The two-disc Scars of Man finds Panopticon separating the black metal and American folk elements of his music, rendering it generic.
Dirty Computer is Janelle Monáe’s poppiest album to date, as well as her most deeply sexual and political.
On his sophomore album, Post Malone carves out his own niche in the auto-croon field with quality trap production, strong vocal performances, and a bit of a singer-songwriter twist.
Death in Haiti is the most intriguing and affecting field recording project I’ve heard in some time.
Eat the Elephant gets off to a strong start, but begins tanking in quality at the midway point.
Hop Along’s song structures and storytelling mature on Bark Your Head Off, Dog.
Stoner metal titan Sleep makes a hell of a comeback with The Sciences, which encompasses both the band’s classic sound and influences from the members’ other creative endeavors over the past 15 years.
J. Cole brings a lot of heart and salient points on KOD, but it’s yet another mixed bag.
On Sex & Food, UMO try to convey significant political messages via an inconsequential bedroom pop sound.
Princess Nokia’s love for the emo scene can’t really be doubted, but A Girl Cried Red more often than not borders on unintentional parody.
