Fågelle Finds Melancholy Release in Glorious Gloom
Glorious gloom permeates the musical catalogue of Swedish singer-songwriter Fågelle, and her album Bränn min jord overflows with it.
art pop
Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart Is All Covered Up on New Record
Born from a cover-song subscription model, Xiu Xiu’s latest album unearths the raw humanity in pop confections. Jamie Stewart discusses this and more.
Tōth Finds the Clarity of His ‘Voice’ Through Constraint
Tōth’s And the Voice Said refines his knack for balancing introspection, pop warmth, and unresolved inner tension.
Britpop Pioneers Squeeze Bring Out the Fun on ‘Trixies’
Squeeze were always ambitious, although never at the expense of fun. Trixies is imaginative, impressive, and most importantly, fun.
The Setting Create a Unique Twist on the Jazz Trio
Jazz trio the Setting have brought to fruition Eivind Opsvik’s love of 1970s and 1980s synthesizer music, ECM solo guitar albums, and experimental art pop.
Charli XCX Brilliantly Channels Kate Bush and Emily Brontë
Kate Bush and Charli XCX, in their own ways, challenge the vernacular of contemporary songcraft, a commitment that paid off for both women.
Alice Costelloe Confronts the Past with Elegant Art Pop
Alice Costelloe’s debut album is refined, elegant art pop, in which her crystalline voice floats over a rich palette of electronic instrumentation with grace.
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Talk Talk’s Lost Chapter: ‘The Colour of Spring’ at 40
With its organic instrumentation and ecological visual and lyrical sensibility, Talk Talk’s third album was a holistic concept rooted in the natural world.
Georgia Knight Is Caught in Desire
What makes Georgia Knight stand out lies in the trip-hop-laced numbers, wherein pulsive and gothic loops are set against breathy vocals and diaristic lyrics.
Rosalía’s ‘Lux’ Is a Brilliant Act of Faith
Rosalía’s Lux may seem, at first, hard to read as pop, but it’s as pop as religion, one of its inspirations. The very act of calling it pop is an act of faith in the power of music.
Gorillaz Innovate on “The God of Dying”
This is the sound of Gorillaz at their most innovative yet reassuringly familiar.
Cate Le Bon’s New LP is Filled with Lush and Eccentric Gems
As Cate Le Bon navigates difficult emotional states, it may seem like the road was a challenging one to traverse, but it has resulted in some of her best work.