Reviews
- Valerie June
The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers
On her new album, the Memphis singer-songwriter and guitarist pens her most heavy-hearted songs, treating love and loss like old scars, fondly remembered.
- Zara Larsson
Poster Girl
Years into her solo career, Larsson is still just a disembodied voice floating over the beat. On her third album, she tries out some different sounds, but the result comes off like a Who's-Who of 2011 radio.
- Li Daiguo
Xiao Gong
The Chinese-American multi-instrumentalist's works are sensuous and lively but evoke a vast loneliness.
- Wau Wau Collectif
Yaral Sa Doom
Senegal’s Arouna Kane and Sweden’s Karl Jonas Winqvist, plus a host of musicians on two continents, spin improv sessions and long-distance overdubs into airy, dreamlike music as generous as it is joyous.
The Latest
Features & Videos
Cassandra Jenkins’ Hypnotic Folk Music Turns Everyday Moments Into Monuments
In this Rising interview, the New York singer-songwriter talks about making art out of interactions with strangers and how her experiences with the late indie legend David Berman inspired her brilliant new album.
The Endless Life Cycle of Japanese City Pop
Boosted by the YouTube recommendations algorithm, and now TikTok memes, an American-influenced strain of vintage Japanese music has become a perennial cult hit online. The trend says more about Western perceptions of the East than the other way around.
Kurt Vile Explains How He Builds His Songs
In this episode of Critical Breakthroughs, Kurt Vile takes us into his head, detailing his creative process, the challenges, and even the migraines that inspire some of his lyrics in songs like “Freeway,” “Dust Bunnies,” and more.
Lists & Guides
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More Recent Reviews
- Nick Jonas
Spaceman
To cut through and leave a lasting impression of Nick Jonas, the artist, would require a vision much bolder than what this album has to offer.
- ZULI
All Caps EP
The Egyptian producer’s music is forceful, corrosive, unstable-sounding. His latest EP, a collection of six unrelenting club cuts, is his heaviest record yet.
- Infinite Aziz
Lost Navigator
Filled with sampled ephemera and vintage television clips, the rapper’s latest EP looks to science fiction for a pessimistic, paranoid vision of the present.
- Various Artists
J Jazz Volume 3: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan
On the third release from its ongoing reissue series, the BBE label continues to excavate the hidden wonders of Japan’s post-WWII jazz scene.