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Lana Del Rey  Blue Banisters

Del Rey’s claims that this is her most personal album yet are not quite true – it is far more elliptical and mysterious than it first appears The Independent

Self Esteem  Prioritise Pleasure

Rebecca Taylor continues to reintroduce herself with a gum-snapping, foot-stomping pop record The Independent

Lana Del Rey  Blue Banisters

While Chemtrails was cause for concern that Del Rey had perhaps lost her magic touch, Banisters is a reminder that when the singer-songwriter is in charge of her vision and fully taps into her emotions, she’s still capable of crafting breathtaking beauty A.V. Club

My Morning Jacket  My Morning Jacket

While the performances and production are tight and well structured, they haven't forgotten what makes them a great live band All Music

Lana Del Rey  Blue Banisters

This is a remarkable achievement for Del Rey, who proves yet again just how unpredictably brilliant she is Vinyl Chapters

Lana Del Rey  Blue Banisters

Del Rey feels comfortable here, bringing you into her world. One that is honest, messy, dryly hilarious and extremely relatable Northern Transmissions

Grouper  Shade

With its sharp tonal distinctions from track to track, the first Grouper album in three years calls attention to Liz Harris's artistic evolution Paste Magazine

Elton John  The Lockdown Sessions

While Sir Elton contains multitudes I’m not sure hip-hop is his strongest suit The Arts Desk

Parquet Courts  Sympathy For Life

There’s still somewhat of an eclectic feel to Sympathy For Life despite its intended dance focus. Yes, it’s different and at times more uplifting than most Parquet Courts albums, but it’s an album for the band, not for the fans musicOMH

Grouper  Shade

Longstanding fans will delight in hearing that these nine tracks, taken from sessions recorded over the last decade and a half at her Pacific Northwest home studio and at various art residencies she’s attended or self-initiated around Mount Tamalpais in the Bay Area musicOMH

Biffy Clyro  The Myth of The Happily Ever After

It’s an exercise in catharsis, providing an accurate snapshot into the minds and mentality of the band certainly, but also the general public of the last year and a half Clash

Parquet Courts  Sympathy For Life

A project as mystifying at it is engaging Clash

Lana Del Rey  Blue Banisters

Finally giving official recorded space to fan favourite demos and offcuts she couldn’t let go of, it feels like an album she’s been begging and waiting patiently to record right, and now she has the freedom and peace to do it Clash

Lana Del Rey  Blue Banisters

Maybe this is all real as well as hyper-real, a brilliant disguise for naked exposure The Arts Desk

Deerhoof  Actually, You Can

A manifesto that only Deerhoof could create, Actually, You Can is a perfect example of how they achieve what seems like the impossible time and time again - and with its heroic doses of fun and optimism, it reminds listeners that actually, they can too All Music