Sam Smith: In the Lonely Hour
For once the hype is entirely justified, and if Sam Smith's debut album is any indication, the success he has experienced in the UK will easily be replicated stateside.
Ryan Lathan
Arts Marketer at Fort Worth Opera, Incubating Novelist, Ex-New Yorker, and Recovering Operatic Baritone living in Cowtown.
Lana Del Rey: Ultraviolence
Occasionally uninspired lyrical content aside, Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence is a beautiful argument for her relevance and her potential longevity.
Röyksopp and Robyn: Do It Again
On Röyksopp and Robyn's latest collaboration, the idea and the execution somehow didn’t quite find common ground.
Sisyphus: Sisyphus
Baroque pop artist Sufjan Stevens, Chicago rapper Serengeti and New York City electronic musician Son Lux formed this unlikely supergroup at the beginning of the decade.
Owen Pallett: In Conflict
With Brian Eno and the FILMHarmonic Orchestra Prague in tow, In Conflict proves to be Owen Pallett's most confident artistic expression thus far.
An Intimate Presentation of ‘Supernova’ with Ray LaMontagne: 2 May 2014 – New York
Grammy-winning, bearded folk singer Ray LaMontagne seemed to be quietly relishing his newfound, extroverted musical persona on stage at New York's Town Hall, even when words seemed to fail him.
Thomas Azier: Hylas
Retro-gazing electronic pop of the broad-stroked, emotive variety, the debut LP of Berlin-based, Dutch musician Thomas Azier is one of the most confident debuts by a male electronic artist in ages.
Caetano Veloso: Abraçaço
The final recording of a collaborative trilogy, Abraçaço sees the seemingly ageless septuagenarian inventively fusing the Tropicália style with an indie pop sensibility.
Mr Little Jeans: Pocketknife
Easily one of the best albums of the year thus far, few debut records brush up against perfection as effortlessly as Mr Little Jeans’ Pocketknife.
Kylie Minogue: Kiss Me Once
Kylie Minogue's 12th studio album Kiss Me Once is a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and who’s to argue with that at this point in the game?
Elbow: The Take Off and Landing of Everything
The Mancunian quintet seem to be reassessing their songwriting approach, experimenting a bit, and tweaking their signature sound. If this sixth album is any indication, Elbow’s chef-d'œuvre is still ahead on the horizon.
Joan As Policewoman: The Classic
The fifth solo album from Brooklyn’s Joan Wasser, aka Joan As Policewoman, sees the critically-acclaimed, indie singer-songwriter renouncing the overly-cerebral despondency she’s built her career upon.