B-sides album ‘Phases’ is an interesting and thoroughly worthwhile accompaniment to Angel Olsen’s three studio albums thus far.
Dropped from Capitol after the commercial failure of 2016’s ‘Two Vines’, Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore strike out into a new era with… more of the same.
‘Reputation’ sees Taylor Swift examine her relationship with the media and the nature of fame, but one can’t help feeling that she could have taken more musical risks.
Jamison Isaak delivers the second of two Teen Daze albums of 2017, both focussed on ecological and environmental issues, but ‘Themes For A New Earth’ is notably more optimistic.
Mini-album ‘Kid Kruschev’ represents a further interesting development on the established Sleigh Bells sound.
Lost Horizons’ ‘Ojalá’ is an album that makes you feel melancholic and nostalgic, but for all the wrong reasons.
A heart-wrenching lyrical tour de force from Sam Smith is fatally compromised by bland over-production on his second album, ‘The Thrill Of It All’.
‘Revelations” tumultuous beginnings represent a triumph of sorts for Shamir, with its renewed lo-fi noise challenging the listeners to enter the uncomfortable world that Shamir inhabits. However, that doesn’t excuse poor songwriting and delivery to which it is painful to listen.
Leeds post-punkers AUTOBAHN continue the great work with an impressive sophomore album, ‘The Moral Crossing’.
Italian film soundtrack composer Daniele Luppi and New York slacker-rock gods Parquet Courts make for an odd meeting on paper, but ‘MILANO’ is consistently compelling and enjoyable.
