15 September 2024
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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Album number thirteen from the Oregon folk singer-songwriter recorded as demos on her phone
7.2
They are spare but complete, as rich as old letters or photographs. Print edition only
Standouts such as "Rocks Of Time" and "Next One, Maybe" have all the depth, richness and candour that Veirs' admirers have come to expect. Print edition only
The singer-songwriter exposes her creative process and, in doing so, maps out the rich topography of her psyche Read Review
Laura Veirs’ latest collection of demos is, perhaps, the greatest testament yet to her singularity as a songwriter and performer Read Review
Laura Veirs’ Phone Orphans works because of its roughness. She’s not gilding the lily, and she offers her direct sensibility as a way to address her ignorance Read Review
The prolific Portland songwriter mines eight years' worth of voice memos for this sparse collection of sketches Read Review
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Nilüfer Yanya My Method Actor
An understated meditation on performance and emotional excavation, somehow manifest like the grandiose approach of cinema Northern Transmissions
Floating Points Cascade
In Cascade, Floating Points reclaims the dancefloor while elevating the genre beyond its traditional boundaries Northern Transmissions
Porches Shirt
A departure from the easy listening that fans love, and challenges listeners in a more confrontational urgency and intensity Northern Transmissions
There’s a grand achievement in assembling a record so abstract but universal Far Out
Plunges him back to the old soundworld of heavily Auto-Tuned ballads (of the 12 tracks here, only Bread Believer is pacey) and a voice that sounds like it’s on the verge of tears, even if the lyrics sound more disorientated than tragic. .... But Maine’s nagging melodies hold up, and Shirt still feels convincingly real. Print edition only Mojo
As Shirt progresses, grungey riffs begin to cut through on “Itch” and the White Stripes-y chorus of “Rag”. Elsewhere, his slacker songcraft commands evermore empathy as “Voices In My Head” employs a neat acoustic motif and “Music” offers a piano-led lullaby to close a short, deceptively sweet affair. Print edition only Uncut
For those willing to dive into its depths, Shirt offers a homespun experience that further cements Aaron Maine’s place as one of the more singular voices in contemporary indie music The Line Of Best Fit
Sadistic and reckless as biking home past curfew with blood in your mouth and a smirk on your face, Maine's portrait of suburban America wants to take us all down with it… and who are we to resist? Exclaim
Album highlight "Rag" is at least as incendiary as well as catchy, with drops, shouty starts, and stops making it even more unstable. That song is like a microcosm of the album All Music
Tindersticks Soft Tissue
While the album succeeds in creating a cohesive sound and an undeniable atmosphere of melancholy, one that’s difficult to find fault with, it falls flat in places by not pushing beyond those initial ideas. It’s a rainy day rather than a storm Far Out
Tindersticks don’t come across as the most jolly of people but 'Soft Tissue' involves no wallowing about in never-ending wretchedness The Arts Desk
From Terry Edwards’ dysregulated trumpet on Always A Stranger to the wheezy strings of The Secret Of Breathing, Soft Tissue is a magnificent reminder that few people know better how to arrange life’s broken pieces, how to orchestrate the chaos. Print edition only Mojo
It’s all strong enough to hopefully attract listeners beyond Tindersticks’ hardy fanbase. Print edition only Uncut
From 70s soul to glowing strings, the cult outfit continue to illuminate the fringes of pop music, celebrating the beauty in small things The Guardian
Fourteenth album from Stuart Staples and co features all of their classic hallmarks but also exists in a more elevated, refined realm 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
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Dave We’re All Alone In This Together