22 March 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.
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Sixth album of blues / folk from London-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
7.4
Often these songs possess a giddy charm that suggest a sleepy early hours stroll along the seafront, their protagonist seeming to feel an affinity with the world in its most natural state Read Review
With Garden Of Ashes he secures his position as not just a musician’s musician, but one who looks set to grow a wider following Read Review
It might take you a few listens (and the knowledge that he once collaborated with The Orb) but he has a fine way with a mellow groove Read Review
Rueful, ruminative and ultimately hypnotic, Garden Of Ashes sings a welcome blues for the coming apocalypse. Print edition only
Singular aural magic from today's mood of global dread. Print edition only
The music sounds as if it has been dredged up with an immense effort. The grindstone is relentless but has rewarding results Read Review
Loose, heady and sensual by turns, Garden of Ashes surveys both the parlous state of the world and blasted inner landscapes with resonant instrumentation, rattlesnake percussion and a thousand-yard stare Read Review
An album that is perfect to listen to out on the porch as you sit back and enjoy the sun going down as you savour on that perfect glass of bourbon Read Review
Garwood sings constantly about suffering under a hot sun; his voice beautifully captures the exhaustion that comes with over exposure Read Review
‘Garden Of Ashes’ is redolent of a muggy swamp and just as easy to sink into Read Review
Despite its heady beauty, a gloomy fatefulness also shapes this set. Print edition only
While everything sounds lovely and moody – understated desert blues for a night in without the smartphone – beware the risk that it might send you to literal sleep, too Read Review
It can make you wish he were more chaotic and melancholic Read Review
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Duke Garwood: Garden of Ashes
Ladytron Paradises
In an age when production is deliberately designed not to disturb listeners, Paradises may prove popular The Arts Desk
The cover artwork to Ladytron’s latest record Paradises adopts mind trickery by showing two hands touching through a triangle shape that looks both like a reflective mirror and a translucent window. Befitting artwork to hint at the content inside the triad’s album, which often takes the listener to places that are up to one’s own imagination and interpretation God Is In The TV
Ladytron head for the disco and relive the fun of 90s clubland The Skinny
Maybe Paradises could have been trimmed down a little, but their contagious creative zeal is apparent throughout its entirety. Ladytron have secured their iconic status once again, ensuring they become a cult band for an entirely new generation, or maybe more Under The Radar
The track I See Red radiates synth euphoria but the Pet Shop Boys-ish Death In London and single Kingdom Undersea are more about introspection than rapture. Print edition only Mojo
Momentum sags somewhat over its lengthy duration - but it also unquestionably features some of their finest, and funkiest, work to date. Print edition only Uncut
BTS ARIRANG
The group's journey to global domination has been nothing short of extraordinary, so it’s fitting that they have delivered an album that is of similarly epic proportions Rolling Stone UK
The barrier-breaking K-Pop icons return with a blockbuster album Clash
Ending a hiatus that began in 2022, the septet recapture a distinctiveness that had been threatening to ebb away The Guardian
Seven members attack the music with a ferocity that feels earned and personal. The album feels more often like seven individuals with real chemistry than one polished unit. The solo years gave each member a sharper creative identity, and RM’s instincts hold the whole thing together Consequence Of Sound
On its blockbuster return, the world's biggest band stresses group identity and South Korean roots, while pushing the songs into adventurous new territory Rolling Stone
Brigitte Calls Me Baby Irreversible
Irreversible sounds like a dead end: a lethargic monument to hollow style over substance, entirely on brand for a band that saddled their debut with one of the more ridiculous, faux-philosophical titles of recent years. It is a meaningless shell of a record with few, if any, redeeming features No Ripcord
Ora Cogan Hard Hearted Woman
In a time that can appear bent on applauding cynicism Cogan chooses curiosity. Her songs look straight into the abyss and still reach out for colour The Line Of Best Fit
Shabaka Of The Earth
On his first true solo album, Shabaka unites beats, flutes and saxophone (and some rap) Spectrum Culture
The Orielles Only You Left
As with the rest of their discography, The Orielles once again prove that you don’t always have to follow along with the masses to make good music Beats Per Minute
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