The newest release from indie pop maestros Kero Kero Bonito again finds the band in transition. Civilisation 1 gets back to the kookier, synth-heavy instrumentals they began with while sticking to moodier rhythms and lyrics that defined Time 'n' Place. As a result these songs are very busy, more so than TnP or Bonito Generation. This means everything isn't as coherent as they've been before, and the full product does get muddled by the sheer amount of noise. Sarah Bonito's voice also gets ... read more

Pink Floyd's The Wall isn't perfect, but it's an immense, impressive accomplishment nonetheless. The dedication to crafting these huge instrumentals, the deeply memorable riffs and the wild narrative make it a classic. To me, it's an album that could've only been made when it was, and it would fail miserably in 2019. What The Wall does not allow for is simple critique, as it's a deep, complex, and confusing work that takes time to truly dissect. Of course, the Nostalgia Critic took the simple ... read more

Australia's most lovable loser Alex Cameron has ditched the character he so perfectly nailed on Forced Witness. His new record, Miami Memory, is much more personal, much more indebted to his real life struggles and triumphs. Much of the album chronicles as a love letter to his partner, a far cry from the destitute fool he played on FW. Though the character is gone, Alex Cameron is still Alex Cameron, and that means his songs are still full of wry lyrics, clever wordplay and great throwback ... read more

Metronomy Forever sees the band at their most relaxed. The whole album has a rather lackadaisical nature, drifting through groovy synthpop numbers and moody instrumentals like a lazy river. Bandleader Joe Mount supposedly made this album by himself just because he could. Thankfully Metronomy turns this laid back attitude into a strength, and churns out a number of solid tunes. Songs like "Whitsand Bay" and "Lately" are classic Metronomy, and can easily stack up against ... read more

It's a good thing to be curious. This year, musical curiosity has led me to find some of my favorite albums of the year. I doubt I'd have found Weyes Blood, Rina Mushonga or Julia Jacklin without my innate desire to find new music. But sometimes, having curiosity can get the better of you. You can read all the negative reviews and bad buzz surrounding something, and still listen to it. I'm here to tell you it's gonna be ok. You'll forget how painfully self-produced Neotheater is, and how it ... read more

In the past, hope was a dangerous thing to have about a Lana Del Rey record. Her first few albums squandered her talents with overproduced beats and unnecessarily long runtimes. But as any good artist has done, she's learned to hone her strengths, and Norman Fucking Rockwell! wears that growth on its sleeve. It's everything Lana does well magnified, dripping with angsty melodrama and wonderfully written passages. Her dreamy lull has never been so relaxed yet so confident. Jack Antonoff brings ... read more

Few artists can want to go back to their childhood 90's bliss while simultaneously pushing forward to a hyperrealized future, and Charli is doing it better than anyone. Her new album Charli proves yet again that Charli XCX is one of the premier voices in pop music. She's charted a unique path from mainstream prodigy to futuristic pop auteur, but she's more than come into her own as this album shows. Featuring stellar production from A.G. Cook, Charli sings her heart out over electronic ... read more

Moving further away from the early metal that defined them, this new mini EP from Ghost sees the band embracing elements of late 60's rock music. I mean, look at that cover! It's full on Woodstock. Though their style has changed, the band's knack for catchy riffs and memorable hooks is ever present. "Kiss The Go-Goat" is devilishly silly, with huge wails from the Cardinal Copia about kissing goats and Satan. The song might be about worshipping Satan, but the refrain and kissing sounds ... read more

HOOOH MAMA. Literally stopped what I was doing in awe of the climax of the song. This one could be special.

I've always had problems with BROCKHAMPTON's struggling to balance the styles, ambitions and emotions of like 70 members, but GINGER showcases how good the band can be when they find that balance. The album's mood is dour, given the real world events that have affected the boys, but they turn that into moody rap tunes that stick with you. This tone is set perfectly with "NO HALO", one of the best songs BROCKHAMPTON has ever made. The deeply affecting lyrics about loss and ... read more

Lower Dens have slowly been embracing more of a pop influence over their past few albums, and now it's paid off in full on The Competition. The beats are a lot of fun on the surface, adding glitzier synths and more upbeat rhythms on the whole. This change to a more exciting sound could've resulted in vapid songs with no replayability, but Jana Hunter's writing and singing still have that knack for meditation that made earlier Lower Dens songs memorable. Jana seems more free here than they've ... read more

Love the interplay between Clairo and Charli, plus the Yaeji outro is nice. This album's gonna be so damn good. F I V E M O R E D A Y S

!!! is at their best when they're being noisy as hell. Layers of jangly but catchy instruments suit their style well, one that's now a throwback to the glory days of DFA Records. The band seems to recognize this, as many lyrics on Wallop relate to how things have changed since their heyday. The best song, "Serbia Drums", is basically about how !!! is the only band left doing what they do. On the whole, Wallop struggles to balance the crazy dance punk bangers with tunes that sound ... read more

As someone who had never heard a single Tool song before last month, even I knew of the legendary nature of the band. Their supposedly immaculate discography is just as iconic as the time they take to craft them. Fear Inoculum is Tool's first effort since the Bush years, and it's a massive effort at that. The six major songs are constantly shifting and evolving, changing time signatures but never losing a certain ferocity. At its best, Fear Inoculum features some of the best pure instrumental ... read more

Charli continues to give me no reason to think her new album won't be amazing.

Taylor needs to fire her managers. The first two singles are a terrible representation of Lover as a whole, which is one of the most unexpectedly pleasant listens I've had in 2019. The album is certainly weighed down by some very, very cringe worthy moments, but the highlights are some of Swift's best. Her songwriting is focused, the beats are a little all over the place but still well done, and the genuine emotion she evokes on certain songs is downright impressive. It's an album of extremes ... read more

There's a few really titanic songs on Inflorescent, enough to make me want to check the album out in the first place. The first half of the album is full of absolute must hear jams, excellent examples of how much fun modern indie/dance pop can be. The deep dancefloor elements on "Can't Wait Forever" and "Love Like Waves", the Todd Terje-esque vocal bops on "Silhouettes" and "Kiss and Rewind", and more all glitter with a catchy sheen. This genre's heydey ... read more

One of Korea's best musical exports is back with yet another jam-filled EP. The second in the "ReVe Festival" series, this one is more exciting, cohesive and summery than its predecessor. If only summer wasn't almost over, because these would be perfect for it!

While "ReVe Festival Day 1" had some fun songs ("Sunny Side Up" is one of their best and I'm a "Zimzalabim" defender), they didn't sound particularly unified. The songs on "ReVe Festival Day ... read more

Trap generally isn't for me, and I'm not sure if it ever will be. But you can do a lot worse when it comes to the genre than one Mr. Jeffrey Williams. Though So Much Fun suffers from being bloated and a few too many standard/generic moments, the highlights very much live up to the title. "The London" might be the perfect summation of Young Thug, with him bringing two of the biggest artists today (J. Cole and Travis Scott) on a song that properly balances everyone. Thugger's unusual ... read more

Run the Jewels is one of the most auspicious debuts of any rap group ever. It's a quick flowing album, clocking in at barely over 30 minutes, but that runtime pulls no punches. The lyrics are rapid fire and clever throughout, and the chemistry between Killer Mike and El-P is incredibly potent. They trade off verses very very well, and the only minor complaint i have is there could've been more songs that had the two in tandem like the great opener "Run the Jewels". El-P's production ... read more