25 September 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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An eight-part modern classical / instrumental folk suite featuring piano and an array of other orchestral instruments from the composer and 12-string guitar virtuoso
7.3
There is definitely something heart-wrenchingly cinematic about the music Read Review
Blackshaw’s musical interests stretch far beyond the guitar. Successfully combining these interests to create the impressive All Is Falling may well be his greatest success of all Read Review
Although Blackshaw is primarily a guitarist, this is not simply a 'guitar record' ... Blissful listening Read Review
A chattering crescendo of melody and tension, with piano-based snowdrifts giving way to Morricone epics that ultimately unfold into a harrowing, nail-biting sonic swarm Read Review
The music seems to flow seamlessly, with Blackshaw's characteristic ebb and flow approach to arrangement superbly demonstrated on a grander scale Read Review
A singular vision for guitar-based folk-into-classical music Read Review
They are ... good ideas, and Blackshaw is getting better at realizing them. On All Is Falling, Blackshaw seems more in control Read Review
He retains his fluency and All Is Falling is an accomplished leap Read Review
[He] is slowly creating a series of beautiful, self contained semi classical, folk based records ... All is Falling may be his most accessible yet Read Review
Even if not entirely electrifying, Blackshaw still manages to tap into deep emotional and intellectual currents, which makes for a worthwhile but exhausting experience Read Review
Shows that James Blackshaw is more than just the brilliant guitar player we’ve known as: he is also a bracing and highly skilled composer Read Review
You have the real sense of Blackshaw as a musician and composer in a process of constant evolution, and it’s a fascinating and melancholy pleasure to hear his journey Read Review
All His Falling -- his eighth studio album -- finds him in true composer’s clothes, directing a small string section to accompany his guitar and piano Read Review
Print edition only
While the gorgeous resonance of Blackshaw’s acoustic tone is missed, the toothier tone of the electric 12-string suits this material well Read Review
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James Blackshaw: All Is Falling
Blondshell Violins
On her third album, Sabrina Teitelbaum fights to strike a balance between savage beauty and jagged home truths NME
Everything great about Blondshell is present on ‘Violins’, but it feels sharper, more adventurous and more assured then ever before Clash
LA alt-rock singer Blondshell trades plain-speaking lyricism for something more abstract, while Irish rock band Gurriers cut through the noise with their ambitious second album The Independent
While trying to find and assert herself, the song has her imagining walking down the aisle to Beethoven's Für Elise, even though no one, including her, would pick it as a wedding song All Music
An often-delicate inward vision that pairs frustration with beauty DIY
It's in her ability to take the everyday experience and turn it into an epic noise that Violins finds its sweet spot The Line Of Best Fit
It would be unfair to call Violins Blondshell’s finest work to date, given the strength of her previous albums. What’s clear, though, is that it’s every bit as good as what came before Under The Radar
Protomartyr Hotel Usona
The album is more eerie in tone than its predecessors, like a distant alarm sounding, trying to amplify the sounds we cannot hear Northern Transmissions
It’s a bleak listen, sure, but Protomartyr haven’t ever been the comforting types. In fact, they’ve chosen the perfect time to double down on their righteous anger and despair, and if everything were to come to a catastrophic end right now, you’ve got the perfect soundtrack for it Far Out
For newcomers, it's a perfectly moody entry point. Hotel Usona is the sound of a band settling into their own skin, creating a space that's uniquely theirs and generously sharing the key Exclaim
From singer Joe Casey’s handmade album artwork to drummer Alex Leonard’s impish, kinetic inversions of classic post-punk rhythm, the Detroit band crafts an austere, unflinching record as bleak as it is cathartic Paste Magazine
This is not a hotel you'd want to stay at any time soon, but it's a remarkable record to spend time with. Print edition only Uncut
Under dim hotel lights, Casey’s lyricism appears foreboding and alien in a way it never has before The Line Of Best Fit
Ezra Collective Here Because of Hope
Arguably the biggest jazz band in the country return with an album that shows off both their exuberant and more reflective sides musicOMH
The measure of any great concept-driven record is its feel from start to finish, and Here Because Of Hope absolutely delivers here—a rewarding, balanced, and thoughtful work, framed expertly by spoken word and guest vocal spots. And crucially, brimming with hope No Ripcord
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.
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Kendrick Lamar Damn.
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Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
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Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways