Goose – Everything Must Go (No Coincidence)
While Goose‘s previous releases (aside from the Ted Tapes) are curtailed in one way or another, Everything Must Go features 14 tracks at an hour and a half, which feels significant. All of it is fully formed, and nothing feels excessive. The jams are tight but intricate, something that will avoid the ridicule of diehards yet not alienate newcomers. The LP will appeal to a variety of tastes yet reinforces the band’s lofty ambitions. By celebrating the past, Goose can move forward to unlock new possibilities. That is not to mention how Everything Must Go works surprisingly well as a cohesive whole. Considering the limitations of the form, it’s the best possible outcome anyone could have hoped for. – Patrick Gill
Heartworms – Glutton For Punishment (Speedy Wunderground)
Heartworms‘ Glutton For Punishment is a series of tight switches and feints. The beat on “Jacked” whips the air in dry circles before one of the best lead guitar riffs of the past few years, and then we’re onward to pure steel tones underpinning a breathy, doubled vocal that grows into all manner of sharp spitting or drawn-out syllables as the words demand.
While each song moves through distinct sections, it never feels like a streaming service playing previews; everything fits and grows intelligently out of the previous moment, with endless movement, continuous drama, and provocation – in a world of songs built like basic boxes of 2×4 timber, this is next-generation nanotech engineering. – Nick Soulsby
Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Bees in the Bonnett (Rune Grammofon)
One guitarist who deserves the kind of publicity push being deployed on behalf of Grace Bowers is that fiery fret melter from the icy north, Norwegian Hedvig Mollestad. Bees in the Bonnet, the eighth album by her long-running trio with bassist Ellen Brekken and drummer Ivar Loe Bjornstad, is once again proof of her massive and singular talent, with a sound that one critic colorfully labeled “Jazz Sabbath”. It’s a blend of progressive rock, metal, free jazz, psychedelia, and dark ambient, all rolled into one exquisitely heavy yet organized whole. According to Mollestad, the six tunes on the trio’s latest represent a return to the mercilessly metallic style of their 2011 debut album, Shoot! – Sal Cataldi
Lilly Hiatt – Forever (New West)
Lilly Hiatt is in love; she loves life and wants you to know it. Listening to Forever, her first album in four years, one can’t help but get swept along in her romantic bliss and the music’s hypnotic pulse. Psychedelic textures wrap around distorted guitars as they swirl through fuzz-soaked vocals, underscoring an overall purple haze of sound. Garage rock, power pop, grungy alternative – Forever exhibits a perfect marriage of 1960s and 1990s musical aesthetics while keeping a keen ear on the now.
Lyrically, Lilly Hiatt celebrates the joy of love, even if at times she’s frightened by her vulnerability. Throughout all the good, the bad, and the ugly the world may conjure, a little faith and the love of family can keep us striving for something better. Even if it might feel like it takes forever, it’s worth it. – Michael Elliott
Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On (Matador)
Horsegirl‘s Phonetics On and On is a natural progression for a second full-length release. It sidesteps the stereotypical “sophomore slump”, often hindered by a contrived attempt to replicate success. The songs are well-crafted, demonstrating a deep understanding of classic indie rock, and the subtle experimentation keeps things fresh and engaging—i.e. violin, Gamelan bells and organ.
The group have already proven their authenticity; with Phonetics On and On, they move beyond their influences, carving out a distinct identity shaped through time and life experience. The album shows that the students are blossoming, and with confidence, they are beginning to define themselves as more than an imitation act. – Brandon Miller
I’m With Her – Wild and Clear and Blue (Rounder)
I’m With Her are a folk/Americana supergroup and have won several Grammy Awards individually and collectively and been nominated for dozens more. Their sophomore LP, Wild and Clear and Blue, will win them even more honors. This is the kind of album that initially knocks one out because of the obvious talents of its performers, but then sneaks up on the listener upon reflection through an appreciation of its deeper concerns.
As the title cut says, paradise is anywhere when one is a kid. John Prine may have been singing about coal mines and Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, but as the mother in the I’m With Her song implies, it is that special place we all had when we were young that has been superseded by development and time. – Steve Horowitz
Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow (Southeastern)
Foxes in the Snow is the first time Jason Isbell has made an album alone. It has no backing band or instruments, just Isbell and an acoustic guitar. Given Isbell’s track record as a songwriter, it’s no surprise that a completely stripped-down record is one of his best. The end of his marriage hangs over these songs, but Isbell is too experienced as a songwriter to spend the entire record wallowing in sadness and anger. Despite the simple setup, he’s also not interested in making every track explicitly personal, evoking a wide array of moods and styles.
With Isbell, though, it’s always been the songwriting, his rich Southern-accented singing voice, and his guitar skills, in that order, that set him apart. Those attributes are on full display here, and while this record may not be a joy to listen to, it’s emotionally engaging and worthwhile. – Chris Conaton
JakoJako – Tết 41 (Mute)
The journey JakoJako (Berlin-based artist Sibel Koçer) takes us on, between the first field recordings and the voices and traffic sounds that make up the closing track, “Cảm ơn” (“thank you”), feels primarily internal. That’s not to say that it’s a slow ride; Tết 41 has many moments of exuberance. However, her minimal approach to the instrumentation on each track fully immerses us in her process as she explores deeply rooted personal connections to the festivities around her. It’s a substantial perspective, and listening feels like an act of both intimacy and expansion. At its essence, everything between intro and outro is Koçer as soloist, expertly layering synthesizer parts to evoke aspects of Vietnam during Tết. – Adriane Pontecorvo
Whatever the Weather – Whatever the Weather II (Ghostly International)
For the video to accompany the track “9°C”, from Loraine James‘ second release under the Whatever the Weather moniker, the artist focuses on Japan, featuring grainy shots of Tokyo’s infamous Shibuya crossing, apartment buildings, scenes of a plane taking off from a sun glare-filled window seat with a shot showing the enormity of Tokyo from the air, and the Kyoto-bound bullet train as Mt Fuji appears in the distance beyond the endless suburban detritus of the city.
Listening to James’ minimal synth wanderings, interspersed with field recordings of children, makes for a natural soundtrack. However, rather than a seeming juxtaposition of sound and visual, the music evokes a certain peacefulness that is reflected in the city. – Bruce Miller
Valerie June – Owls, Omens, and Oracles (Concord)
Valerie June’s Owls, Omens, and Oracles channels Black feminist theory through sound, spirit, and lyrics to create a vital musical experience. June offers a critical and artistic understanding of care and joy as essential forces for resistance. The album reveals a clear connection to writer and thinker bell hooks, specifically her works All About Love: New Visions (1999) and Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self Recovery (1994). A central link between June‘s music and hooks’ theory is their shared belief that love, care, and joy are more than feelings: they are radical acts. While June’s album is deeply introspective, her vision of love is also expansive. – Elisabeth Woronzoff