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20 April 2024

Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.

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New

Taylor SwiftThe Tortured Poets Department

"A terrific reminder of the intense, personal connection Swift can conjure in song" (10/10 - The Independent). "Surprisingly flat and, at times, cringeworthy" (6/10 - NME)

New

Pearl JamDark Matter

"It’s thrilling. It’s moving. It’s surprising. It’s a band still operating at the peaks of their powers" (10/10 - Kerrang!) "Experiment with new sonic avenues after years of playing it safe" (8/10 - NME)

New

Lucy RoseThis Ain't The Way You Go Out

"It’s hard not to be in awe of the scale of her growth and transformation" (9/10 - DIY). "Nothing here is a misfire, as Rose deftly navigates new approaches" (8/10 - All Music)

Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

RideInterplay

"When they delve into the big guitar histrionics of yesteryear, as on “Light in a Quiet Room,” the results are breathtaking" (9/10 - Under The Radar). "One of the most intriguing albums of their career to date" (8/10 - Clash)

ElbowAudio Vertigo

"This is phenomenal stuff" (10/10 - The Arts Desk). "An album that further cements their legacy" (9-10 - Clash). "It’s nice to see Elbow stepping outside their comfort zone" (8/10 - Under The Radar)

Kacey MusgravesDeeper Well

"Revels in Laurel Canyon folk and psychedelic pop on her fantastic sixth album" (10/10 - The Independent). "Ring it up as another jewel in the crown" (8/10 - The Irish Times)

Kim GordonThe Collective

"An astonishing work that’s at least as good (if not better) than some of the albums with which she made her fame and fortune" (10/10 musicOMH)

Yard ActWheres My Utopia?

"Wry, riveting, chaotic, and infectious throughout, Where's My Utopia? easily upstages what was an impressive debut" (All Music). "A resounding, charismatic and dance-heavy sophomore LP" (Paste)

Liam Gallagher & John SquireLiam Gallagher John Squire

"This is too much fun to be a one-off" (Mojo). "The half-inched tunes come and go rather forgettably but they’re charged with an electric vigour" (The Independent). OR "An excruciating exercise in bluster and swagger" (The Irish Times)

IdlesTangk

"The sound of a band who’ve finally arrived" (Northern Transmissions). "A raucous expression of love, TANGK is raw, vulnerable and inimitably IDLES" (The Skinny). "Their best yet" (The Irish Times)

Poll Of Polls 2019 No1

The ultimate, definitive Best Albums Of 2019

It's the annual ADM Poll of Polls, our roundup of the critics' end-of-year best albums lists - the ultimate, definitive Best Of The Best Ofs, 2019

We've compiled the rankings from all those magazines, newspapers and websites among our sources which publish their albums of the year. The end result is a comprehensive reflection of the critical favourites of the year. It's the ultimate, definitive "Best of the Best Albums of 2019" chart.

Sources: Clash, Consequence of Sound, Crack, Evening Standard, Gigwise, God Is In The TV, Loud And Quiet, Mojo, musicOMH, NME, Northern Transmission, No Ripcord, NOW, Paste, Pitchfork, Pop Matters, Q, Quietus, Rolling Stone, Slant, Spectrum, Sputnik, The AV Club, The Independent, The Line Of Best Fit, The Guardian, The Skinny, Uncut
(50pts are awarded to the album named No.1, 49pts to the No.2 and so on).

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1079 Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!
1006 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen
976 FKA Twigs - Magdalene
870 Angel Olsen - All Mirrors
783 Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
715 Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
659 Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow
632 Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
617 Solange - When I Get Home
611 Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel
609 Little Simz - GREY Area
608 Billie Eilish - When We Fall Asleep. Where Do We Go?
577 Big Thief - U.F.O.F.
570 Dave - Psychodrama
502 Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
485 Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
461 Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
451 slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain
424 Brittany Howard - Jaime
401 Aldous Harding - Designer
358 black midi - schlagenheim
330 Jenny Hval - The Practice of Love
311 Jenny Lewis - On the Line
309 Big Thief - Two Hands
297 Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
285 Kano - Hoodies All Summer
283 Richard Dawson - 2020
275 The National - I Am Easy to Find
272 Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
268 Julia Jacklin - Crushing
262 Jamila Woods - LEGACY! LEGACY!
253 Kim Gordon - No Home Record
236 Ariana Grande - thank u, next
236 Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars
227 Hot Chip - A Bath Full of Ecstasy
225 Cate Le Bon - Reward
224 Bon Iver - i,i
224 James Blake - Assume Form
219 Better Oblivion Community Center - Better Oblivion...
204 The Comet Is Coming - Trust in the Lifeforce...
202 (Sandy) Alex G - House of Sugar
192 Clairo - Immunity
191 Danny Brown - uknowhatimsayin¿
171 Nilüfer Yanya - Miss Universe
159 The Murder Capital - When I Have Fears
158 Taylor Swift - Lover
153 Flying Lotus - Flamagra
149 Marika Hackman - Any Human Friend
148 These New Puritans - Inside the Rose
146 Fat White Family - Serfs Up!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SEE 2009 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2010 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2011 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2012 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2013 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2014 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2015 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2016 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2017 RESULTS HERE

SEE 2018 RESULTS HERE

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Latest Reviews

Claire Rousay Sentiment

You don’t need to know exactly what she’s saying to know that it means everything Loud And Quiet

Claire Rousay Sentiment

A record that is quietly powerful in its delicate yet emotional execution. Print edition only Uncut

Claire Rousay Sentiment

There is unquestionable bravery in the access and vulnerability that sentiment communicates, and the journey into pop music is yet another promising step in rousay's always-morphing development Exclaim

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Fresh stuff

Fresh stuff

Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

"Neat summation of where they've been, while still looking forward" (10/10 - The Skinny). "Their most accomplished album yet" (9/10 - DIY). "Sprawling ode to a long-gone, old New York City" (8/10 - NME)

Maggie RogersDon't Forget Me
"The sound of an artist beginning to sink cosily into her own skin, and enjoying herself enormously in the process" (8/10 - DIY). "Perfect for blasting out on a sunny day driving along a highway" (8/10 - musicOMH)

Nia ArchivesSilence Is Loud
"This is truly an album of someone who’s grown up completely native to the information glut age" (10/10 - The Arts Desk). "Her trailblazer status has never been more assured" (9/10 - DIY)

The LibertinesAll Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade
"Their most ambitious and expansive record to date" (8/10 - The Independent). "Its 11 new tunes display energetic rock-pop hooks, plenty going on in the lyrics" (8/10 - Arts Desk)

Bob VylanHumble As The Sun
"Bob Vylan are here to make long-lasting change, and you are their army’s newest recruit" (8/10 - Clash). "Their rebellious spirit is intertwined with a sense of total, inspiring self-love" (8/10 - Kerrang!)

Sum 41Heaven :X: Hell
"A true grand finale, and it's one worth reveling in" (8.8/10 - Sputnik Music). "Without any shadow of a doubt, the album of their career. What a way to leave" (8/1- - Kerrang!)

Julia HolterSomething in the Room She Moves
"The distinct work of an unparalleled songwriting experimentalist" (9/10 - Loud And Quiet). "Warming, aqueous, immersive and endlessly engaging" (9/10 - Uncut)

Chastity BeltLive Laugh Love
"By opening up their songwriting process, the band have managed to carve out an even more singular sound" (8/10 - DIY). "Overall this record is a heady, expansive treat" (8/10 - Mojo)

Bolis PupulLetter to Yu
"Succeeds in melding melancholy with joyous electronica" (8.4/10 - Northern Transmissions). "A compelling journey of grief, loss and the effects of ancestry" (8/10 - musicOMH)

Justin TimberlakeEverything I Thought It Was
"Some focus and editing would have really helped because there's a great album buried somewhere in here" (6/10 - All Music). "Makes me want to enrol in a nunnery immediately" (4/10 - Evening Standard)

Moor MotherThe Great Bailout
"A dense and visceral history lesson from Moor Mother" (8/10 The Line Of Best Fit). "One of her most bracing works" (8/10 All Music). "A grand, artistic and political statement" (8/10 Mojo)

All-time top 10

Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.