SLIFT’s ‘Fantasia’ Is a Triumph of a Concept Album
SLIFT tell us that the planet is on fire and the men with claws are dancing, but don’t sacrifice a decibel of their noise. It’s a small triumph of artistic discipline.
space rock
A Place to Bury Strangers Discuss Their Resurrected Songs
A Place to Bury Strangers resurrect lost obscurities for a record that paints a map of their past and future simultaneously. Oliver Ackerman describes the process.
Syd dePalma Leads Us to an Uncanny ‘Paris’
Syd dePalma’s Paris is dreamlike. Echoes abound, sculpting recognizable rock, folk, and pop stylings into imaginative new shapes.
Doves’ ‘Constellations For the Lonely’ Is a Bit Surprising
With Jimi Goodwin sitting out on some tracks, Doves create a familiar mood, even if they do not achieve the same level of greatness.
15 Years of Mogwai’s ‘The Hawk Is Howling’
The Hawk Is Howling is full of signature moments when Mogwai explore complex combinations of moods from bright to dark, soft to heavy, and sensual to horrific.
Grandaddy Overlay the Past on ‘Sumday: Excess Baggage’
Grandaddy’s Sumday: Excess Baggage is worthwhile for its temporality, arriving two decades removed from Sumday and being all the more affecting as a result.
Psych Power Trio Dommengang’s ‘Wished Eye’ Dominates Fate
The ooze Dommengang draw from in Wished Eye is a loose, unspun wool that’s part metallic, fuzz addiction, visionary production, power trio power, and all rock.
Air’s JB Dunckel and the Melancholy Vibrations of Carbon
JB Dunckel, half of the electronic duo Air, battles self-doubt and scientific equations to craft a new electro record that is as evocative as it is immediate.
Far-Out Reptilian Government Are Groovy, Very Weird and Unlike Anything You’ve Heard This Year
The Reptilian Government possess a rhythmic 1970s funk sensibility more suited to Kool and the Gang than EDM – if Kool featured intricate solos and curated prog-rock aspirations.
beabadoobee’s Ascent from Indie Starlet to Pop Queen on ‘Beatopia’ Is Hot and Cold
On Beatopia, beabadoobee seems to be running from the adolescence that gave us 2017’s “Coffee” while simultaneously drawing inspiration from it.
Cave In’s ‘Heavy Pendulum’ is Fellowship Manifested
Heavy Pendulum feels like a naturally collaborative album between Cave In and Converge. It’s a deeply compelling batch of heavy rock songs.
Spiritualized Harness Their Sonic Power on ‘Everything Was Beautiful’
Spiritualized harness their power on Everything Was Beautiful. Filling the album to the brim with instruments, they find new space in old sounds.