11 December 2018
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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Debut LP from the Kinshasa, Congo group fusing traditional Congolese rhythms with post punk and electronics
8.6
A gripping mix of excitement, apprehension and sensory overload Read Review
Furiously distorted bricolage of Afro-retro-futurism, soukous and Afrobeat Read Review
With their debut Mbongwana Star have made a really classic record for the ages, and what’s more, one that could shape a whole lot of music to come Read Review
Its superb combination of muscular groove playing with tenderness and longing is winning, and an encapsulation of the flexibility and versatility that makes Mbongwana Star such an exciting project Read Review
At its very best (see the dirty groove of ‘Kala’) this joyous carnival of sound is underpinned with a throbbing electronic heartbeat Read Review
Two forward-looking cosmopolitans (plus friends) craft new directions in urban sound Read Review
Utterly futuristic and profoundly in tune with the space age whilst also giving the distinct impression that it's been built out of rusty materials Read Review
This new incarnation of Ngambali and Nzonza's muse confidently steps outside the sometimes rather cozy confines of 'world' music and into the 21st Century Read Review
There is a menacing attraction here, and Mbongwana Star cleverly balance the sunshine vibes of soukous with the gritty reality of life in a Kinshasa slum Read Review
Fat throbbing beats and clattering Afropop rhythms with an electro-hip-hop vibe. Print edition only
Back to the future, Congolese style Read Review
Stunning collision of West African street funk and European studio craft, exhilarating! Print edition only
Fashioned from the crucible of Kinshasa’s recycle-reuse culture, this is a triumphant piece of alchemy Read Review
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Mbongwana Star: From Kinshasa
Vessel Queen of Golden Dogs
A non-household album by an oft-overlooked electronic artist/producer, Queen of Golden Dogs is an intriguing, mysteriously intelligent dark horse of a record. Fans of broader electronic/experimental pieces, prepare to be delighted in the delirious lunacy of Vessel’s apex-to-date Sputnik Music (staff)
Earl Sweatshirt Some Rap Songs
The most captivating album of his career Spectrum Culture
Bill Ryder-Jones Yawn
Most of the songs on the album clock in at over 5 minutes, so there is ample time to process the lyrics amidst the slow churning drudge of guitars and hazy background mists Under The Radar
Lubomyr Melnyk Fallen Trees
This is a recording of a composer/performer very much at the top of his game Exclaim
Melnyk conjures a world that is both sentimental and abstract. Print edition only Uncut
The results are as wildly evocative as anything by Steve Reich or Terry Riley, but thunderously affecting on their own terms. Print edition only Mojo
This is a finely crafted, elegiac album on which Melnyk’s piano is at times beautifully complemented by the voice of Japanese-born Hatis Noit and the cello of Berliner Anne Muller The Line Of Best Fit
The latest album from the Ukranian-born pianist Lubomyr Melnyk combines lush melodies with stunning instrumental technique PopMatters
Daniel Knox Chasescene
There’s an acerbity to plenty of Knox’s lyrics which - when coupled with his playful baritone - has provoked a plethora of John Grant comparisons. However, the sparse nature of this music and the avoidance of novelty ensure plenty of distance between their respective 2018 releases Clash
????The Chicago-native offers a collection of songs that shine and perplex, with lush arrangements and lyrics constantly on the edge of breaking Gig Soup
If you wanted to make a Christmas song sound ominous, he’s your man God Is In The TV
An album to be treasured Loud And Quiet
Chasescene will delight existing fans and lure in fresh blood with equal measure The Line Of Best Fit
Chasescene confirms Knox as a master storyteller, and is a record to settle into on dark nights, glad that you’re only a listener to its frightful tales The Observer
The album could be a blueprint for the future sound of hip-hop, but for now, it’s unlikely the avant-garde lyricism will dominate RapCaviar anytime soon NOW
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
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Anaïs Mitchell Hadestown
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Leonard Cohen You Want It Darker
Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell
Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me