23 May 2013
Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 publications worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.
Browse specific styles
EP from the Scottish indie / folk band features a contribution from Aidan Moffat
7.5
Though the band’s sound has become more expansive and cinematic, Hutchinson’s vocals and lyrics have lost none of their sharpness or striking bleakness Read Review
It’s part of a grand tradition of U.K. miserablism, from Arab Strap to The Smiths, and it’s fantastic. And sad Read Review
Frightened Rabbit are consistent and important, ever proving their worth as one of Scotland’s most profoundly talented ensembles Read Review
Touches on war, love, lust, and the perks of minimalism in this generation, in just twenty short minutes Read Review
Thankfully, a return to the sort of form that once had singer Scott Hutchison touted as one of the UK’s most expressive lyricists Read Review
State Hospital is the sound of a band renewed, invigorated and impassioned and pretty damned far from selling out Read Review
Consider the appetite well and truly whet: now then lads, what about that album? Read Review
Even if four of these five songs on State Hospital are just castaways not included on the next year’s record, this EP still manages to flow just fine on its own Read Review
Unlike some previous recordings; it’s well-rounded and welcoming, which is possibly attributed to the band sharing songwriting duties with Hutchison for the first time Read Review
If these are the off-cuts from the album then we can hope for another solid release from the Scotsmen, to say the least Read Review
This is an album's cutting room floor yet each song still retains Hutchison's instantly recognisable Scottish drawl, infectious hooks and intelligent lyrics Read Review
While State Hospital lacks for pure visceral pleasure, Hutchison can still convey such a deep, muscular ache in his vocals, indicating that Frightened Rabbit still know their strengths Read Review
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Frightened Rabbit: State Hospital
Laura Marling Once I Was An Eagle
Her best album yet; better individual songs may lie elsewhere, but her new record's cohesive nature makes it much more of an adventure than what came before The 405
Majical Cloudz Impersonator
A beautifully crafted album that teases at a big moment that never seems to come. The close of each song suggests that the following track will bear the climactic fruit Impersonator consistently promises Pretty Much Amazing
Mount Kimbie Cold Spring Fault Less Youth
One of the most engaging dance albums you're likely to hear this year This Is Fake DIY
Dirty Beaches Drifters/Love Is The Devil
It sounds intensely personal because it is — these are the kind of songs people record for themselves. Fortunately, Hungtai has let us into his world Consequence Of Sound
30 Seconds To Mars Love Lust Faith
Safe and samey and lacks the sense of drama upon which they've built their audience The Digital Fix
Ensemble Pearl Ensemble Pearl
A soundtrack for what sounds like the most melancholy, unsettling haunted house story ever Blurt
Primal Scream More Light
Primal Scream’s ninth studio album will probably do little more than enshrine them in the musical middle-ground State
Sam Amidon Bright Sunny South
A truly sincere and beautiful album The Line Of Best Fit
The Fall Re-Mit
As with nearly all of the Fall, this album does what it wants to do, forcing the listener to submit to its terms Pop Matters
Bright Sunny South is full of these unhurried, easy moments, and succeeds because of it Pop Matters
Flawed yet with some redemption, Love Lust Faith + Dreams is a mixed effort Pop Matters
More robust and eccentric than anything he's ever released before Pitchfork
The National Trouble Will Find Me
This is The National’s 4th or 5th comfortably strong album in a row, another slight variation on a tried-and-true theme No Ripcord
Majical Cloudz are far from the first to bring about a warming sense of humanity through electronic music, but rarely do you see a synth-based “singer-songwriter” album pulled off so convincingly No Ripcord
A masterpiece Daily Telegraph
The French duo's 4th album has picked up a good number of 10/10 and 9/10 ratings, but also a handful of 6/10s. Responses range from those who see it as an album that will still be being listened to a decade hence and others who are left thinking "is that it?"
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past four years or so
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Anaïs Mitchell Hadestown
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
PJ Harvey Let England Shake
My Bloody Valentine mbv
Ry Cooder Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down
Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city
Arcade Fire The Suburbs
Tom Waits Bad As Me
Janelle Monáe The ArchAndroid
