23 March 2026
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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Mr Frank Black, reverting to his Pixies name, with a solo album of assorted rock stylings
6.7
Print edition only
The Pixies’ accursed preacher and his rasping abstracts on sex and death are inevitably, for originality and sheer visceral power, a cut above Read Review
There may never be another Pixies album, but thankfully Black Francis is again drawing from the same creative wel Read Review
A slightly off-centre, messed-up yet ultimately hugely moving and genuinely felt and expressed love letter of an album, it is music to bring gladness to the heart and soul as much as to any baser of the body’s regions Read Review
While it’ll probably be forgotten in the wake of the next 17 or so albums he releases this decade, chances are it’ll stand out as one of his better ones Read Review
Nobody is going to mistake this for a great album, but NonStopErotik really peaks and flows well while having enough to make it worth an additional spin or two Read Review
Reaffirms Black Francis’ place as a great songwriter in the rock pantheon Read Review
If the Pixies ever recorded a new album it would probably sound like ‘NonStopErotik’ Read Review
He may never blowtorch the listener again like he did in those early days of the Pixies, but he still has more ideas per record than most bands have in their entire careers Read Review
Frank Black has finally turned in the greatest number of memorable tunes ever amassed on a FB/BF release; NonStopErotik deserves to turn heads Read Review
NonStopErotik aims to be a fast-paced, smutty guitar-rock album, and it hits that without any trouble Read Review
While it won't make you forget the Pixies, some of it seems specifically designed to bring them to mind Read Review
Black Francis running on half a tank still sounds better than most bands gunning at full throttle Read Review
It never really goes anywhere and fails to muster any emotion or energy Read Review
A collection of songs inspired by his love of the female anatomy. As if that concept alone didn't reek of impending mid-life crisis, the actual music is even more shagged-out Read Review
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Black Francis: Nonstoperotik
Ladytron Paradises
In an age when production is deliberately designed not to disturb listeners, Paradises may prove popular The Arts Desk
The cover artwork to Ladytron’s latest record Paradises adopts mind trickery by showing two hands touching through a triangle shape that looks both like a reflective mirror and a translucent window. Befitting artwork to hint at the content inside the triad’s album, which often takes the listener to places that are up to one’s own imagination and interpretation God Is In The TV
Ladytron head for the disco and relive the fun of 90s clubland The Skinny
Maybe Paradises could have been trimmed down a little, but their contagious creative zeal is apparent throughout its entirety. Ladytron have secured their iconic status once again, ensuring they become a cult band for an entirely new generation, or maybe more Under The Radar
The track I See Red radiates synth euphoria but the Pet Shop Boys-ish Death In London and single Kingdom Undersea are more about introspection than rapture. Print edition only Mojo
Momentum sags somewhat over its lengthy duration - but it also unquestionably features some of their finest, and funkiest, work to date. Print edition only Uncut
BTS ARIRANG
The group's journey to global domination has been nothing short of extraordinary, so it’s fitting that they have delivered an album that is of similarly epic proportions Rolling Stone UK
The barrier-breaking K-Pop icons return with a blockbuster album Clash
Ending a hiatus that began in 2022, the septet recapture a distinctiveness that had been threatening to ebb away The Guardian
Seven members attack the music with a ferocity that feels earned and personal. The album feels more often like seven individuals with real chemistry than one polished unit. The solo years gave each member a sharper creative identity, and RM’s instincts hold the whole thing together Consequence Of Sound
On its blockbuster return, the world's biggest band stresses group identity and South Korean roots, while pushing the songs into adventurous new territory Rolling Stone
Brigitte Calls Me Baby Irreversible
Irreversible sounds like a dead end: a lethargic monument to hollow style over substance, entirely on brand for a band that saddled their debut with one of the more ridiculous, faux-philosophical titles of recent years. It is a meaningless shell of a record with few, if any, redeeming features No Ripcord
Ora Cogan Hard Hearted Woman
In a time that can appear bent on applauding cynicism Cogan chooses curiosity. Her songs look straight into the abyss and still reach out for colour The Line Of Best Fit
Shabaka Of The Earth
On his first true solo album, Shabaka unites beats, flutes and saxophone (and some rap) Spectrum Culture
The Orielles Only You Left
As with the rest of their discography, The Orielles once again prove that you don’t always have to follow along with the masses to make good music Beats Per Minute
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.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Rosalía Lux
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Hayley Williams Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways