Tyler, the Creator: Chromakopia review – early midlife crisis triggers a freaked-out psychodrama
by Alexis Petridis on 28 October 2024 at 17:38
(Columbia Records) Full of switchback turns, the rapper’s unsettled and unsettling seventh album zaps from Beach Boys harmonies to G-funk synths – and from boasts to self-loathing Continue reading…
Christy Moore: A Terrible Beauty review – stirring tales of the polemical and the personal
by Neil Spencer on 26 October 2024 at 15:00
(Claddagh)The Irish national treasure ranges from humour to rage, Ukraine and Lyra McKee and on his 25th studio album Continue reading…
The Cure: Songs of a Lost World review – as promised, ‘very, very doom and gloom’
by Kitty Empire on 26 October 2024 at 13:00
(Fiction)The band’s first album in 16 years finds Robert Smith and co on reliably melancholy form – with the exception of one out-and-out pop banger Continue reading…
Pixies: The Night the Zombies Came review – an echo of an echo of past glories
by Phil Mongredien on 25 October 2024 at 11:00
(BMG)The Boston band’s slide towards mediocrity continues, with the high point a song about a headless chicken Continue reading…
Laura Marling: Patterns in Repeat review – a tender love letter to motherhood
by Lisa Wright on 25 October 2024 at 10:30
(Chrysalis/Partisan)Domestic contentment radiates through the singer-songwriter’s eighth album celebrating the circle of life Continue reading…
Underworld: Strawberry Hotel review – sweet bangers and sad laments
by Kitty Empire on 25 October 2024 at 10:00
(Smith Hyde Productions/Virgin)The techno giants’ 11th album finds them ranging from cut-up dancefloor fillers to gentle experimentation Continue reading…
Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: The Old Country review – a delightful return to a cherished jazz venue
by John Fordham on 25 October 2024 at 08:00
(ECM)Full of blistering bebop and entrancing swing, this 1992 recording showcases the pianist’s love of the Deer Head Inn, the clapboard 1840s hotel where he cut his teeth Continue reading…
Fievel Is Glauque: Rong Weicknes review – teetering song-towers that never quite topple
by Ben Beaumont-Thomas on 25 October 2024 at 07:00
(Fat Possum Records)Brilliant melodies, poetic lyrics and quick-change time signatures elevate this quirky jazz-pop release to a level all its own Continue reading…
Handel in Rome review – Nardus Williams sounds heart-stoppingly lovely
by Erica Jeal on 24 October 2024 at 14:00
Dunedin Consort/Butt(Linn)This collection of youthful but complex cantatas written by the composer in Italy is a showcase for the outstanding British soprano Continue reading…
Amyl and the Sniffers: Cartoon Darkness review | Alexis Petridis’s album of the week
by Alexis Petridis on 24 October 2024 at 11:00
(Rough Trade)With their swearing and flashing, Amy Taylor and co’s return might seem like business as usual – but new melodic depths and lyrical concerns reveal themselves Continue reading…
Kylie: Tension II review – more of the same is much, much less
by Shaad D’Souza on 19 October 2024 at 13:00
(BMG)Kylie Minogue’s follow-up to 2023’s euphoric Tension – and smash hit Padam Padam – fluctuates between sparkle and self-doubt, generic pap and two stone-cold bangers Continue reading…
Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Serenades, Humoresques album review – James Ehnes at his sublime best
by Fiona Maddocks on 19 October 2024 at 11:00
James Ehnes (violin), Bergen Philharmonic/Gardner (Chandos)The star violinist gives a scintillating account of the composer’s only concerto, alongside other works for violin and orchestra Continue reading…
The Cure: Songs of a Lost World review – dark, personal and their best since Disintegration
by Alexis Petridis on 18 October 2024 at 13:01
(Fiction)The band are at an artistic peak on their first album in 16 years: movingly melancholic, with a punchy sound to match the lyrics’ emotional impact Continue reading…
Immanuel Wilkins: Blues Blood review – alto sax player’s hugely ambitious meditation on his roots
by Neil Spencer on 18 October 2024 at 11:00
(Blue Note)The young American taps into generational memory with assorted guest vocalists and a rich, rewarding palette of styles and moods Continue reading…
Porridge Radio: Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me review – exquisite euphoria through repetition
by Damien Morris on 18 October 2024 at 10:30
(Secretly Canadian)Emotions run high on the Brighton band’s fourth album as frontwoman Dana Margolin exorcises past relationships Continue reading…
The Blessed Madonna: Godspeed review – a sprawling dancefloor odyssey
by Ammar Kalia on 18 October 2024 at 10:00
(FFRR)Featuring Kylie Minogue, Jacob Lusk and more, the American producer and DJ’s solo debut offers something for everyone Continue reading…
Róis: Mo Léan review | Jude Rogers’ folk album of the month
by Jude Rogers on 18 October 2024 at 08:00
(Self-released)Singer Rose Connolly expands the pre-Christian Irish grieving tradition with synthesisers, distortion and drone in an arresting set Continue reading…
Japandroids: Fate & Alcohol review – Canadian duo’s bittersweet breakup record
by Katie Hawthorne on 18 October 2024 at 07:00
(Anti)Brian King and David Prowse’s guitar-drums combo enjoys one last hurrah with tracks ranging from bluesy epics to rock romcom Continue reading…
Grace Williams: Orchestral Works album review – vivid playing and striking drama
by Andrew Clements on 17 October 2024 at 16:44
BBC Philharmonic/Andrews(Resonus) Vienna and Vaughan Williams are among the Welsh composer’s influences, but these orchestral pieces also show off her own distinctive style Continue reading…
Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande; Verklärte Nacht album review – brightness without transfiguration
by Andrew Clements on 17 October 2024 at 14:00
Montreal SO/Payare(Pentatone)Careful textures, brisk pace and the Montreal Symphony’s transparent sound are among the highlights of not fully convincing set to mark the composer’s 150th anniversary Continue reading…
Kelly Lee Owens: Dreamstate review | Alexis Petridis’s album of the week
by Alexis Petridis on 17 October 2024 at 11:00
(dh2)The Welsh producer’s latest handbrake turn takes her from dark-hued ambience to hypnotic euphoria on her poppiest record to date Continue reading…
Seun Kuti and Egypt 80: Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head) review – Fela’s legacy lives on
by Neil Spencer on 12 October 2024 at 15:00
(Record Kicks)Executive producer Lenny Kravitz brings gloss to Kuti’s first album in six years, which keeps his father’s Afrobeat flame burning, with a funk twist Continue reading…
The Linda Lindas: No Obligation review – viral LA teen punks are here to stay
by Ammar Kalia on 11 October 2024 at 11:00
(Epitaph)The foursome channel their blistering, rage-fuelled energy into a mature second album with hints of Foo Fighters and Olivia Rodrigo Continue reading…
Coldplay: Moon Music review – a cloyingly upbeat ride to the heavens
by Damien Morris on 11 October 2024 at 10:30
(Parlophone)Chris Martin parks his sense of humour as he communes with the stars and sky on the band’s melody-light, feebly produced latest record Continue reading…
MC5: Heavy Lifting review – an enjoyable coda for Detroit’s punk pioneers
by Phil Mongredien on 11 October 2024 at 10:00
(earMUSIC)The first album since the early 70s from the politically radical US band recalls past glories – in places Continue reading…
Ashley Henry: Who We Are review – upbeat innovation from a pianist with talent to burn
by Neil Spencer on 5 October 2024 at 15:00
(Naive)The London-born musician laces his jazz with a heady blend of soul and hip-hop on this fierce but joyous second album Continue reading…
The Smile: Cutouts review – as intricately crafted as Radiohead but with added groove
by Phil Mongredien on 4 October 2024 at 11:00
(XL)The trio’s second album this year is full of foreboding but the drumming of Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner continues to provide a different dynamic Continue reading…
Godspeeed You! Black Emperor: No Title As of 13 February 2024, 28,340 Dead review – powerfully brilliant
by Phil Mongredien on 4 October 2024 at 10:30
(Constellation)With their best work for two decades, the Canadian post-rockers have made an urgent soundtrack for an uncertain and dangerous world Continue reading…
Anna Butterss: Mighty Vertebrate review – jazz meets post-rock on shape-shifting delight
by Kitty Empire on 4 October 2024 at 10:00
(International Anthem)With guests including Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, the LA bassist’s second solo album is cerebral, groovy and beyond categorisation Continue reading…
Various Artists: Redline Impact review – thrilling dive into east Asian hyper-electronics
by Ammar Kalia on 4 October 2024 at 08:30
(Eastern Margins)This exhilarating compilation pushes from K-pop to trance, hardstyle techno, budots and beyond – and is at its best when artists rachet up the intensity Continue reading…
The Hard Quartet review – cosmically trippy joy from Stephen Malkmus supergroup
by Dave Simpson on 4 October 2024 at 07:30
(Matador)Also featuring Matt Sweeney, Jim White and Emmett Kelly, the quality and variety of songwriting on this self-titled debut album raises it above a stoner jam session Continue reading…
Chopin: Voyage album review – clarity and sincerity but Avdeeva keeps us at arm’s length
by Andrew Clements on 3 October 2024 at 14:29
Yulianna Avdeeva(Pentatone)Vladimir Horowitz’s personal piano helps the Russian bring authority to this collection of Chopin’s late works Continue reading…
Stravinsky: Chamber Works album review – Juilliard and Royal Academy of Music offers much of interest
by Andrew Clements on 3 October 2024 at 14:00
Heath/Royal Academy of Music/Juilliard School Ensemble/Hannigan/ Corderoy(Linn)Students from the UK and the US, conducted by Barbara Hannigan, mix familiar Stravinsky works with the rarely heard Continue reading…
Caribou: Honey review – this AI-aided album is dubious on so many levels
by Ben Beaumont-Thomas on 3 October 2024 at 11:00
(City Slang/Merge)Evidently running out of ideas, the Canadian musician has used AI to alter his voice into rappers and singers – a dismally insular style of working that produces little of note Continue reading…
Coldplay: Moon Music review – ‘live, laugh, love’ in album form
by Ben Beaumont-Thomas on 2 October 2024 at 04:00
(Parlophone)Their 10th album has epic songs that make you feel like you’ve climbed Everest – but they’re undermined by corny lyrics and ambient-orchestral waffle Continue reading…