26 May 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.
Browse specific styles
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
Roll over video for more options
Mbongwana Star: From Kinshasa
The Unthanks Diversions, Vol. 4: The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake
The luminous harmonies of Rachel and Becky Unthank, backed by Adrian McNally's minimal piano and the discreet textures of violinist Niopha Keegan, spotlighting the wistful poignancy at the heart of these delicate compositions. Print edition only Uncut
Aided by Gabrielle Drake's spoken word and arrangements that vary between bare, the lyrical and the dreamy, it makes for a most moving collection. Print edition only Mojo
Drake’s songs, often as brooding and melancholic as her son’s, are a natural fit for the Unthanks’ poignant sibling harmonies The Observer
The sisters are in almost transcendent voice on these painfully honest observations of nature’s wonders and love’s labours The Irish Times
A remarkable feat of collective aesthetics in which Adrian McNally’s subtle arrangements draw the maximum impact from Rachel and Becky Unthanks’ distinctive intonations The Independent
Linkin Park One More Light
This record is one of those that you play and don't bother to skip in terms of tracks. Everything feels like a single Punk News
Blondie Pollinator
I don’t know what it’s going to take to make Blondie a viable band again, because Pollinator is a gimmick that just didn’t pay off Punk News
Incubus 8
Incubus sound comfortable in their own skin Punk News
Craig Finn We All Want The Same Things
Craig Finn is one of the most beloved songwriters of the past decade, so it's nice to finally hear him find his solo sound Punk News
Slowdive Slowdive
If you're looking for something that's as moody as it is calming, and as beautiful as it is atmospheric, Slowdive's for you Punk News
At The Drive-In in•ter a•li•a
It's a politically-charged affair - a rallying call asking those who care to stand up while questioning those who run Punk News
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
DAMN. isn’t the same kind of masterpiece that To Pimp a Butterfly is, but it’s a masterpiece nonetheless Punk News
Sam Amidon The Following Mountain
Weird-but-wonderful free-folk explorations. Print edition only Uncut
By combining his appreciation of both free jazz and Appalachian folk music, Amidon seems to be creating a traditional folk for the future All Music
The Following Mountain rewards us with the marriage of the two Sam Amidons—the inflection of those old-soul melodies meet the nuances of his Popcorn Behavior Under The Radar
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
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