10 November 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
Django Django Doveland
Django Django would appear to have refreshed their approach and challenged themselves to try out previously unconsidered melodic avenues The Arts Desk
Print edition only Uncut
Gilla Band Pugnello
Somewhere amidst the anarchy of Pugnello, there are gems waiting to be found. Unearthing them is well worth your time Still Listening
Greg Freeman All Set The Bone
Existentialism has a sound (and it’s hard to ignore) with Greg Freeman’s introspective All Set The Bone Still Listening
U2 Carnaval de Luz
Carnaval De Luz finds U2 50 years after their formation with the same four members and the same desire to shake things up. The album provides a convincing answer to the question of why they keep doing what they do XS Noize
Fontaines D.C. Dopamine Chamber
Fontaines D.C. push deeper into synthetic territory on Dopamine Chamber, balancing stadium-sized melodies with restless experimentation and darker texture Record Collector
They sound ambitious and engaged in their 50th year, swinging for the fences and hitting more targets than not. There’s still some gas in the tank Record Collector
La Roux Old Flames
Print edition only Record Collector
Back with her first new music in six years, La Roux's new sound explores facets of R'n'B and Europop to varying degrees of success The Skinny
La Roux turns to 90s R&B on a fourth album shaped by the end of a 17-year relationship, finding room for new beginnings beneath its layered production Still Listening
Print edition only Rolling Stone UK
Devastating moments are dressed up with warm production and kinetic 00s R&B in the now quiff-less singer’s grownup fourth album The Guardian
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Ditching erratic experimentation for an ambient concept, the indie shapeshifters' sixth album is their most coherent in years musicOMH
Doveland sounds less like a reduction of Django Django’s musical vocabulary than a more relaxed demonstration of how much they possess PopMatters
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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D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
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Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways