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.
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Fifth album from Philadelphia-based folk rock singer-songwriter Timothy Showalter
6.6
The album illustrates the hazy decadence of years on the road balanced with a craving to return home to a life close to resembling normalcy Read Review
Showalter again has a reflective eye on himself, and Hard Love is an expose of his life's pursuits, sometimes self-destructive, and sometimes life-giving, albeit in a roundabout way Read Review
Is it fun to be a rock star? It certainly sounds that way. But is it worth it? That’s open for you to decide Read Review
An aptly named salute to the myriad complexities of intimacy, the nature of comeuppance, and the difficulties of navigating forward in the cruel wake of youth Read Review
Overstuffed and perhaps a bit overambitious, but repeated listening will reap ample rewards Read Review
A conflicted yet summarily good record that breathes new life into good ol' rock'n'roll Read Review
Anchoring him firmly in groove-laden rock realms after an early career flecked with folk Read Review
An odd mix, maybe, but a believable one. Print edition only
The autobiographical songwriter remains as raw and forthcoming as ever Read Review
The latest Strand of Oaks album has a sunnier outlook and a hedonistic streak, evoking Creation Records bands like Primal Scream and Oasis. But it never really adds up to a bold statement Read Review
Timothy Showalter writes from the heart Read Review
While his good intentions to smarten up his drug-sozzled, road-weary life may be commendable, they don’t necessarily make “Quit It” any more agreeable Read Review
A quick-fire shift of styles that never quite feel connected Read Review
There's little to distinguish it from the material of any of thousands of competent bar bands. Print edition only
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Strand Of Oaks: Hard Love
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