Haunted Horses’ ‘Dweller’ Is an Intriguing Heavy Album
Haunted Horses get further under your skin, infecting and infesting you with their bleary, spectral plague of madness and maybe a slight spark of hope.
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Flora Hibberd’s ‘Swirl’ Is a Stunning Debut
Flora Hibberd displays grace, timelessness, an accurate ear for classic songcraft, and production touches that wrap Swirl in a glorious bow.
Pillar of Light Search for Answers in the Darkness
Detroit veterans Pillar of Light weave together metal, doom, post-rock, hardcore, and darkness and light on their impressive debut, Caldera.
Sun Ra’s Astonishing 1970s Gig Finds Him in Full Flight
The relentless determination in the face of indifference and poverty makes celebratory gigs like this one from Sun Ra hard-won and vital now.
Will Mason Quartet’s Glorious Celebration of Microtonal Chamber Jazz
Drummer and composer Will Mason used modernist paintings, poetry, and compositions as chief influences on this hypnotic new album.
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The 30 Best Polish Albums of 2024
The best Polish albums featured intriguing new projects, greater stylistic diversity, along with superb post-punk and diffusion jazz.
5 Great Books That Reinvent Music Criticism
This is by no means a comprehensive survey of contemporary music criticism, but these five books all point a way forward for the field.
John Cale’s Orch-Pop Masterwork ‘Paris 1919’ Is Brilliant
With his 1973 album Paris 1919, John Cale created one of his most serene and accessible works, a contrast to the frenetic style of the Velvet Underground.
Field Medic’s Quest For Inner Peace Is Astonishing
Boundless & True captures Field Medic’s Kevin Patrick Sullivan almost entirely by himself, delivering masterfully fingerpicked and beautifully written songs.
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The 80 Best Albums of 2024
The best albums of 2024 challenged orthodoxies, blended and created new genres, and spanned a vast range of musical styles and traditions, while looking forward.
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The 15 Best Brazilian Pop Albums of 2024
In Brazilian pop, it’s hard not to connect the best music released in 2024 with the themes that dominated politics, culture, and social media discussions.
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The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2024
The best experimental albums highlight the breadth of human expression and take listeners to heretofore unknown realms in music, pushing boundaries.