the upbeat and downbeat
Read moreAngel Olsen: Big Time
New album: Majestic, slow-paced and emotionally powerful, an outstanding country-tinged dark folk dream-pop sixth LP by the American singer-songwriter inspired by liberation and grief – coming out to her aged parents in 2021 very shortly before their deaths
Read moreSharon Van Etten: We've Been Going About This All Wrong
New album: Powerful, passionate, personal and one of her best yet, this sixth album by the New Jersey singer-songwriter has hugely relevant themes, her songs addressing how we might protect the things most precious to us from destructive forces beyond our control
Read moreBig Red Machine: How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
New album: Featuring guests including Fleet Foxes and Taylor Swift, an attractive second LP of mellow indie-folk by the band formed by The National’s Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver, and named after the dominant 1970s Cincinnati Reds baseball team
Read moreDinosaur Jr: Sweep It Into Space
Album review: Packed with tender lo-fi to full-on rock numbers, the distinctive voice and playing of J Mascis joined Lou Barlow’s bass and Murph on drum, rolls out in the form of a very fine new LP, their first together for five years
Read moreMatthew E. White and Lonnie Holley: Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflective
Album review: This first collaborative release between the Virginia songwriter, producer, and founder of Spacebomb Records and the Alabama sculptor is an experimental fusion of jazz, funk, electronica and exclamatory spoken-word observation
Read moreAlbum reviews roundup: Bill Callahan, Disclosure, Angel Olsen, My Morning Jacket, Washington, Babe, Terror, Kelly Lee Owens, Afel Bocoum, Floodlights
Album reviews roundup: This week’s selection includes an exquisite gem from Bill Callahan, clever dance music from Disclosure, a stark reworking of her last album by Angel Olsen, and a second helping of a previous by My Morning Jacket
Read moreNew albums: Mark Lanegan, Moses Sumney, Hayley Williams, Blake Mills, I Break Horses, Watkins Family Hour, Modern Studies, Kavus Torabi, Ecuador various
This week’s roundup includes a gritty but musical journey to accompany Mark Lanegan’s memoirs, a solo album the the Paramore singer, and Part Two of Moses Sumney’s extraordinary funk/jazz falsetto album
Read moreNew albums: Moses Sumney, Caribou, The Orielles, Soccer Mommy, The Lost Brothers, Myrkur, Vladislav Delay, The Heliocentrics, Alabaster DePlume, Cold Beat, Kevin Krauter
The latest roundup includes a multi-genre double by Moses Sumney, melancholy electronica from Caribou, funk-indie-pop from the Orielles as well as Scandinavian selections from Denmark’s black metal queen doing folk
Read moreNew albums: Pet Shop Boys, Sarah Mary Chadwick, Okay Kaya, Jim Noir, Nicolas Godin, Twin Atlantic, Poliça, Basic Plumbing
The second of this week’s roundups includes the return of the Pet Shop Boys, raw emotion from Sarah Mary Chadwick, eccentric pop from OKay Kaya and laid back electronica from Jim Noir
Read moreAldous Harding to Richard Dawson to Michael Kiwanuka: favourite albums of 2019 – part 1
The first part of our selection of the pick of albums from 2019 by Song Bar readers and the Landlord editor, in alphabetical order by title, not a ‘best of’ or countdown. The second part is here.
Read moreNew albums: Angel Olsen, Wilco, Chromatics, The Sherlocks, Danny Brown, Wives, Penguin Cafe, Vivian Girls, Minor Pieces, Empath
This latest roundup includes a seismic album of emotion turmoil from Angel Olsen, a stripped-back release from Wilco, snappy hip hop from Danny Brown and gritty Brooklyn postpunk from Wives
Read moreNew albums: Bon Iver, Marika Hackman, Chali 2na and Krafty Kuts, Fionn Regan, The Regrettes, Trippie Redd, Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective
The American indie folk band return with their newly alternative fourth, the British singer-songwriter has a direct and earthy breakup, the ex-Jurassic 5 rapper joins forces, plus other wonders including an album inspired by Vietnamese monsoons
Read moreNew albums: Clinic, Holly Herndon, Mac Demarco, Viagra Boys, AA Bondy, Jamila Woods, The Mystery Lights, Laurence Pike, Death And Vanilla
Wonderfully otherworldly and woozy work is a theme this week, especially from Liverpool’s fabulous Clinic and choral groundbreaking brilliance from Holly Herndon, alongside a variety of other oddities including Mac Demarco
Read moreNew albums: Aldous Harding, The Mountain Goats, Kevin Morby, Pete Doherty, Soak, Minyo Crusaders, The Cranberries, Foxygen, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Ezra Collective, King Gizzard, Marina
A bumper selection from the past week includes the beautiful voice of Aldous Harding, superb songwriting from Kevin Morby, The Mountain Goats, Pete Doherty’s latest project and an acoustic rock-out from Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Read moreNew albums: Deerhunter, Sharon Van Etten, You Tell Me, Jeffrey Lewis, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Tallies, The Silver Field
Getting ahead with the forthcoming releases over mid-January, melancholy, dystopian beauty is a predominant trend from Deerhunter, Sharon Van Etten, You Tell Me and more, with a dash of joy from Jeffrey Lewis covering The Fall
Read moreNew albums: Anna Calvi, Idles, Eminem, Tash Sultana, Big Red Machine (Bon Iver), Terry, Wild Nothing
Beautiful and blistering new albums from, respectively, the big-voiced singer-guitarist and the Bristol punk rock band, plus a collaboration between Bon Iver and The National and more
Read moreNew albums: EELS, Manic Street Preachers, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Kylie Minogue, Goat Girl, Ultimate Painting, Hop Along
This week's selection sees EELS at their best, Unknown Mortal Orchestra rocking out, Kylie going country pop, Goat Girl on London life, the Manics coming back strong, and gentle guitar folk from Ultimate Painting and Hop Along
Read moreNew albums: Jack White, Sunflower Bean, Cavern Of Anti-Matter, Preoccupations, George Ezra, Led Zeppelin (live)
The White Stripes man returns with his third solo effort, plus big-voiced pop folk star George Ezra, New York rockers Sunflower Bean, synth experimenters Cavern Of Anti-Matter, postpunkers Preoccupations and a reissue of a classic Led Zep live album
Read more