Nightmare Vacation is a focused (re-)introduction for the Rico familiar and newcomers alike. Rico Nasty has made quite a name for herself, utilizing an abrasive fusion of electronic-inflected hip-hop beats and a metal-adjacent vocal. Her first official album, Nightmare Vacation, takes the natural next…
Róisín Machine is both a reflective and future-facing album of pure electro-pop, dance-party dynamism. “I feel my story’s still untold, but I’ll make my own happy ending,” Róisín Murphy begins, sexily, huskily speaking against strings on “Simulation.” It’s a striking, honest statement from an…
The BrOs’ attempt to move the needle back in the direction of commerciality isn’t their sharpest effort but does reposition them at the fore of radio country. For a brief moment, Brothers Osborne landed in that rare sweet spot between commercial impact and critical…
Without any rhyme or reason for its sequencing, the latest from Jack White’s vault is a low effort shrug. After nearly a decade of being one of the more obnoxious personalities in the music industry, it can be easy to forget that Jack White…
Margo’s latest strikes the perfect balance of intimacy and spectacle. Perfectly Imperfect at the Ryman captures Margo Price at an inflection point. The album was recorded in 2018, during a three-night residency at country music’s mother church, with Price still riding high on the…
McCartney III finds the artist in a familiar playful mood, experimenting across various forms, genres, and lyrical modes. Considering the lukewarm (even arguably harsh) response with which Paul McCartney’s two previous one-man home-recorded solo albums, McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980), were initially received, and…
by InRO Staff Music
Album Roundup: Oct. – Dec. 2020 | Part 5: Paul McCartney, Margo Price, Rico Nasty
Paul McCartney Considering the lukewarm (even arguably harsh) response with which Paul McCartney’s two previous one-man home-recorded solo albums, McCartney (1970) and McCartney II (1980), were initially received, and how they nonetheless gradually found a welcoming and enthusiastic listenership with fans of a certain…
Sin Miedo is an album that pays reverence to Latin music’s recent past while also thrillingly anticipating its future. Kali Uchis’s debut Isolation was described as a group effort, with major contributions from Tyler, the Creator, Gorillaz, and others. Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros…
The Way It Feels bears some undeniable deadweight, but also positions Maddie & Tae well to regain their status as queens of country. With “Die from a Broken Heart,” the second single from The Way It Feels, Maddie & Tae set a dubious record at…
2020 proves that Magik Markers are still able to excite nearly two decades into their career. As young upstarts on the American noise scene of the early aughts, Magik Markers first made a name for themselves thanks to their raucous live shows and the dozens…