Mura Masa's RYC turns towards nostalgia and ends up stunting the promise of his previous work, although it shows a willingness to experiment that proves the producer is still one to watch.
British indie pop-rockers, Bombay Bicycle Club chronicle the struggle to maintain hope in dark times on Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, their first album since 2014.
Revered experimental Japanese noise/punk/jazz band, OOIOO are back with a typically intense and brilliant new album, Nijimusi.
On Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City, James Alex's (Beach Slang) homage to his heroes sounds exhausted.
Songwriter John Ringhofer digs up a decade's worth of odds and ends for an expansive look into the corners of his career as Half-handed Cloud.
Gwen Stefani's solo debut transcends a cynical reading even in 2020, remaining a crown jewel in the formative pop sounds of the 2000s and beyond -- with a few concessions.
Smithsonian Folkways chronicles 50 years of folk recordings on Sound Portraits from Bulgaria. It is a truly essential addition to any global folk collection.
Kiwi Jr.'s Football Money is a jangly, sugar-coated, charming debut album destined to be cherished by indie pop/rock fans of all stripes.
The last month of the 2010s was defined by an explosion of black metal grimness, modern and retro sprinkled with death metal brutality, caustic hardcore and some historic re-releases.
Montreal's Little Scream offers up reflections on class and poverty disguised as sweet low-key pop songs on her real grower of an album, Speed Queen.
Versatile drummer Terri Lyne Carrington leads a date that sums up the jazz of the decade, from hip-hop influenced political songs to freely improvised instrumental music supplemented by orchestral composition.
Too adventurous for blues, too raw for jazz, Mose Allison danced on the ivories in both worlds, tipping his hat to singer-songwriter pop along the way. A new tribute album reveals the many avenues worth exploring of one of the most singular voices in music.
Greg Hates Car Culture ultimately stands out for more than being Venetian Snares' first vinyl release; it's the sound of a vital artist throwing ideas on a wall and seeing what stuck.
Marcus King has a raw ache in his throat that makes him sound as if he's coarsely whispering the words. Even when he's singing about a "Young Man's Dream", King's vocals suggest the experience of age.
And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's X: The Godless Void and Other Stories, just like many of its predecessors, must be digested in one sitting to grasp its magnificent inventiveness and ideas.
Strut Records compilation Alefa Madagascar! traces cultural flows and musical history in funk and folk, and shows a range of the nation's popular music styles from 1974 to 1984.
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