Immaculately produced and performed, Erika de Casier’s “Lifetime”, in many ways, is a sort of modern continuation of a lot of the stuff Sade was doing on her masterpiece of a record “Love Deluxe”: The same combination of smooth, silky R&B with trip hop and ambient influences. While Erika’s voice does not possess the same breadth and depth as Sade’s, her vocal delivery is still beautiful, the breathiness and effortlessness of it only enhances the ... read more

The best queer representation I’ve heard this year from music, Model/Actriz’s unapologetic gayness, both in their lyrics and their outwards aesthetic, while operating in a genre where gayness is basically non-existent, is seriously commendable. The topics that lead vocalist and chief songwriter Cole Haden covers in the lyrics on “Pirouette” are specific, rarely discussed, yet super relatable, almost canon events of the gay experience. Such as encountering closeted gay ... read more

“The BPM” is quite the ambitious undertaking for Sudan Archives. It is very versatile, encompassing many subgenres of dance music while further combining them with hip hop and r&b; It is also very maximalist. The production is often dense, multi-layered, and almost always incorporates her signature violin playing. Despite that the songs never sounds overly busy, which is a significant accomplishment considering how much the instrumentation has to juggle with. This album ... read more

Natalia Lafourcade just continues to do her thing and casually proving to everyone that she's one of the most talented vocalists and singer-songwriters alive. The way she uses her voice on "Cancionera", the delicious combination of folk and jazz on this record, and the absolutely breathtaking instrumentation and arrangements on here, literally no notes. I do have to say though this album is quite long and there a couple of successive tracks in the middle that were quite slow and ... read more

What an unbelievable voice. Cavernous. Resonant. Alluring. I first took notice of Annahstasia when Lorde reacted to her song "Sunday" in a video clip I came across online. Since then her album has been on my list to check out, and I am so pleasantly surprised by how in addition to her vocals, the songs on "Tether" are equally as compelling on a melodic standpoint. Some of the most gorgeous, lush and intimate folk songs you will hear all year. My favorite has to be her ... read more

Had not heard of Oklou before this year, checked out the credits of this album and discovered she worked with Danny L Harle and AG Cook on this, two producers whose work in other pop albums I had thoroughly enjoyed, and thus, unsurprisingly, I really responded to the production on this record. The application of ambient soundscapes made the songs all sound incredibly ethereal and entrancing. The devil really is in the details in the instrumentals here, the textures are gorgeous and enveloping. ... read more

For better or for worse, Miley Cyrus has been one of the more interesting figures in popular culture over the past decade or so, but her idiosyncratic and often mercurial public persona has never really translated to particularly engaging music outside of the occasional great hit song, (Party in the USA has been a staple in my karaoke sessions). Her last record, 2023’s “Endless Summer Vacation”, was especially underwhelming, there were a couple of roses among the thorns, but ... read more

Ichiko Aoba intended “Luminescent Creatures” to be an extension of her 2020 masterpiece “Windswept Adan”, drawing from the same ambient influences from that record and incorporating nature recordings. The result is an album that easily matches the beauty of its predecessor, the enchanting string instrumentation in the opening track “COLORATURA” were absolutely stunning, the stripped back “mazamun”, in which Aoba’s voice is only accompanied ... read more

Anna von Hausswolff has some big shoes to fill. “Iconoclasts” is the Swedish singer-songwriter and organist’s first major release to prominently feature her vocals since 2018’s “Dead Magic”. A record of imposing grandeur, it marries neoclassical elements with gothic and experimental rock to create a mystifying, haunting soundscape and a presence that could only be described as larger than life. Matching or even surpassing that album in ambition seems to be a ... read more

What an unbelievably consistent album. The synth production across all the songs are incredible, and Madonna’s melodic writing here is on another level, nearly every song is as catchy as her best singles, it’s almost like the groove is drilling into your brain (in a good way). “Hung Up” is an explosive opener that just immediately grabs your attention with its ABBA sample and rumbling bassline. “Sorry” is another highlight for me, I’m utterly obsessed ... read more

After listening to this album again, I realised my initial judgement of the album may have been a bit too harsh. While I stand with my opinion that Madonna had retracted a bit too far into safer musical territory in response to the criticism of her previous record “Erotica”, I now think that “Bedtime Stories” is still a pretty decent album within its genre. Madonna excelled at making pop-r&b fusion work in the more upbeat songs. “Secret” and ... read more

On October 3rd, professional football player O. J. Simpson was controversially acquitted in a highly-publicized trial in 1995 for the murders of his ex-wife and her friend. Despite the court’s ruling, public opinion had already materialised. Whilst O. J.'s fame never subsided, his public stature was never the same, and he will be remembered as one of Hollywood's biggest falls from grace. Likewise, on October 3rd, Taylor Swift released ‘The Life of a Showgirl”.

While ... read more

Despite mentions of apocalypse and burning of major cities, St. Vincent’s debut “Marry Me” is actually quite the charming and inviting album, with very warm, almost whimsical soundscapes and passionate performances, you can tell a lot of heart went into the labour of making this record. I appreciated the ornate arrangements, specifically of the woodwind instruments on this record that in moments, reminded me of Sufjan Stevens’ “Illinois” (No wonder he invited ... read more

Versatile yet cohesive, delicious baroque and chamber pop influences, with great production and arrangements, this is probably my favourite St. Vincent project yet.

As great of a musician St. Vincent is, writing strong catchy pop hooks has never been her strongest suit, the appeal of Clark’s music (at least up to this point) has always been her expertise in weaving experimentation and unique, almost manic soundscapes into songs with (relatively) conventional structures and melodies. With “Masseduction” being a much more “mainstream”-sounding pop record, I expected Annie Clark and her collaborators to up their game in terms of ... read more

Much of Strange Mercy’s strangeness lies in its balance between the quiet and the loud. The guitars are often placed at the forefront of the mix, heavily distorted, jagged, and abrasive. The other instrumentation in comparison feel understated. This contrast creates an off-kilter, unsettling and raw soundscape. However, St. Vincent keeps her audiences rooted with interesting melodies that are often still quite accessible. The album’s opening track demonstrates this, “Chloe In ... read more

For the amount of times Sabrina Carpenter has mentioned sex in her lyrics, her music sounds almost completely devoid of it. You would think with her brand of innuendos and suggestive one-liners, she may request instrumentals that lean more on the raunchier side of things, but the music on “Man’s Best Friend” is moody at best, vanilla at worst. Antonoff’s production here is overstuffed, and way overpolished. Like the sonic equivalent of a protein shake. Fills up space but ... read more

She’s using the fuck out of the banjo in these new arrangements it’s like if Sufjan Stevens possessed her

Quite possibly one of the most underrated release of the 2010s, Vicki Leekx is a 36-minute, nonstop mix of high-energy, cutting-edge, dancefloor-curated bangers. In such short durations M.I.A. and her producers were able to work together so many sonic experiments that each flow from one to another so seamlessly. Baltimore Club beats made from South Asian drums, Dubstep followed by Arabian guitars, deconstructed hip house?? You never know what to expect from this wild ride of a mixtape. With ... read more

Generally regarded as the last of M.I.A.’s winning album streak, 2013’s “Matangi” is the follow-up to the highly divisive left-turn that she took on “MAYA”, a project characterised by dense, eardrum-busting industrial beats that were alien to her discography and to the mainstream at the time. While unbothered by the mixed reception, “Matangi” sees the Sri Lankan artist returning to more familiar territory akin to her first two, genre-bending and ... read more