27 September 2026
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.
Browse specific styles
Latest album of Americana from veteran Tucson, Arizon band fronted by singer-songwriter Howe Gelb
7.0
Blurry Blue Mountain's shimmers and shivers in the best possible way Read Review
One of the more romantic outings for Gelb and his band Read Review
A lovely, oddly charming record Read Review
Rich, detailed, and poetic, Blurry Blue Mountain explores human emotion and the meaning of life like the great writers of old Read Review
If Giant Sand had released fewer great albums, Blurry Blue Mountain would sound something close to miraculous. As it is, it’s a worthy addition to a catalogue which was already embarrassed with riches Read Review
Idiosyncratic and left-handed as ever. Print edition only
Blurry Blue Mountain is another late career album that falls in the 'good enough to listen to, not quite hot enough to buy' category Read Review
Warm and enveloping. Print edition only
Blurry Blue Mountain offers a grounded and solid body of work by a craftsman Read Review
The devilish shuffle of ‘Ride The Rail’ is particularly strong, as if Johnny Cash were re-imagined by Leonard Cohen Read Review
If you're willing to make the time...Blurry Blue Mountain will repay your attention Read Review
A cozy, enjoyable listen—though perhaps a little too long—and Gelb comes off like a cool uncle, happy to nod sagely while we sit around and listen to his stories Read Review
Anybody who enjoyed Bill Callahan's last album could do worse than give this a listen. Print edition only
Gelb's voice approaches the baritone depths of Leonard Cohen in places, with the dry wit to match Read Review
Sounds a lot like a guy reading so-so poetry in an unconvincing voice over sleepy southwestern background music Read Review
Giant Sand: Blurry Blue Mountain
Blondshell Violins
This is an artist widening her frame without losing her bite. It’s confident, a little wistful, and often loud in all the right places Northern Transmissions
On her third album, Sabrina Teitelbaum fights to strike a balance between savage beauty and jagged home truths NME
Everything great about Blondshell is present on ‘Violins’, but it feels sharper, more adventurous and more assured then ever before Clash
LA alt-rock singer Blondshell trades plain-speaking lyricism for something more abstract, while Irish rock band Gurriers cut through the noise with their ambitious second album The Independent
While trying to find and assert herself, the song has her imagining walking down the aisle to Beethoven's Für Elise, even though no one, including her, would pick it as a wedding song All Music
An often-delicate inward vision that pairs frustration with beauty DIY
It's in her ability to take the everyday experience and turn it into an epic noise that Violins finds its sweet spot The Line Of Best Fit
It would be unfair to call Violins Blondshell’s finest work to date, given the strength of her previous albums. What’s clear, though, is that it’s every bit as good as what came before Under The Radar
Protomartyr Hotel Usona
The album is more eerie in tone than its predecessors, like a distant alarm sounding, trying to amplify the sounds we cannot hear Northern Transmissions
It’s a bleak listen, sure, but Protomartyr haven’t ever been the comforting types. In fact, they’ve chosen the perfect time to double down on their righteous anger and despair, and if everything were to come to a catastrophic end right now, you’ve got the perfect soundtrack for it Far Out
For newcomers, it's a perfectly moody entry point. Hotel Usona is the sound of a band settling into their own skin, creating a space that's uniquely theirs and generously sharing the key Exclaim
From singer Joe Casey’s handmade album artwork to drummer Alex Leonard’s impish, kinetic inversions of classic post-punk rhythm, the Detroit band crafts an austere, unflinching record as bleak as it is cathartic Paste Magazine
This is not a hotel you'd want to stay at any time soon, but it's a remarkable record to spend time with. Print edition only Uncut
Under dim hotel lights, Casey’s lyricism appears foreboding and alien in a way it never has before The Line Of Best Fit
Ezra Collective Here Because of Hope
Arguably the biggest jazz band in the country return with an album that shows off both their exuberant and more reflective sides musicOMH
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Rosalía Lux
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Hayley Williams Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways