Any decent music? We review the reviews. You get the final word

Hello

24 September 2017

Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.

Just in

New albums just added

Unlisted recent releases

Follow us on

Source list

View top rated by publication

Specialist Genres

Browse specific styles

New

Chelsea WolfeHiss Spun

The Skinny hope the 5th LP from the Sacramento experimental, noise-folk singer-songwriter "is the album that transcends Chelsea Wolfe into superstardom". Exclaim say it's "punishing" but "rewarding"

New

The ClienteleMusic for the Age of Miracles

"There is beauty here, and sadness, and peril, and deep, deep soul" - The Quietus' take on the first album in seven years from the indie pop group led by Alasdair MacLean. Q say it's "a work of lovely, floaty wonder"

New

The KillersWonderful Wonderful

"It's personal, authentic, and reveals a maturity they haven't shown before" - The Music's take on the 5th LP from the Las Vegas pop-rock quartet. NME say it's their "best album since 2006’s ‘Sam’s Town’"

Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

Re-TrosBefore The Applause

The Quietus say the first release in eight years from the Chinese post-punk trio is "is a remarkable album" while The Line Of Best Fit reckon it's "hands down the craziest album you will hear this year"

Foo FightersConcrete and Gold

The Foos' ninth is their "most beguiling to date", according to Mojo, and NME think it's "a little bit Queen, a little bit Prince, and a lot great", although the ES say it has "all the usual energy but none of the feeling"

Ariel PinkDedicated To Bobby Jameson

Pitchfork describe the 11th studio LP of rom LA-based Ariel Marcus Rosenberg as "an immersive, intimate record marked by solitude". The Irish Times say he's "the perfect cult hero waiting to be discovered"

AlvvaysAntisocialites

"This is Alvvays pushing the jangle pop envelope" - The Skinny's take on the second album from the Toronto band while Loud And Quiet say "the band’s knack for a perfect pop melody can’t be argued"

SparksHippopotamus

"Never anything less than wildly entertaining" - Mojo's verdict on the 25th album from the LA pop / rock duo while Under The Radar say it "bursts with the signature wit and tongue-in-cheek cultural prodding"

Susanne SundførMusic For People In Trouble

Norwegian singer-songwriter's sixth effort is "a beautifully unsettling album" according to Q, with Mojo calling it "as striking as her career-defining 2010 album, The Brothel"

The War On DrugsA Deeper Understanding

"This is their best and most complete album to date" - The Music's take on the forth studio album from Adam Granduciel's band while Consequence of Sound say it's "a master class in widening scope"

THE CHART: THE TOP RATED NEW ALBUMS

The ADM rating is a weighted average from our survey of more than 50 sources , taking into account the number of reviews

Customise your chart

6.8

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

The Echo Of Pleasure

Fourth album from the New York indie pop band led by Kip Berman

Added: 30/08/2017
6.8

Yusuf / Cat Stevens

The Laughing Apple

Album number fifteen from the singer-songwriter reinterprets some of his songs from the start of his career

Added: 17/09/2017
6.8

Steven Wilson

To The Bone

Fifth studio album of progressive pop from the Porcupine Tree founder

Added: 17/08/2017
6.7

The Waterboys

Out of All This Blue

Twelfth album from Mike Scott's celtic rockers embraces funk and hip-hop

Added: 11/09/2017
6.7

Dent May

Across the Multiverse

Fourth album from the LA-based psych-pop singer songwriter

Added: 18/08/2017
6.7

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton

Choir Of The Mind

Second album of piano-driven pop under the Soft Skeleton name from the Metric singer and Broken Social Scene member

Added: 15/09/2017
6.7

Turnover

Good Nature

Third album from the Virginia Beach indie rock trio produced by Will Yip (Lauryn Hill, Panic! At The Disco)

Added: 25/08/2017
6.7

L.A. Witch

L.A. Witch

Debut album from the Los Angeles garage rock three-piece

Added: 11/09/2017
6.7

Madeline Kenney

Night Night at the First Landing

Debut full-length album from the West Coast singer-writer produced by Toro y Moi's Chaz Bear

Added: 01/09/2017
6.7

Filthy Friends

Invitation

Debut album from the alt.rock supergroup including REM's Peter Buck and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney

Added: 26/08/2017
6.7

Enter Shikari

The Spark

Fifth album from the St. Albans, Herrfordshire group who blend electronica and post hardcore

Added: 22/09/2017
6.7

Foo Fighters

Concrete and Gold

Ninth studio album from the post-grunge rock stalwarts, with guest appearances from Justin Timberlake, Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman, and Paul McCartney

Added: 14/09/2017
6.6

Death From Above

Outrage! Is Now

Third album from the legendary Toronto dance punk duo reverting to their original name, minus the "1979" sufix

Added: 08/09/2017
6.6

Dälek

Endangered Philosophies

The NY experimental hip hop group return to Ipecac records for their seventh studio album

Added: 01/09/2017
6.5

UNKLE

The Road Part 1

Fifth studio album of trip-hop / electronica from the influential London producer James Lavelle

Added: 16/08/2017
6.5

Hype Williams

Rainbow Edition

Fourth album of lo-fi experimental psych pop from Berlin-based Anglo-Estonian duo

Added: 25/08/2017
6.4

Cut Copy

Haiku From Zero

The Melbourne-based synth-pop outfit release album number five

Added: 20/09/2017
6.3

Gary Numan

Savage (Songs from a Broken World)

Album number 21 from the industrial rock songwriter, a concept album about the blending of Western and Eastern cultures in a post-apocalyptic world

Added: 16/09/2017
6.3

Van Morrison

Roll With The Punches

A collection of bluesy tracks from the legendary Irish singer, featuring covers of the likes of Bo Diddley, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Mose Allison

Added: 22/09/2017
6.3

Lunice

CCCLX

Debut album from the Montreal-based hip hop producer, pronounced "360"

Added: 13/09/2017
6.3

Gogol Bordello

Seekers and Finders

Seventh album of rabble-rousing folk-rock from the New York based Gypsy Punk pioneers

Added: 28/08/2017
6.1

The Fresh & Onlys

Wolf Lie Down

Sixth album from Tim Cohen's psychedelic "new garage" act produced by Kelley Stoltz and Greg Ashley

Added: 31/08/2017
6.1

James Vincent McMorrow

True Care

Fourth album from the Dublin singer-songwriter

Added: 16/08/2017
5.7

Jake Bugg

Hearts That Strain

Fourth studio album from the English singer-songwriter, recorded in Nashville with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach

Added: 31/08/2017
5.5

Angus & Julia Stone

Snow

Fourth album of folk pop from the Australian brother/sister duo who were also on production duties

Added: 17/09/2017
5.4

Prophets of Rage

Prophets of Rage

First release from the American rap rock supergroup with members of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Public Enemy and rapper B-Real of Cypress Hill

Added: 14/09/2017
5.3

Ringo Starr

Give More Love

Nineteenth studio solo album from the former Beatles drummer features guest appearances from Paul McCartney and ELO's Jeff Lynne

Added: 15/09/2017

Previous
1
2
3

Latest Reviews

Alex Cameron Forced Witness

While it's easy to admire the craft behind Forced Witness, it's a little harder to embrace the album as a whole - and not necessarily in the ways Cameron may have intended All Music

The Horrors V

Their most cohesive album yet The Observer

The Killers Wonderful Wonderful

Glossy and striking The Observer

More reviews

Fresh stuff

V by The Horrors

"Tightly bundled and perfectly accessible without sacrificing any of their artistic integrity" - The Skinny's take on the 5th LP from the goth rock five-piece. Q say it's "bigger than its predecessors"

Hiss Golden MessengerHallelujah Anyhow
All Music say the 7th LP of indie folk from MC Taylor's is "another outstanding exercise in record making". Pitchfork describe it a being "full of fluttery soul-grooves"

Godspeed You! Black EmperorLuciferian Towers
PMA reckon the 6th LP from the Canadian post-rock stalwarts is "one of the best albums of the year" while The Arts Desk say it's "an instrumental psychedelic masterpiece"

Open Mike EagleBrick Body Kids Still Daydream
Loud & Quiet say the Project Blowed member's 6th is "brimming with manifold voices, unified by formidable compassion". The Skinny think it's "earworms all the way down"

SuperfoodBambino
DIY say the second album from the Birmingham indie rock duo " totally resets the parameters of the band" while NME say "the pair showcase just how talented and multifaceted they are"

Yusuf / Cat StevensThe Laughing Apple
"Yusuf's most satisfying album since his return to popular music in 2006" - All Music's take on album number fifteen from the singer-songwriter while The Observer say it's "a pleasantly surprising late-career highlight"

Lee RanaldoElectric Trim
The Irish Times love the "glorious soundscapes" on the Sonic Youth co-founder's latest solo release, while the Quietus reckon it "flows like wine into a glass". The Music reckon "his vocals have taken a folkier turn"

RostamHalf-Light
Q say the debut solo release from the former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij "feels like a step into a brave new world". CoS describe it as "a quiet revelation showcasing his talents"

All-time top 10

Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past eight years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.

See full list