We weren’t sure if Madonna could surprise us anymore. Until she did.
While the single doesn’t quite match that song’s taste-making reinvention, Janet and company get an extra E for effort.
With Deja vu, Giorgio Moroder rips a page right out of the Calvin Harris/David Guetta/Steve Aoki playbook.
The apparent moral of the story? We are all Madonna. So grab your grillz and start humping the nearest wall.
Kacey Musgraves’s Pageant Material is a laidback, melodically impeccable set that makes subtle strides in developing the singer’s sound.
Florence and the Machine, Spoon, Betty Who, Brandi Carlile, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Shakey Graves, Christopher Denny, & Awolnation.
Moonbuilding 2703 AD is the Orb’s most cohesive work in ages.
Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket, Slayer, Gary Clark Jr., Bleachers, Catfish and the Bottlemen, SZA, & Phox.
Kendrick Lamar, Alabama Shakes, Against Me!, Flying Lotus, Tears for Fears, Sylvan Esso, Elle King, Earth Wind & Fire, & More.
While Young’s anger and focus are admirable, The Monsanto Years doesn’t come anywhere close to matching his passion.
Mac Demarco, Courtney Barnett, Little May, The Temples, Houndmouth, Parlour Tricks, Raury, Strand of Oaks, & More.
Though it lacks the career-spanning sprawl, Ten Songs from Live at Carnegie Hall still captures the essence of the full version of the album.
Everything Is 4 recalibrates a bit, updating Derulo’s sound to current trends with 11 precision-tooled three-minute-and-change pop songs.
Sun Kil Moon’s Universal Themes is like a diary with pages that are still blank and need to be filled up.
Ratchet attempts to reconcile Shamir the Internet Phenomenon with Shamir the Artist.
Absent the lightning-in-a-bottle voltage of their heyday, Faith No More’s Sol Invictus is shockingly no more than adequate.
Most of Dark Bird Is Home takes a tone of celebratory resignation to fate.
Why Make Sense? is Hot Chip’s characteristically polished, generously tuneful tribute to wearing your heart on your sleeve.
I Can’t Imagine opts for uncharacteristically hazy sprawl over Shelby Lynne’s usual tight focus.
Fly International Luxurious Art feels both overextended and under-conceived.
Fated is limited in scope, frustratingly laconic, and somewhat derivative, but it’s never boring.