19 September 2020
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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Album number twelve from the Norwegian experimental black metal collective
6.5
The music on Flowers of Evil traverses with jarring effectiveness both past and future. Its songs explore grief, hysteria, madness, vulnerability, and romance as inseparable and indelible aspects of the human spirt, resulting in a masterwork of the familiar and the disorienting Read Review
Ultimately, Flowers Of Hell finds Ulver at a point where they may be feeling the need to move and change once again. Having explored the possibilities of mixing weighty themes and doomladen lyrics with “fluffy” disco tunes whilst taking a nostalgic look over their remarkable career, the path is clear for something new Read Review
This album proves that they've hit a sound they could reasonably pull from for the remainder of their career Read Review
Should represent an erasure of the false dichotomy of high art and base pleasures, but it feels like a middle ground strewn with the negative qualities of both, and will likely leave its audience in that chocolate-on-face state of feeling oversatiated and a little cheap Read Review
From scratchy lo-fi black metal that sounded like it was recorded in a biscuit tin to extremely accessible and upbeat pop music, there’s seemingly nothing these Norwegians can’t (and won’t) do Read Review
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Sarah Davachi Cantus, Descant
The minimalist composer-performer’s slow, patient works demand and reward close attention; give them time, and their secrets will rise slowly to the surface Pitchfork
Tricky Fall To Pieces
Tricky sounds like a shadow of his former self The Quietus
Gus Dapperton Orca
By dropping his guard, Dapperton has reinvented his usual slacker-pop to accommodate his raw emotions NME
While Orca is bleaker and more depressing than Dapperton's previous work, it's emotionally hollow, with moments of both joy and despair only suggesting the outline of feelings they can't quite communicate All Music
Orca sees Gus Dapperton tackle strong themes of mental health struggles and finding acceptance in his most transparent and honest piece of work yet The Line Of Best Fit
These restless songs flit between lapses of focused meditation and fretful apprehension Slant Magazine
Anjimile Giver Taker
Unfussy poeticism abounds. Print edition only Uncut
There are strong echoes of Sufjan Stevens, but this US singer-songwriter’s musings on self-discovery are very much their own The Observer
A debut this scintillating sets the bar quite high for the 27-year-old songwriter, but, as we quickly learned—he is already up for the challenge Paste Magazine
Anjimile explores grief, identity and the hope that can shine through regardless The Line Of Best Fit
Deradoorian Find The Sun
Maintains a spirit of creative energy while crucially adding a sense of focus for an immediately rewarding experience Spectrum Culture
Fenne Lily Breach
Throughout BREACH, harsh realities and existential questions sit side-by-side, creating a stunning record that is as relatable as it is profound Loud And Quiet
Nothing can stop Fenne Lily now DIY
An often quiet, hushed album, but its message - one of discovering happiness in solitude - comes over loud and clear. Print edition only Uncut
It's early days yet, but Fenne Lily might just be a major talent in the making. Print edition only Mojo
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.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Anaïs Mitchell Hadestown
Run The Jewels RTJ4