Music of the Spheres represents a mostly successful reconfiguration for Coldplay, but one that suggests the band’s character might be too pure to register in the…
Blue Bannisters is first Lana album in a while that isn’t exactly doing its own thing but it still presents occasional pleasures, even if it pales…
Still Sucks doesn’t suck, but a weak back-half suggests Limp Bizkit still isn’t sure where exactly to take their sound/brand. Limp Bizkit had been trapped…
Trying Not to Think About It is a mature, introspective pop album, and definitive proof that JoJo is here to stay. JoJo’s 2020 album Good to…
The latest live recording of A Love Supreme is a revelation, with Coltrane blowing the standards to smithereens. For decades, the only known live recording of…
In the Meantime is a bit overstuffed with filler, but Alessia Cara’s latest makes for a pleasant background companion in our present reality. Alessia Cara made…
The Yearbook immediately situates Baby Queen at the fore of contemporary pop. Baby Queen (real name Arabella Latham) debuted in the pop music scene in 2020…
Solar Power isn’t an outright failure, but it holds little of the ecstatic energy that defined Lorde’s first two records. Lorde’s star rocketed in the first…
Los Lobos’ Native Sons is a top-tier covers collection and a heartfelt love letter to Los Angeles. Long before their days of weighty concepts and…
NEED finds 3OH!3 returning to their late-aughts party rap roots, and reminding how much current hyperpop stars are indebted to their earworm sound. It seems impossible…
Happier Than Ever proves there’s plenty Eilish and her brother still have yet to reveal. “Do you know me?” Billie Eilish asks listeners at about the…
Gold-Diggers Sound is a record of newfound honesty, a major step forward for the heretofore bed-hedging Bridges. After exploding on the scene six years ago, Leon…
Sob Rock finds John Mayer effecting something between self-effacement and contrition, but it’s all couched in just more of the same soft-boy bravado. John Mayer may…
Laura Mvula’s latest proves that nostalgic throwback records can still feel fresh, even if its artificial construction keeps things mostly, if pleasurably, surface-level. Listening to…
F*ck Love 3 proves The Kid LAROI is still just as basic as he seems, seeking celebrity and fleeting pop trifles at the expense of artistic…
Exit Wounds proves more rollicking that Dylan’s more introspective solo work, not a full success but still a testament to the easy pleasures of his roots-rock…
Griff’s debut is a bit hit-or-miss, but still marks her as an artist to keep an eye on. One Foot in Front of the Other…
The Golden Casket feels like a more thoughtful work for Modest Mouse, but continues their trend toward diminishing results. Modest Mouse has touched heights few of…
Rebecca Black’s latest EP once again proves that she is a legitimate pop power still being slept on. Rebecca Black transcended “Friday” years ago. Since…
SOUR is impressive enough as a mostly self-directed record from a teenager, but declarations that it’s any kind of “Next Big Thing” are patently silly. The…