Punk
Kawaii has taken on a whole life of its own, permeating through all facets of Japanese popular culture: manga, clothing, toys, candy. All of it is influenced by and propagates the idea of kawaii. It's ubiquitous, inescapable, suffocating. It's everywhere. And while it's the driving force behind the behemoth that is J-Pop, fast becoming a worldwide phenomenon, there are emerging strains of music in which the idea of kawaii is being rebelled against...
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Groove Denied
However, there were clues that he was thinking about a left turn, from the autotune tomfoolery of "Rattler" to the classic arcade neon designs of the tour merch. We should have seen Groove Denied coming. This is not a drill folks, Malkmus - he of the scarecrow lankiness and lovely shagginess - has gone and made a record that has about as much in common with the sounds of Sheffield in the early '80s as it does with The Grateful Dead. In other words,...
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Plastic Anniversary
Plastic Anniversary is the newest addition to Matmos ' ever-growing canon of unconventional sample-based concept records. Following on from 2016's critically acclaimed Ultimate Care II (an album made entirely of washing machine samples) Matmos ' latest effort sees them embracing a slightly less limited sound palette - plastic. The field recording virtuosos have built this record from samples of anything and everything plastic, ranging from exercise...
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There Will Be No Intermission
The irony of this is not lost on me: As I sat to translate my notes to sentences, "Bigger on the Inside" piano-plucking through my headphones, I was faced with unsolicited advances in a park. I thought, as Amanda Palmer sang, "I think it's funny that he asked me/ cos I don't feel like a fighter lately/ I am too unhappy", she's right. Life provides no breaks to any of us. By all means, There Will Be No Intermission is Palmer's chef d'œuvre. Combining...
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Latest releases in Music Critic's Pop/Rock Category See all Pop/Rock New Releases >>
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Punk
Chai -
Lux Prima
Karen O -
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1
Foals -
Beware of the Dogs
Stella Donnelly -
There Will Be No Intermission
Amanda Palmer
Latest releases in Music Critic's Rock Category See all Rock New Releases >>
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Bad Witch
Nine Inch Nails -
Consolation [EP]
Protomartyr -
Angels of Death
Jennifer Castle -
Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
Arctic Monkeys -
Boarding House Reach
Jack White
Latest releases in Music Critic's Rap Category See all Rap New Releases >>
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Psychodrama
Dave -
Death Race for Love
Juice WRLD -
Grey Area
Little Simz -
Rap Or Go To The League
2 Chainz -
Big Bad
Giggs
Latest releases in Music Critic's Country Category See all Country New Releases >>
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Girl
Maren Morris -
Sky Blue
Townes van Zandt -
Interstate Gospel
Pistol Annies -
She Remembers Everything
Rosanne Cash -
Desperate Man
Eric Church
Latest releases in Music Critic's R&B Category See all R&B New Releases >>
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Nick Waterhouse
Nick Waterhouse -
When I Get Home
Solange -
American Love Call
Durand Jones & the Indications -
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,
Vols. 1 & 2 [Reissue]
Ray Charles -
Hello Happiness
Chaka Khan
Latest releases in Music Critic's Jazz Category See all Jazz New Releases >>
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Bitter-Sweet
Bryan Ferry -
Anne
Joseph Shabason -
The Capitol Studios Sessions
Jeff Goldblum -
Thought Gang
Thought Gang -
Universal Beings
Makaya McCraven
Latest releases in Music Critic's Blues Category See all Blues New Releases >>
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This Land
Gary Clark, Jr. -
Please Don't Be Dead
Fantastic Negrito -
King of Boogie [Craft] [Box Set]
John Lee Hooker -
Trails & Tribulations
Martin Simpson -
Joy Comes Back
Ruthie Foster
Latest releases in Music Critic's Electronic Category See all Electronic New Releases >>
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To Believe
The Cinematic Orchestra -
Plastic Anniversary
Matmos -
Death Becomes Her
Angel-Ho -
For Lovers [EP]
Octo Octa -
In a Paraventral Scale [EP]
Lee Gamble
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