Youth Lagoon Uncovers the Numinous on ‘Heaven Is a Junkyard’
Youth Lagoon reaches a new level of accomplishment with Heaven Is a Junkyard. The downbeat topics underscore a fallen world but also one that can be redeemed.
experimental pop
Water From Your Eyes Glance at Stardom with ‘Everyone’s Crushed’
Water From Your Eyes traffic between experimental music of the krautrock period of the late 1960s and early 1970s and today’s feminine pop sensibility.
Joe Meek and the Blue Men See the Future on Essential Outtake Compilation
Joe Meek and the Blue Men’s I Hear a New World Sessions delves into Meek’s famed archive and delivers on the promise of an “Alternative Outer Space Fantasy”.
Deerhoof Reach a New Miracle-Level By Daring Themselves
The always-brazen Deerhoof challenged their process for their new album, giving themselves tight deadlines, tough decisions, and singing it all in Japanese.
Deerhoof Endorse Collective Dreaming on ‘Miracle-Level’
Deerhoof’s Miracle-Level explores music’s humanitarian capabilities, expressing a longing for the miraculous and a rejection of the mundane.
100 gecs Mine Cultural Maximalism in ‘10000 Gecs’
100 gecs’ 10000 Gecs succeeds as a cultural correlative, an audial reflection of modern-day life, as much as, perhaps more than, a purely aesthetic offering.
U.S. Girls ‘Bless This Mess’ Embraces Materiality, Creativity, and Dance Grooves
In Bless This Mess, U.S. Girls identify funk and R&B grooves as conduits for the very pulse of life. It’s brilliantly conceived and executed.
Ian Wayne Combines Gorgeous Melodies with Experimental Touches on ‘I Can’t Sleep’
The third solo album, I Can’t Sleep, from Ian Wayne is a low-key masterpiece that embraces classic pop with plenty of odd, disarming musical gestures.
Perera Elsewhere Goes Elsewhere on ‘Home’
Toning down the doom-folk, Perera Elsewhere grounds Home‘s sound closer in line with the vibe of her DJ sets, aiming for more rise than fall in the mix.
Jockstrap Stretch Pop Music and the Notation of Genre
Jockstrap’s experimental pop makes their debut I Love You Jennifer a bewildering yet rewarding listen. Jockstrap play with expectations to keep listeners on their toes.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Details Her Uncanny Sonic Alchemy
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s relationship with sound is in constant flux, and with her new album, her sonics disintegrate and rematerialize in fascinating new forms.
Mo Troper Releases Another Album of Scuzzy Power Pop
Mo Troper collects what sounds like scraps from his previous album and forges a charming spread of 1960s-inspired lo-fi bedroom pop on MTV.