An extraordinarily powerful evocation of isolation and heartbreak built with the barest of ingredients, Adrianne Lenker’s two new albums are spellbinding.
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.
Featuring key members of the E Street Band live in the studio with minimal post-production, ‘Letter To You’ is as energetic as Bruce Springsteen has ever sounded.
On ‘Getting Into Knives’, the 19th Mountain Goats album, John Darnielle keeps his songwriting arsenal sharpened.
Making the leap from lo-fi bedroom pop to studio-bound, fully formed songcraft, Beabadoobee’s debut album ‘Fake It Flowers’ shows immense talent that’s still got space to develop.
Arguably James Blake’s most out-and-out dancefloor orientated work yet, ‘Before’ is a reminder of what we’re missing under lockdown.
Unlike his work with The National, it’s very much up to the listener with what they want to find in Matt Berninger’s debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison’.
A daring and expertly crafted statement that’s a product of its political climate, ‘The Ascension’ is another masterpiece from Sufjan Stevens.
‘Shore’ is Robin Pecknold’s most sun-drenched and stripped back Fleet Foxes album yet – something that both works in its favour and against it.
IDLES’ third album ‘Ultra Mono’ lacks the off-kilter energy of their debut and the joie-de-vivre of their second, but hits just about hard enough.
