We weren’t sure if Madonna could surprise us anymore. Until she did.
At its best, the country supergroup’s debut employs personal stories to engage larger societal themes.
The album doesn’t so much subvert an idealistic notion of the American dream as perform a postmortem of it.
The album attempts to be something to everyone, the surest tell that it’s as much reaction as it is creation.
The singer-songwriter balances the musical warmth of her bedroom-pop influences with some heavy emotional stakes.
The album finds Justin Vernon creeping into an autumnal melancholy and turning his gaze back toward winter.
The album’s pop and synth elements mark a radical departure for the seminal rock band.
While the album may lack instant anthems, it’s still a highly consistent and satisfying rock album.
The album is steeped in warm acoustics juxtaposed by austere observations about life and love.
The album harnesses the band’s infectious enthusiasm for their material to make the familiar sound new again.
The album expands the singer’s sound while holding onto the maximalist streak that makes his work so compelling.
The singer-songwriter’s guileless musings serve as a reminder of what young, unjaded love can feel like.
The album streamlines the band’s roughhewn sound into a waxy, bland pop.
The singer-songwriter opts to spend the entirety of the album strenuously avoiding his strengths.
The album’s pitch-perfect production and riotous bombast make for a hell of a fun ride.
The album’s juxtaposition of lyrical techno-dread with austere, ghostly electronic music is satisfyingly unsettling.
There’s no denying the album’s imposing maximalism, but its bells and whistles feel like sensory overload.
The singer’s new video features a wealth of Easter eggs, hidden meanings, and cameos.
The album’s lumbering pace and homogeneity overshadow even its few gems.
The album often feels cerebral and off-kilter, and its dreamlike ambience at times turns nightmarish.
Joey Burns and Sam Beam spoke with reverence about each other, revealing their multifaceted relationship.