21 April 2018
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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Our archive of chart news from the past, and present.
DRINKS Hippo Lite
What initially appears whimsical and slight becomes more charming with each spin The FT
Something new on every listen DIY
Alexis Taylor Beautiful Thing
It doesn’t always quite hit those high notes, but the pair have set out to create a sometimes elusive feeling of connection DIY
Taylor sounds pretty emotional, a sadness underscoring his signature vocals throughout A.V. Club
A Perfect Circle Eat The Elephant
That nothing here much resembles the band’s heyday hits is theoretically admirable; this is not the work of a lazy nostalgia act. But as end-of-the-world music goes, it’s more whimper than bang A.V. Club
Tesseract Sonder
Sonder is a logical next step for TesseracT, one that stands on par with anything they've previously released, yet evidences more authority, musical restlessness, and sonic multi-dimensionality than anything in their previous catalog All Music
Old Crow Medicine Show Volunteer
Old Crow Medicine Show feel focused and fully realized, as if they're just hitting their stride after two decades in the business All Music
Like Hermits on Holiday, it's first-rate experimental rock made by two musicians with interesting, complicated ideas and the skills to bring them to life All Music
They continue to set themselves apart from their modern prog metal counterparts with Sonder, continuing a confident push into quieter spaces Exclaim
Too dislocated and confused to warrant unpicking NME
This album adds yet further lustre to the burgeoning catalogue of a band that seems utterly incapable of making anything even resembling a wrong step The Music
A stout following will linger on something like atmospherics only so long before they start to yearn for something more Sputnik Music (staff)
Somewhat of an artefact of a time forgotten with some good songs, some truly horrible ones, and some that just don’t seem possible Earbuddy
Rival Consoles Persona
One of his most evocative and ambitious so far The 405
Poor by most standards, not just for seasoned pros like Le Bon and Presley The 405
"It's surely the party of the year" - The Skinny's verdict on the debut LP from the Melbourne-based dance-pop quartet while The Guardian say it's "a sophisticated and skilful distillation of dance-pop joy"
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past eight years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Anaïs Mitchell Hadestown
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Leonard Cohen You Want It Darker
Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell
Mount Eerie A Crow Looked at Me