review
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Thanks to Thin Black Duke‘s lavish orchestration and tour-de-force vocal performances from frontman Eugene Robinson, eminent underground rock outfit Oxbow has delivered a comeback album that leaves me lost for words for all the right reasons.
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Maryland trio Dying Fetus comes through with one of the best brutal death metal albums I’ve heard since their last album back in 2012.
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Vic Mensa’s long-awaited debut album delivers its fair share of grand and thoughtful highs, but also some cringe-worthy lows.
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Portland’s own Aminé sells himself short on his mellow studio debut, Good for You.
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Everything Now finds Arcade Fire making a bolder and tighter move in a dance music direction than on Reflektor, but unfortunately it’s even more of a mixed bag.
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Nine Inch Nails follows up last year’s Not the Actual Events EP with a moodier and more atmospheric set of tracks, which I don’t find to be quite as well-written or exciting.
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The first half of Raskit is some of the most hard-nosed grime you’ll hear all year, as well as some of Dizzee Rascal’s strongest material since Boy in da Corner. Unfortunately, things go downhill fast shortly thereafter…
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Shabazz Palaces return with deeply flawed twin concept albums.
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Seasoned metalcore outfit Integrity emphasizes their metal side on the dark and diverse Howling, for the Nightmare Shall Consume.
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While Lust for Life might be Lana Del Rey’s weakest attempt at reconciling her old school and new school influences, it’s also the first time I’ve come away from one of her albums with more highlights than lowlights.
