We weren’t sure if Madonna could surprise us anymore. Until she did.
Lost in the Dream masterfully conveys existential ambivalence with its vast distorted spaces.
It’s hard to call to mind another contemporary artist who so deftly employs sheer balls-out guitar skill as St. Vincent.
Day one of the music portion of SXSW marks the exodus of tech geeks and hustling entrepreneurs from the fest.
The duo employs the vintage sounds of the 1970s and storytelling beats of Blaxploitation movies.
With Abandoned City, Hauschka allows himself to add a certain depth of feeling to his usual showmanship and rhythmic panache.
Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX pay homage to Amy Hecklering’s ’90s cult classic Clueless.
Mirrors the Sky hearkens back to previous generations of female singer-songwriters without ever resorting to mimicry.
At its core, Atlas is an album about relationships and the passing of time.
Mastermind often feels like the hip-hop equivalent of a commemorative march for a triumphant ruler.
G I R L may have benefitted from a few more introspective trips back to the drawing board.
The shadowy, flirtatious Present Tense is Wild Beasts’s most cohesive effort yet.
Oxymoron feels a bit like a Scarface fan living in a Godfather world.
The Soul of All Natural Things is imbued with a tokenistic exoticism that feels forced.
Blank Project’s emotional content nearly suggests not only a second act, but a second debut.
Run River North’s narratives are a far cry from the sprawling, wanton balladry of contemporary American folk music.
The subtext of St. Vincent is the formation of identity in the face of crisis.
Voices in a Rented Room sounds like it was written and recorded during the alcoholic fugue state of a lost weekend.
Katy Perry has chosen to set herself up for another public flogging by setting the video for “Dark Horse” in Memphis.
Morning Phase represents not only a return to form, but also serves as one of Beck’s most graceful efforts.
On Little Red, the consequences of Katy B’s aloofness are starting to hit home, if only in the moment.