Kinsella's intelligent reinterpretations of the works of his contemporaries seem like they might represent a nice point of entry for those ready to delve into his work as Owen.

We never know what’s going to happen. Instead, we are merely left to wonder and observe.

Man It Feels Like Space Again is an astonishing confident record. Even though the textural palettes are familiar, especially to those who have been lapping up the psychedelic soup of Tame Impala, Pond and their Perth based contemporaries, the songwriting craftsmanship and vibe of every track varies from the last.

While AFI (The Blood Album) may not have the mainstream crossover potential that the band enjoyed a decade ago with Sing the Sorrow and DECEMBERUNDERGROUND, it is still a highly enjoyable album that both diehard fans and anyone looking for massive rock hooks alike should enjoy, despite faltering a bit toward the end.

Uniquely with Mess, they've instead dealt with the most colossal environment, making a grander statement about the aphotic bleakness of society in the process

Backwater being their most complete and mature release to date, the band’s creative dynamic remains organic and allows them to adjust themselves to a rhythm of their choosing, as they evolve as musicians and as a two-piece band with a wide range of possibilities.

McMahon’s record here is a more challenging listen than most, but you won’t know it at first. You’ll be enamored with the sunshine atop the themes of pain and love. Returning to reveal the darker elements is not a prerequisite for enjoyment, but keeps Freedom engaging long after the first listen.

Whilst not enjoying the same amount of attention or hype as her first few releases, My Wild West finds Lissie experimenting but still within the confines of her slick pop writing. It's an album made by an artist who is still top of her game.

Passionate vocals and gritty guitar-driven melodies brings the album to life, reminding us of the reason the band have been successfully taking the industry by storm.

This isn’t an album of ‘Crazy In Love’ or ‘Drunk In Love’ successors. It’s an album of love, and all the forms it can take in and outside of you.

The somewhat dated soundscape presents the album one relative weakness, but truthfully, sticking to her guns serves Allen and No Shame just fine, with the clear spotlight allowed for her vocals.

As Bazan embraces his current self by looking at his former, we learn the story of his life, and by the time the 14 tracks of Phoenix are over the picture is clear.

Seinabo Sey clearly has a fully formed vision in her head of where she wants to take herself musically and Pretend proves that it's just a matter of time before she finally arrives at that place.

For the most part, the album sears with sharp-witted tales of urban life set to a tense and restrained musical background but there is a waning of the insistent energy towards the album’s end.

It is shocking, it's exciting and it doesn't attempt to give any easy answers or clues as to its real intentions.

The main take away from The Straight Hits! is that Josh T. Pearson has a lot more facets to his music than he may have previously let on.

Wanderlust has more hits than misses, and clearly places Sophie Ellis-Bextor as a versatile artist that can successfully step outside her musical comfort zone with ease.

Pursuit of Momentary Happiness is neither a mere regurgitation of Alas Salvation, nor does it send the band in a completely new direction altogether--instead, it showcases a steady yet unhurried matureness emanating from Oli Burslem's bittersweet Iggy-meets-Lou vocals (he is indeed a talented crooner, and 'Words Fail Me' is one of the most romantic tunes I've heard recently) and the overall tight sonic deliver that ultimately allows for a détente of the listener, who in their turn realises they needn't be afraid to find any uncomfortable gaps.

It's an album that wonderfully conjures up the cauldron of emotions that came from those first steps out into the great unknown: the dangers, the excitement, the belief that anything is possible.

Club Meds is deliberately dense and cluttered and at times confusing. The fact that it manages to be beautiful and intriguing at the same time is quite a feat.

Darker Days is colourful and playful but Morén’s beautifully ornamented vocal builds stretch through any presumptions of an album of “Young Folks” into a reflection on our demons and counter measures.

Concerns over the band’s changing sound are summarily squashed under the furore of their zipping forward with the energy and heft of a dozen motorcycles.

Steve Gunn’s music is not showy and it doesn’t attempt to attract attention, despite the expansive and expert playing involved throughout. Like Gunn himself, The Unseen In Between is happy to wait for you to come to it, and if you happen to pass on by, then that’s your loss.

While not everything here measures up to the album's highlights, this is still an enjoyable and mostly solid effort that doesn't stray too far from what Mould has done best over the last few decades.

Crab Day is an idiosyncratic and imaginative record, with fresh highlights appearing on every listen.

Hawthorne has once again proved himself as a superb purveyor of funky jams that will please the ear and the spirit.

The L-Shaped Man makes for a fascinating homage to the band that spawned a million t-shirts. How Ceremony will fit many of these new songs into their set lists without creating an odd pace remains to be seen, but the group has clearly attempted to showcase their veneration and done so with conviction.

Right now, it can feel like every artistic statement is part of a grand commentary on our collective entropy. Joan Shelley plays on all of our nostalgia for calmer days. Her latest album is great shelter from the gathering storm.

Aviary is an incredibly immersive voyage and arguably her greatest achievement. In fact, it wouldn’t be too bold to say this is an Art pop masterpiece via one of the best songwriters alive—it’s just not for everyone, and Holter is ok with that.

Title aside, Collapse affirms the stability of the Aphex Twin name.

Overall Another Life sounds like an illegal broadcast from an underground collective looking to inspire a revolution within those of a similar mindset. It may sound austere and unwelcoming, but if you’re on Amnesia Scanner’s wavelength then you’ll naturally tune into their determinedly experimental sound, and within it find a freedom and a groove that speaks to a different way of being.

Moh Lhean sounds just as complete as any other WHY? record. This album is the mark of a man who knows where he is in life.

There are certainly enough signs to suggest that Twerps can join the pantheon of great Australian janglers, and there is no doubting that they have talent and energy to burn.

Liquid Cool has a raw honesty to it that comes from stripping back the instrumentals.

Cameron’s reach for the stars will be a divisive listen. He pulls no punches in creating this character, and the ugly language used to do so, will be viewed as unnecessary by some. But it all hangs together pretty well to create a set of songs that largely transcend the lame pastiches that they can stray close to being.

He is constantly blowing up what’s good about his work, adding extraneous parts, going on wild tangents, obfuscating emotional truth with impenetrable verbosity, veering from good taste to bad in the blink of an eye, or reinventing his band’s sound wholesale. While this impulse doesn’t always translate to an enjoyable experience for the listener, and can be especially trying for longtime fans, who can become overly attached to what they would consider to be Of Montreal’s definitive sound, there’s no denying that Barnes takes your ears to places they’ve likely never been before. There won’t be another album that comes out this year that sounds like White is Relic/Irrealis Mood.

It's sugar-coated sweetness with a psych-haze CS gas drizzle. It's unnerving as you're not quite sure where it's going to go next--it is unnerving, to a degree, but also an intrinsic part of their appeal.

Generally speaking, Ambitions manages to boast Prins Thomas, and all of his varying interests, at their best. There’s no hesitate to be found here, only a constantly moving narrative and sublime certainty of intent.

Operator is a very strong and interesting record, mixing glittery platforms with darker horizons. It is also a very "safe" one, for it sounds very calculated and lacking in risk.

While this is also an explicitly more cathartic album than past releases, Schrader’s words sometimes are either difficult to fully parse or don’t pack the oomph they could. These flaws aside, Riddles required Schrader and Rice to take a gamble, and it’s one that paid off.

All in all--strong lyrics, powerful vocal harmonies and unpredictable melodies make Choir of Echoes a fascinating, enjoyable listen.

It's not a radical upheaval and it's nothing especially new--at least as far as Yorke's output is concerned-- but then it doesn't have to be; he's been pioneering an often-unique sound for so long now that I'm just happy to have some other songs to listen to.



It may well be overwhelming in the moment, but Migos have provided us with a lot to unpack as we await whatever comes next. Chances are, you'll like this album far more after the glut of material becomes a tad less staggering over some months.

He's far too savvy to stagnate. And as long as he keeps making records like this one--so palatable they might be guilty pleasures were they not so rooted in pristine indiepop--his music will remain relevant.

It’s full of layers and little emotions, rather than just being a slave to the bigger issues and emotions, and that’s what makes it authentic.

The most exciting thing about the soundtrack for Good Time is just how kinetic it is.

These are sprightly, assured, gratifying pop songs, pirouetting with enough agitated inventiveness to ensure each run is sunny, surprising, and fluently fun; a damn fine Summer record.

If there is a criticism to be made, it is that at times the whole thing can be a little too low-key.

Compassion is Lust For Youth's most compact album, with only 8 tracks, and benefits from its trim nature.

There is no denying that Loom is a beautifully fragile album.

As with their previous releases, Arms Around A Vision suffers slightly from lacking a style and sound distinct from its easy to spot influences, but where it also differs is that it marks the turning point where Girls Names are starting to figure out exactly what kind of band they really sound like.

Keepsake feels a bit more akin to a tentative step forward than a leap into the stratosphere, but for a debut it's stuffed with endless charm and promise.

Everything Else Matters is an inventive, often genuinely exciting blend of noise and pop sensibilities not really heard since the early days of Lush.

Contrasting One True Pairing’s sleek sound, Fleming is consistently willing to dampen the mood with world weary, starkly honest observations as to our current cultural reality. Whether it’s toxic masculinity, paranoia, or an all too real fear of global collapse, the record lays all things bare.

Menace Beach’s Black Rainbow Sound is one of the most accessible and thrilling noise rock albums out there at the moment, and it's not even close.

With the exception of the chart beckoning 'Out of My head' with Tove Lo, every track here has the structure of subverted pop destined for the decades beyond.

Although it brings nothing new sonically, Jellies is a magnificent example of how a déjà-vu doesn't have to be a mere repetition: it constructs instead of occupying, pays tribute instead of mimetising, carries on instead of resurrecting.

Goodbye Terrible Youth is not a perfect record by any means--but it is an emotional record, and an affecting one at that.

A whole album of bare arrangements might have been too much to take, but The Fact Facer applies variety and imagination throughout, which doesn't dilute the melancholy, yet ensures that the album doesn't become an overbearing listen.

Beach Music, which is a deceivingly simple title for an album of such depth, is the best collection yet from a young musician who has clearly honed on something truly worth noting.

Although Stuff Like That There drags a bit, it's lovely to think that Yo La Tengo parse through their history as closely as their biggest fans do.

It's a good album, full of high points, but it never excites in the way it threatens to.

L’Orange L’Orange doesn’t exist in one place or detail specific events, which is to say it’s a fine contrast to the 21st century’s culture of volume. It simply is, and that gives it grace.

It’s short, powerful, and set to turn your insides out.

As far as debuts go, Boxed In practically oozes potential. Bayston is a master craftsman, and Boxed In is dangerously close to harnessing his full potential.

Favouring whirligig aimlessness, knock knock doesn’t repurpose electronic music like Amygdala; but in avoiding “things and sounds,” it never has aspirations otherwise. Pleasure both innocent and decadent is its prerogative.

They effortlessly shift between the twinkling and sparse to the thundering and assertive. The Planet continues their crusade of love from their debut album.

LUMP is a creation that both composers stressed passed through them and they look upon parentally and this is evident as an articulation of the artistic detail of the contemporary, through Lindsay’s colourful soundscapes.

The differences are subtle, and calculated steps as opposed to humongous leaps, but they achieve bright results--it's like the relationship between butterflies and hurricanes.

I’ve listened to Other People’s Lives more than ten times and I honestly couldn’t say definitively what I think. It’s very good. It’s very familiar. If this is what they can do on a debut, who knows where they can go?

NEHRUVIANDOOM is not the album to catapult Bishop Nehru into the mainstream but it's an invaluable step in his hip-hop education.

The restraint and delicate nature of their performances compliment Stephanie Dose's voice and help showcase her unusual style of singing.

Ultimately, A flame my love, a frequency is an intimate voyage of a single human soul through nature, and the minimalistic synth compositions she has used to render this prove to be an ideal vessel.

Enjoyment of Mercy as a whole hinges on whether you consider the boyish, faltering vocal to be strong or cheesy.

The music here may float into the ear canal, but Emily King is anything but feather light. She crafts what can only be called humane pop, and it seeks to understand. Gentle music that, should you let your guard down, may just leave you stunned.

Beach Slang's over-the-top, music-as-cure-all formula is delivered with such heartfelt sincerity that even the most stubborn folks must feel the need to jump around.

A condensed but still very enjoyable facsimile of Snaith's multi-faceted, technical and tasteful dancefloor oriented abilities.

All in all, HiiDE presents a diverse enough collection so as to be difficult to describe in the brief, simple terms of this review. Nonetheless, it represents a cohesive, intriguing debut album that foreshadows a tantalizing, unpredictable future for BABii. We'd all be wise to stay tuned.

King’s Mouth has moments of pure joy and feels timeless in many ways, and for that Coyne and co. should be applauded.

Just about every song on Marble Skies is successful. The unfortunate outlier is ‘Surface to Air,’ which features Slow Club’s Rebecca Taylor on lead vocals. The second track on the album, it’s a full-length number that feels like an interlude that outstayed its welcome.

The quiet build on 'Where I Lay' gives way to a gorgeous explosion of pianos and drums with haunting harmonies that, more than anything, signals just how much Broderick has grown as a composer and vocalist in the space between albums.

Good Fruit is an album that wears its emotions on its sleeve, but never overplays them. Far from insistent, it’s perfectly pleased to offer just what you need, and nothing more. Take from it what you will.

It shows that she can create a cohesive album by playing out the songs she wrote. But while the poetry and the music are there and played correctly, there is that last little bit of magic missing.

Much of the record maintains a high tempo in line with the singles released so far, but interestingly it’s the one real downer that provides the album’s standout moment.

Islands is truly singular work, emotionally affecting, funky, infectious and philosophical.

One of the most sincere sonic statements of the year.

This Is Not The End doesn’t so much land on its feet as delicately drift into its aptly morose, pop punky pose, assured without a scent of try-hard, an almost jarring naturalism.

The result is that, after a succession of disappointing pastiches, the boys have gone back to the good old days, and reawakened a three-headed monster.

The sheer solidity of The Body's sound seems to erase all thoughts of humanity and in the end all we are left with are the machines and the monuments, forgotten relics that in time will be destroyed as well.

While this sound is by no means new or challenging, it is a lasting one, ensuring that Mondanile's work is always relevant (especially when the clouds disappear).

If each of these eleven songs didn't deviate from their affective formula until now, there's not much reason to change it up. I do wish I could hear more lyrics and emotional sentiment.

You will hear better records than The Scene Between this year; none will put a bigger smile on your face.

The back half of tracks plays out like a rehashing of the first half more than an expansion on them, and Ribbons suffers from it. ... Still, the inviting nature of this record is well worth the time.

The comforting warmth of cassette fuzz binds itself to the entire work, making the gamble an intimate experience akin to anything that Nils Frahm has laid his hands on. This has allowed nonkeen to find the perfect balance between experimental and familiar.

There is a wide-eyed optimism pulsing through the heart of it which, twinned with Jens’ lovelorn, quirky poetry, is a sincere, open-hearted invitation. The least it deserves is the same uncynical embrace from the listener.

FROOT is her strongest album to date.

When Piñata's 61 minutes is up it instantly feels like you've heard it 61 times. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's more of a realisation that you knew what was coming and you enjoyed it

The chamber ensemble expanded the possibilities for them immensely, but it’s unnecessarily timid at times. Overall, though, Rotations is a successful venture from a duo who have carved a niche but refuse to just whittle mindlessly.