Your Custom Text Here
Soccer Mommy: Evergreen
New album: Wistful, melancholy, candid country-folk, but also punchier, passionate indie in this fourth LP by the American singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee – Sophia Regina Allison, with a release that goes back to her roots, but also adds some gentler acoustic guitars, strings and flutes
Read more
Killer Mike: Michael & the Mighty Midnight Revival - Songs for Sinners and Saints
Chelsea Wolfe: She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To
New album: Dark, simmering, sensual, ghostly, goth-noir rock with restrained thundery rumblings by the California artist, in a powerfully effective, slow, atmospheric release that sounds like tears in a downpour, an echoey, innovative potion of metal melancholy
Read more
Sleater-Kinney: Little Rope
New album: With perhaps best yet, certainly since reforming in 2014, and 11th overall, a passionate, catchy, powerful, defiant LP by Portland-based singer-guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker with searingly brilliant postpunk, rock and pop
Read more
Part 1 selection of 2023 favourite albums
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 1, and Part 2 is also out here. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order. This is all about quality and innovation …
Read more
Killer Mike reveals the young Michael
New album: One half of Run The Jewels, the Atlanta rapper and social activist Michael Santiago Render releases a powerful, articulate, and frank autobiographical solo LP, candidly exploring his childhood and more of the other side to his Killer Mike persona
Read more
Margo Price: Strays
New album: Country, pop, rock psych, and blues all merge seamlessly in this fabulous, defiant, soaring new LP by the Nashville star who wrote these 10 songs, after a six-day magic mushroom session with husband/collaborator Jeremy Ivey
Read more
Sampa The Great’s second album reaches different heights
New album: A swaggeringly stylish, sharp, soulful, funny, proclamatory new release by rapper and singer Sampa Tembo celebrating her return to her native Zambia, with rebuffs to her previous home Australia and its music industry, and nods to Zamrock, lyrics in the Bantu language, and multiple African and other collaborators
Read more
Soccer Mommy’s third album: Sometimes, Forever
New album: Richly textured indie, shoegaze and pop by Nashville’s 25-year-old Sophie Allison, here with her third album that contains the dark, world weary, but also tuneful and uplifting material, given extra depth by producer Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never
Read more
Denzel Curry’s fifth album Melt My Eyez See Your Future
New album: This fifth LP by the fluid rapper from Florida harks back to an older, more mellow period of hip hop - smoother, jazzier, and subtler, with his gruff RZA-style voice making clever rhymes with an outstanding guest list, from Robert Glasper to Saul Williams
Read more
Robert Glasper’s third album in the series has another stellar lineup of guests
New album: The Houston jazz pianist, four-times Grammy winner and highly influential collaborator releases the third in his BLM-related series of jazz, hip hop, soul and R&B, featuring another stellar line of guests including Killer Mike, Q-Tip, Common, Gregory Porter, Jennifer Hudson, India Arie and Meshell Ndegeocello
Read more
St Vincent: Daddy’s Home now …
Album review: This superb new LP by Annie Clark is inspired by the look, sounds and feel of grimy early 70s New York, creating a work of of sleazy sophistication, the sounds of electric sitar, a Steely Dan, and an edgy joke title referring to the release of her father from prison
Read more
Epic scale: The Million Masks of God by Manchester Orchestra
Album review: The Atlanta indie-rockers’ latest LP is has an even more expansive, full-bodied sound of vocal harmonies led by frontman Andy Hull that echo Fleet Foxes with strong songwriting, psychedelic parts and a sense of epic scale that would fill large venues or festivals
Read more
This week’s very colourful square of album covers is matched by the quality of the music
Album reviews roundup: This week’s selection again reflects the times - divided political America to grief and isolation, but also presents an abundance of creativity, wit and musical invention crossing everything from jazz to hip hop
Read more
Nine more albums of note
Album reviews roundup: Hip hop comes up strong this week with Black Thought and a recent Public Enemy release with heavyweight guests, but there’s not shortage of other highly original artists from Future Islands to Sylvan Esso
Read more
Another artful square of nine notable albums
Album reviews roundup: A particularly strong lineup includes the return of Doves, The Flaming Lips’ signature sound, a farewell from Toots, a stunning debut from Anjimile, and more beauty and innovation from Mammal Hands, Susanna and Bróna Mcvittie
Read more
Hair today … new album releases in random formation
Latest albums include exquisite soul and gospel with the divine voice of Lianne La Havas and the mystery band Sault, plus mischief from Jarvis Cocker, The Pretenders roll back the years, the return of the (no longer Dixie) Chicks
Read more
This week’s magic nine new albums
This week includes a mellow one from the modfather, innovative electronica from The Irrepressibles, gorgeous piano-based work by A.A. Williams and Hani Rani, African and Coldcut collective Kelekelta, and kickass pop-punks Dream Wife
Read more
The Strokes
Strong new LPs from The Strokes and Laura Marling reflect signs of the times, while eclectic records from Jackie Lynn and Pokey LaFarge, and excellent postpunk from Flat Worms and Irma Vep are also among this week’s 10 picks
Read more
Stormzy
The final roundup of new albums of 2019 includes UK grime king Stormzy’s second LP, Anderson .Paak’s backing band, a St Vincent remix, a Burial compilation, and refreshing indie electronica from Melbourne in the form of U-Bahn
Read more