Never originally intended for a conventional album release, Gorillaz’ first Song Machine collection ‘Strange Timez’ is dazzlingly diverse yet emotionally coherent, a perfect soundtrack to a world going wrong outside.
Everything Everything’s attempts at creating bigger and bolder pop anthems on ‘Re-Animator’ fall flat as they delve too deeply into their influences and often discard what made them such an engaging band to begin with.
Declan McKenna matures and expands his sound on the glam-inspired ‘Zeros’, which brims with moments of vibrancy that outweigh the occasional over-exuberance.
Lianne La Havas mines relationship trauma to deliver her most sonically and thematically cohesive album to date.
