Owen Maxwell

Gorillaz — Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (London, U.K.) Trapped inside while everyone else is too, Damon Albarn has somehow managed to craft one of the sharpest Gorillaz records in a while. Whether you need the quirky tones, dancing energy, worldly collaborations or just amazing songwriting, [...]

beabadoobee — Fake It Flowers (Iloilo City, Philippines/London, U.K.) Whether you're versed in all the trickled out releases or just hearing beabadoobee for the first time, it's hard to ignore how detailed and smooth the writing feels. In a record that dances between pop and rock with [...]

Alicia Keys — ALICIA (New York City) Right as her music starts getting predictable, Alicia Keys shakes things up every few years to have another record that's full of pop, but also wonder! Part theatrical, and part exploration into abrasive effects, this is a star finding new ways to make [...]

Róisín Murphy — Róisín Machine (London, U.K.) Bringing a narrative charge to the world of club-driven dance tracks, Róisín Murphy let's her music enhance the moment. Kind of like LCD Soundsystem production meeting a Kylie Minogue vocal, the whole [...]

Idles — Ultra Mono (Bristol, U.K.) Fast and brutal is the way Idles has made their music stand out, and way they've evolved is finding the power of silence. Using the ups and downs of dynamics like a sharpened blade, this band is screaming out with an utterly satisfying punk LP. Just when [...]

Cults - Host (New York City) The only thing we seem to keep with Cults between records is moody tones, and infectious harmonies, but that keeps things interesting. The orchestra-informed pop of their latest record lands between sonic experimentation and vintage pop for a weird trip through the dark. [...]

The Flaming Lips — American Head (Oklahoma City) Regardless of the overall direction of any of their recent records, there's always a sonic journey to take on a Flaming Lips album. Though they're definitely more pensive at the moment, all the Soft Bulletin-era tones and vintage rock [...]

It's been a weird time in the world period, but for touring bands the pandemic has forced them to figure out a new way of keeping busy. With time away, The Sheepdogs have found new ways of performing, making music and connecting with fans. We caught up with Sheepdogs member Ryan ahead of the band's [...]

Disclosure - Energy (Reigate, England) With an ability to spin any great singer into a dance legend, Disclosure always have some fun surprises on their record. Despite a strange crossover of Gorillaz collabs from this year, the result is a totally unique record of club beats for after our current [...]

Angel Olsen — Whole New Mess (Asheville, North Carolina) There's a magic to Angel Olsen's voice and the constantly expanding breadth of her writing that keeps every new record entrancing. What this album lacks in full-blown productions and a completely new swath of tracks, it makes up [...]