GUARDIAN MUSIC
Neuester Inhalt
Harry Styles: Harry’s House review – an abundantly charming artist so at home with pop stardom
Styles coos canny – though perhaps not especially deep – lyrics over 70s guitar and 80s hooks on a mature third album where every song feels like a single
Continue reading...The Black Keys: Dropout Boogie review – another hit and miss record
(Warner)
There are great moments, and some inane ones too, on the US rockers’ 11th studio album
The Smile: A Light for Attracting Attention review – almost as good as a new Radiohead album
(XL)
The debut album from Thom Yorke’s latest side project finds him in excellent voice, on tracks that veer from spiky post-punk to teasingly romantic
Florence and the Machine: Dance Fever review – a fly on the wall in her therapist’s office
(Polydor)
The singer spares no details on her confessional, pared-back fifth album with nods to Madonna and the Stones
Ye Vagabonds: Nine Waves review – a gently engaging follow-up
(River Lea)
Singing in English this time, and backed by Crash Ensemble, the Mac Gloinn brothers maintain their distinctive sound
Classical home listening: Beethoven’s cello and piano sonatas and more
From Kloetzel and Koenig to Weilerstein and Barnatan, a flurry of new Beethoven double acts each offer something new. And Palaver Strings revel in the work of women through the ages
Continue reading...Kendrick Lamar: Mr Morale & the Big Steppers review – rap genius bares heart, soul and mind
(pgLang/TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
After a five-year hiatus, the Pulitzer winner returns with an exhilarating epic that ties personal pain to collective trauma – and lets no one off the hook
Ethel Cain: Preacher’s Daughter review – evocative goth-pop with emotional heft
(Daughters of Cain)
The introspective singer explores identity and religion amid a backdrop of seedy Americana on this rich, haunting debut
Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis/Belladonna review | John Fordham's jazz album of the month
(Nonesuch)
The release of two contrasting albums demonstrate how far this inventive, singleminded guitarist has come, and offers a glimpse of a dazzling future
Holliger: Lunea review | Andrew Clements's classical album of the week
Christian Gerhaher/Juliane Banse/Philharmonia Zurich/Heinz Holliger
(ECM, two CDs)
Holliger’s 2018 opera, depicting episodes from the life of Austrian poet Nikolaus Lenau, is superbly presented in this live recording, with Gerhaher leading an impressive cast
The Smile: A Light for Attracting Attention review – Radiohead spinoff offers no alarms, some surprises
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood team with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner for a debut that may not be head-spinningly different, but is still exceptional
Continue reading...Arcade Fire: We review – a welcome return to form
(Columbia)
Beauty, bleakness and euphoria collide on this record of two halves
Ella Mai: Heart on My Sleeve review – everyday romance parsed with ambition
(Interscope)
The happy 90s nostalgia of the British singer-songwriter’s debut yields to the tricksy rhythms and odd magic of her follow-up
Sharon Van Etten: We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong review – mid-paced candour
(Jagjaguwar)
Holding it all together mid-pandemic, Van Etten’s sixth album of highs and lows struggles to strike a resounding chord
Wolfgang Haffner: Dream Band Live in Concert review – great grooves with big-band fire
The German jazz drummer’s seven-piece packs a mighty and accurately delivered punch in this uplifting set
Continue reading...Classical home listening: Mieczyslaw Weinberg; Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass
The Polish composer’s work for cello and orchestra gets the fine recording it deserves, while the ‘September 1927’ version of Janáček’s mass is a must for fans
Continue reading...Bad Bunny: Un Verano Sin Ti review – this is why he is the world’s biggest pop star
(Rimas Entertainment)
Hopping from psychedelia to indie-pop to woozy reggaeton, this giant album flaunts the Puerto Rican’s boundless creativity
Angeline Morrison: The Brown Girl and Other Folk Songs review | Jude Rogers's folk album of the month
(Self-released)
A collection focused on the place of people of colour in British folklore is abundant with meaning and feeling
Soft Cell: *Happiness Not Included review – synth-pop elders with an eye on the future
(BMG)
Two decades after their last album, the band return with a wryly hopeful record – and some trademark electro bangers
Samuel Barber: The Complete Songs review | Erica Jeal's classical album of the week
Bevan/Spence/Perez/Navarra String Quartet et al
(Resonus)
Every song Barber is known to have written is brought to life by 10 UK singers, including Nicky Spence and Mary Bevan