Throughout her career, Beth Gibbons has personified the idea of quality over quantity. Fortunately, as is the case with all of Gibbons’ work, the album was well worth the wait.
SPOTLIGHTS: Alchemy for the Dead
BETH GIBBONS: Lives Outgrown
Throughout her career, Beth Gibbons has personified the idea of quality over quantity. Fortunately, as is the case with all of Gibbons’ work, the album was well worth the wait.
BLACK MAP: Hex
Featuring members of Dredg, Far, and The Trophy Fire, Black Map has evolved into something far more compelling than a side project. Across three solid albums, the Bay Area trio steadily refined their blend of post-hardcore muscle and melodic rock sensibility. But with HEX, their fourth LP, they sound like a band that’s finally arrived.
HAKEN: Liveforms
For longtime fans, Liveforms is a worthy successor to L-1VE—a richer, more complete representation of what Haken has become. For newcomers, it’s a perfect point of entry: a three-hour masterclass in modern progressive metal.
WILL JOHNSON: Diamond City
To those still listening, Diamond City is just another entry into an ongoing renaissance. For the other ninety-nine percent of people attending the next Isbell tour, Johnson remains the "guy behind the kit." If only they knew what they were missing out on–this album would be a perfect place to start.
WUNDERHORSE: Midas
Wunderhorse might have started as a solo vehicle for the former Dead Pretties singer Jacob Slater, but the decision to assemble a live band and hit the road has resulted in a sophomore release that is anything but a retread.
POE: This Road (Vinyl Release)
These two songs feel like more than just another one-off gaming soundtrack contribution–they represent a fascinating full-circle moment for Poe. After two decades of relative silence, she's returned with music that feels both fresh and familiar, a perfect point of re-entry for artist and fanbase alike.
THE SMILE: Cutouts (Track by Track)
The Smile has fully embraced the notion of progress through refinement. And in the case of Cutouts, that means The Smile have delivered tightest batch of songs yet.
BEAK>: >>>> (Track by Track)
Somewhere along the way, Beak> became more than just ‘another side-project’ for Portishead’s Geoff Barrow.
PEARL JAM: Dark Matter (Track by Track)
It’s pretty amazing that, after all these years, Pearl Jam can deliver an album as strong as Dark Matter.
THOMAS DYBDAHL: Fever
in an era where ‘quantity over quality’ seems to be the name of the game, Thomas Dybdahl’s Fever is not only an instant-classic, it’s downright refreshing.
THE SMILE: Wall of Eyes (Track by Track)
Wall of Eyes is everything I didn’t even know I wanted from The Smile.
WILL JOHNSON: No Ordinary Crown
Will Johnson has quietly assembled a stunning run of releases since putting the indie-rock institution Centro-matic to rest back in 2014.
RATBOYS: The Window
Ratboys' latest album, The Window, marries indie-rock aesthetics with impeccable songwriting, showcasing their continued development.
GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV: Appaloosa Bones (Track by Track)
Appaloosa Bones, the highly anticipated new album from Gregory Alan Isakov, is yet another stunning collection of songs from the Denver-based singer-songwriter.
JASON ISBELL & the 400 UNIT: Weathervanes (Track by Track)
"Weathervanes" by Jason Isbell is a diverse, storytelling album, showcasing his evolving songwriting prowess.
HAKEN: Fauna
"Fauna" represents Haken's significant milestone with stylistic diversity, emotional lyrics and impressive performances.
EOB: Earth
Given the fact that Ed O'Brien had been working on a solo album for several years, there was no shortage of anticipation and expectation surrounding 2020's Earth (released under the EOB moniker).
THE AFGHAN WHIGS: In Spades
The Afghan Whigs' eighth album, In Spades, finds Dulli and Co. putting forth an uncompromising collection of songs that reveals an entirely new side of the band.
WUNDERHORSE: Cub
Cub is a remarkably diverse affair, something the advanced singles only hinted at.
Andrew Bird: My Finest Work Yet
Be it warnings, ruminations, or out-right demands, My Finest Work Yet feels less like something Bird wants to say and more like something he needs the rest of us to hear.
FAILURE: Wild Type Droid
Wild Type Droid, Failure's sixth overall full-length, just might be the band's most focused, artistically-potent release to date.
