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4 December 2021

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.

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New

ArcaKick ii, iii, iiii, iiiii

"Venezuelan producer delivers a pentalogy that can mesmerise and terrify" (Evening Standard). "Her most pop-focused music to date" (The Guardian)

New

Richard Dawson & CircleHenki

"Folk hero Richard Dawson linking up with Finnish post-rockers Circle brings out their mutual best" (The Line Of Best Fit)

New

Deap VallyMarriage

"Marriage is Deap Vally’s layered rock ‘n’ roll triumph" (The Line Of Best Fit). "The sound of Deap Vally tapping back into what makes them tick" (DIY)

Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

Taylor SwiftRed (Taylor's Version)

"Taylor Swift’s reworking of Red finds even more magic in her pop blueprint" - The Line of Best Fit's take on the re-recording of the pop artist's fourth album. Sputnik reckon "Red is an absolute triumph"

Snail MailValentine

"A record as hopeful as it is bittersweet" - DIY's take on the 2nd LPSecond album of lo-fi indie rock from the Maryland-based trio led by Lindsey Jordan while Gigwise say it's "a record full of lust and longing"

ABBAVoyage

The verdict on the 9th LP from the legendary pop quartet: "Exquisitely familiar songs from one of the greatest groups of all time" The Irish Times OR "The glamour promised by this album’s two terrific singles goes horribly unfulfilled"

Biffy ClyroThe Myth of The Happily Ever After

NME reckon the ninth full-length release from the Scots alt.rock trio is "perhaps their most cohesive album to date" while Sputnik say that "with this album, they’ve reclaimed control of their story"

Parquet CourtsSympathy For Life

"A masterclass in all that Parquet Courts have to offer" - Upset's take on the 7th LP from the Brooklyn garage rock / post-punk. Dork say they "know how to transform absurdism into something pulsatingly alive"

Remi WolfJuno

Gigwise reckon the debut full-length album from the Los Angeles-based artist is "pop music that most artists couldn’t dream of" while The Line Of Best Fit say it's "reclaiming the best parts of ‘00s pop"

Sam FenderSeventeen Going Under

"A once-in-a-generation artist delivers a stunning second album" - Gigwise's take on latest from the North Shields indie singer-songwriter. The Guardian say it "puts his indie-rock peers in the shade"

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

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8.6
ADM Rating

Taylor Swift

Red (Taylor's Version)

Re-recording of the pop artist's fourth album - following the sale of her master recordings to American businessman Scooter Braun - includes nine unrelased songs

Added: 12/11/2021
8.4

Converge and Chelsea Wolfe

Bloodmoon: I

Collaboration between the Salem metalcore band and the Californian doom-goth singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe and her regular collaborator Ben Chisholm, started in 2019 and completed remotely due to lockdown

Added: 19/11/2021
8.2

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Raise The Roof

Second collaboration, 14 years after 2007's Raising Sand, from the former Led Zeppelin frontman and the country singer produced by T-Bone Burnett

Added: 17/11/2021
8.1

Mastodon

Hushed and Grim

Eighth album from the Atlanta heavy metal group produced by David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, Smashing Pumpkins, Muse)

Added: 27/10/2021
8.0

Silk Sonic

An Evening With Silk Sonic

Debut album from the R&B duo Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak

Added: 12/11/2021
8.0

Richard Dawson & Circle

Henki

Collaboration between the Newcastle folk rock from singer-songwriter and the Finnish experimental rock band

Added: 26/11/2021
8.0

Snail Mail

Valentine

Second album of lo-fi indie rock from the Maryland-based trio led by Lindsey Jordan

Added: 02/11/2021
8.0

The War On Drugs

I Don't Live Here Anymore

Fifth studio album of psychedelic indie rock from the Philadelphia band fronted by Adam Granduciel

Added: 26/10/2021
7.9

Adele

30

Fourth album from the London-born pop / soul singer-songwriter working with a number of producers including Ludwig Göransson and Inflo of Sault

Added: 17/11/2021
7.9

Marissa Nadler

The Path Of The Clouds

Album number nine from the Boston indie folk singer-songwriter with contributions from Jesse Chandler, Simon Raymonde, Emma Ruth Rundle, and Amber Webber

Added: 29/10/2021
7.8

Hand Habits

Fun House

Third full-length album from Meg Duffy includes a guest appearance from Perfume Genius

Added: 26/10/2021
7.8

Elbow

Flying Dream 1

Album number nine from the Manchester alt.rock band recorded in an empty Theatre Royal in Brighton

Added: 19/11/2021
7.8

Summer Walker

Still Over It

Second album from the Atlanta R&B artist featuring guest appearances from Cardi B, Ciara, JT, Ari Lennox and Pharrell Williams

Added: 10/11/2021
7.7

Idles

Crawler

Fourth album of indie post-punk from the Bristol quintet produced by Kenny Beats (Vince Staples, slowthai, Trash Talk)

Added: 10/11/2021
7.7

Parcels

Day/Night

Second album from the Australian electropop five-piece now based in Berlin

Added: 06/11/2021
7.7

Curtis Harding

If Words Were Flowers

Third solo album from the Atlanta-based soul artist produced with Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Alexandra Savior, Pavo Pavo)

Added: 05/11/2021
7.6

Tori Amos

Ocean To Ocean

Album number sixteen from the American singer-songwriter recorded in Cornwall during lockdown

Added: 29/10/2021
7.6

Clinic

Fantasy Island

Album number nine from the Liverpudlian post-punk revivalists

Added: 26/10/2021
7.6

Emma Ruth Rundle

Engine Of Hell

Fifth solo album from the Portland, Oregon singer-songwriter

Added: 15/11/2021
7.6

Courtney Barnett

Things Take Time, Take Time

Fourth album from the Melbourne indie rock singer-songwriter co-produced by Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa

Added: 08/11/2021
7.5

Nation Of Language

A Way Forward

Second album from the Brooklyn indie pop trio

Added: 04/11/2021
7.5

Arca

Kick ii, iii, iiii, iiiii

47 songs and 145 minutes of music from the London-based Venezuelan electronic producer Alejandra Ghersi Rodriguez includes appearances from Shirley Manson and Ryuichi Sakamoto

Added: 03/12/2021
7.5

Deap Vally

Marriage

Third album from LA garage rock duo Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards

Added: 19/11/2021
7.5

Jon Hopkins

Music For Psychedelic Therapy

Sixth studio album of ambient techno from the English composer inspired by the Tayos Caves of Ecuador

Added: 11/11/2021
7.5

Damon Albarn

The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows

Second solo album from the Blur and Gorillaz front man was originally planned as an orchestral project for Lyon's Fête des Lumieres

Added: 09/11/2021
7.5

Aimee Mann

Queens Of The Summer Hotel

Tenth album from the Richmond, Virgina rock singer-songwriter features songs inspired by Girl, Interrupted

Added: 06/11/2021
7.4

Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats

The Future

Third studio album with the Night Sweats from the Denver singer-songwriter

Added: 06/11/2021
7.3

Hana Vu

Public Storage

Debut full-length album from the Los Angeles DIY singer-songwriter

Added: 09/11/2021
7.2

Pip Blom

Welcome Break

Second album from the Dutch indie rock quartet was self-produced and recorded in three weeks

Added: 11/11/2021
7.2

Makaya McCraven

Deciphering The Message

Latest album from Chicago-based jazz drummer Makaya McCraven features remixes of Blue Note jazz songs

Added: 24/11/2021

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Latest Reviews

Tori Amos Ocean To Ocean

On her 16th album, begun early this year as the UK entered its third lockdown, the Cornwall-based singer-songwriter grapples with personal loss, the cruelty of the world, and the will to keep going Pitchfork

Arca Kick ii, iii, iiii, iiiii

With the KICK universe now complete, there’s no telling where Arca will go next. She’ll probably head where we don’t expect her. But before bets are hedged, let’s stay within the confines of the five-part anthology for a while and explore its every nook and cranny The Line Of Best Fit

Arca Kick ii, iii, iiii, iiiii

They all work together to support the vision of Arca, whose voice cracks, malfunctions, and explores the flux of its existence in tandem with the music Under The Radar

More reviews

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Fresh stuff

30 by Adele

"30 is truly one of the best albums of the year and one that you’ll probably be hearing at awards ceremonies down the road here" (Vinyl Chapters). "A pop music visionary" (Exclaim)

Robert Plant & Alison KraussRaise The Roof
"It’s a partnership that does indeed raise the roof" (The Irish Times). "This second outing from one of rock’s less likely pairings is an undoubted triumph" (musicOMH)

Converge and Chelsea WolfeBloodmoon: I
"The band’s long-awaited collaboration with dark rocker Wolfe is slower and more melodic than their usual albums, yet even heavier" (The Guardian)

Courtney BarnettThings Take Time, Take Time
"As close to a record born of isolation as you’re bound to hear" - DIY's take on the fourth album from the Melbourne indie rock singer-songwriter while musicOMH say it's "a tender, comforting salve of a listen"

IdlesCrawler
Gigwise reckon the fourth album of indie post-punk from the Bristol quintet "could divide their fans" while The Line Of Best Fit say it's "their most exploratory and cathartic ride yet"

Damon AlbarnThe Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
"It’s an immersive, mysterious listen" - musicOMH's take on his second solo album. The Skinny say it's "an arresting blend of ecopoetics and meditations on grief"

ParcelsDay/Night
Gigwise reckon the second release from the Australian electropop five-piece is "a career-defining record". NME say "the Berlin-via-Byron Bay disco gang take us on a cyclical voyage on their second outing"

Curtis HardingIf Words Were Flowers
All Music describe the third solo album from the Atlanta-based soul artist as "a great, rewarding listening" while The Skinny say it "remains grounded in the simple beauty of live instrumentals"

The War On DrugsI Don't Live Here Anymore
"Another triumph, and the band's greatest and grandest statement yet" - The Skinny's verdict on the 5th album from Adam Granduciel while Dork describe it as "a powerful and ambitious leap to the future"

Ed Sheeran=
"Has something about it that is difficult to shrug off, while being hard to truly relate to" - Clash's take on the 4th LP from the English popstar. NME say it's an album "of undeniable hits and savvy, sickly-sweet concoctions"

Lana Del ReyBlue Banisters
"A collection of sun-kissed moments and hazy memories, free from judgement and firmly rooted in place" - DIY's take on album number eight from the singer-songwriter

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