False Alarm
With 2016's Gameshow, Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club moved away from the kinetic post-punk of their early years and embraced a synthy, vintage disco vibe. On their follow-up, 2019's brightly-attenuated False Alarm, they further develop this approach doubling down on the synths with an even more stylized brand of '80s new wave-inspired dance-pop. Once again working with producer Jacknife Lee (who previously helmed all but one of their albums), bandmates...
Read more
Years to Burn
Ever since their 2005 collaboration on the In the Reins EP, Iron & Wine's Sam Beam wanted to work again with Calexico's Joey Burns and John Covertino on another record, and vice versa. The holdup was the busy work and life schedules of the three simpatico musicians; it took many years until they could find time to rekindle the creative spark that they had shown on the EP. They finally were able to clear some precious schedule space and in late...
Read more
The Book Of Traps and Lessons
Stark, intimate, and crammed with difficult truths, Kate Tempest's third album holds up a mirror to reveal our most vulnerable reflections. Like a beat reporter to the soul, the London native investigates with uncanny intuition the interior dialogues, self-destructive habits, and beautiful follies of human nature and spits them back at us in gut-punch moments of warning, recognition, and clarity. Nearly three years on from 2016's similarly affecting...
Read more
Madame X
Her provocateur credentials are revitalised to an extent on Madame X, with socio-political themes embedded in its essence and current societal discord interpreted through an inimitable dystopic lens. A chameleon-like reputation for reinvention is secured and self-referenced, as she occupies various personas, such as a head of state, a freedom fighter and a spy in the house of love. This consistent transience extends beyond its premise to a multilingual...
Read more
NEW RELEASES
- Pop/Rock
- R&B
- Rock
- Blues
- Country
- RAP
- Jazz
- Electronic
Latest releases in Music Critic's Pop/Rock Category See all Pop/Rock New Releases >>
-
False Alarm
Two Door Cinema Club -
Gold & Grey
Baroness -
Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
Bill Callahan -
Western Stars
Bruce Springsteen -
Doom Days
Bastille
Latest releases in Music Critic's Rock Category See all Rock New Releases >>
-
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 >>
-
Ignorance Is Bliss
Skepta -
ZUU
Denzel Curry -
4REAL 4REAL
YG -
Nothing Great About Britain
slowthai -
IGOR
Tyler, The Creator
Latest releases in Music Critic's Country Category See all Country New Releases >>
-
The Saint of Lost Causes
Justin Townes Earle -
Undress
The Felice Brothers -
Guy
Steve Earle & the Dukes -
Honky Tonk Time Machine
George Strait -
Girl
Maren Morris
Latest releases in Music Critic's R&B Category See all R&B New Releases >>
-
Origin
Jordan Rakei -
Originals
Prince -
Apollo XXI
Steve Lacy -
We Get By
Mavis Staples -
LEGACY! LEGACY!
Jamila Woods
Latest releases in Music Critic's Jazz Category See all Jazz New Releases >>
-
Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings [Box
Set]
John Coltrane -
Ancestral Recall
Christian Scott -
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
The Comet Is Coming -
Bitter-Sweet
Bryan Ferry -
Anne
Joseph Shabason
Latest releases in Music Critic's Blues Category See all Blues New Releases >>
-
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 >>
-
Lust for Youth
Lust for Youth -
Polymer
Plaid -
Tim
Avicii -
Rainford
Lee "Scratch" Perry -
The Peyote Dance
Soundwalk Collective
INSTRUMENTS
- Drums
- Guitars
- Instruments
- Keyboards
- Pedals
- Pianos
MUSIC EQUIPMENT
- Amps
- DJ
- Mics
- Software
- Stands
- Studio
MUSIC ACCESSORIES
- Headphones
- Cables
- Cameras
- Speakers
Music Critic Articles
Don't miss our new article: How to become a Music Critic
You don't need to be a musical genius to become a Music Critic, but a passion for music and in-depth knowledge of music artistry is essential. Got a passion for music and a desire to share it with others? Get the inside scoop on what is involved in becoming a professional, paid Music Critic as a career.
Music Critic Staff Reviews
A look back at almost 20 years of reviews by the staff, contributing authors and friends of Music Critic. You just can't beat the classics.
Music Critic Infographics
Band Name Food Pyramid
How many bands named after types of Food can you think of? At Music Critic HQ we managed to get all the way up to 81 - and that's without having to resort to cop-outs like Spice Girls.
Music Critic Scores
Did you ever wonder how we take reviews from many of the best critics in the world and turn them into the simple Music Critic scores? Find out with this stunning infographic.
