12 November 2019
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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Debut LP from the Kinshasa, Congo group fusing traditional Congolese rhythms with post punk and electronics
8.6
A gripping mix of excitement, apprehension and sensory overload Read Review
Furiously distorted bricolage of Afro-retro-futurism, soukous and Afrobeat Read Review
With their debut Mbongwana Star have made a really classic record for the ages, and what’s more, one that could shape a whole lot of music to come Read Review
Its superb combination of muscular groove playing with tenderness and longing is winning, and an encapsulation of the flexibility and versatility that makes Mbongwana Star such an exciting project Read Review
At its very best (see the dirty groove of ‘Kala’) this joyous carnival of sound is underpinned with a throbbing electronic heartbeat Read Review
Two forward-looking cosmopolitans (plus friends) craft new directions in urban sound Read Review
Utterly futuristic and profoundly in tune with the space age whilst also giving the distinct impression that it's been built out of rusty materials Read Review
This new incarnation of Ngambali and Nzonza's muse confidently steps outside the sometimes rather cozy confines of 'world' music and into the 21st Century Read Review
There is a menacing attraction here, and Mbongwana Star cleverly balance the sunshine vibes of soukous with the gritty reality of life in a Kinshasa slum Read Review
Fat throbbing beats and clattering Afropop rhythms with an electro-hip-hop vibe. Print edition only
Back to the future, Congolese style Read Review
Stunning collision of West African street funk and European studio craft, exhilarating! Print edition only
Fashioned from the crucible of Kinshasa’s recycle-reuse culture, this is a triumphant piece of alchemy Read Review
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Mbongwana Star: From Kinshasa
Michael Kiwanuka Kiwanuka
Michael Kiwanuka has undoubtedly created a timeless album, one made with impressive confidence Clash
A Winged Victory For The Sullen The Undivided Five
Each track of ambient duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen's The Undivided Five captures the sound of two exceptional musicians drawing in deep musical breaths and then exhaling something of lasting ethereal beauty PopMatters
Kanye West Jesus Is King
Jesus Is King made me miss so much about Kanye, but it also made me miss my faith, its greatest letdown that it wasn’t compelling enough for me to rekindle it Tiny Mix Tapes
Allah-Las LAHS
All of the tracks are driven by an effortless rhythm section. But it isn't until the middle group of tracks that LAHS begins to explore new terrain Under The Radar
Solidify their position among contemporary composers as makers of complex, transportive music Spectrum Culture
Girl Ray Girl
Girl Ray's metamorphosis is still ongoing, and that their true final form may resemble something darker and more substantial than Girl's neon reveries, diverting though they are. Print edition only Mojo
It's the perfect balance of serious pop and pop that doesn't take itself too seriously. Print edition only Q
All the crafty hooks, Haim-worthy vocal harmonies, sumptuous layers of synths and unabashedly prefab beats belie the poignant nature of Girl Ray's odes to post-millennial love and longing. Print edition only Uncut
Like watching strangers from across a dance floor DIY
The British trio have pivoted from jangly indie to pop, but the best bits of their second album lie in the spaces in between The Guardian
Girl Ray have moved out of a place of limitations into more kaleidoscopic musicality. The Observer
This is the kind of music that is best played on the dance floors that spontaneously pop up in our friends’ living rooms over cheap wine and take out. It’s not about meeting somebody new, but cherishing those that we already have Northern Transmission
Girl Ray add new dimensions to their sound, bringing bright synths and snappy beats into the mix The Skinny
Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders Get The Money
Get The Money might not set the world ablaze like the rock bands to which it is clearly indebted, but it sounds like Taylor burning one while rocking on. Which means there’s still plenty here to put a smile on your face Kerrang!
Gang Starr One Of The Best Yet
It’s refreshing to hear a purely old school style hip hop album in 2019, especially from Gang Starr - a group that nobody thought could come back. It’s as much a powerful memorial as it is a great album Gigwise
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 Ghosteen
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