Consequence UNCUT

The second studio album from Kim Gordon’s post-Sonic Youth project is a new creative peak with she and fellow guitarist Bill Nace playing around with variables of feedback, reverb, delay and pure noise to bring about a collective but controlled chaos. 

An album review by Robert Ham.

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Northern Chaos Gods, the ninth studio album from black metal legends Immortal and first in nearly a decade, takes listeners through a frostbitten landscape of, well, chaos. The only source of warmth comes through Demonaz Doom Occulta’s vocals, which are so intense that it sounds like he’s breathing fire all over the studio.

An album review by Brody Kenny.

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Ordinary Corrupt Human Love has moving, emotional pieces and sharp performances bolstered by a band clearly stretching out of its comfort zone successfully. It's a refreshing new shade of Deafheaven's sound without abandoning any of the band’s core mechanics.

An album review by TJ Kliebhan.

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In late 2016, Nine Inch Nails masterminds Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross staked a sudden pivot to short-form with Not the Actual Events: the unruly, first chapter in a planned EP trilogy -- a saga the band furthered last year with the even-terser Add Violence. The triptych’s final installment, a six-song, 31-minute mini-album titled Bad Witch, proves far more fleshed out than the preceding releases: a refreshingly grounded conclusion to an ephemeral thrill ride.

An album review by Zoe Camp, read by Michael Roffman.

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Gorillaz seem content to oscillate between extremes, a futuristic pop powerhouse that cannot decide what the future looks like.

An album review by Collin Brennan, read by Cap Blackard.

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In contrast to his previous release, Uniform Distortion isn’t wrapped in a web of psychedelia, but rather in a blanket of solace. With lines like, “I guess I’ll leave it in a song,” this album, at its core, functions as a coping mechanism for James and a delightful extension of his songwriting skills for his fans. Through the strain of incessant information, James cuts through the bullshit to remind us to all take a pause … and that alone these days is remarkable.

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Liberation really is a welcome return to form for one of this era’s greatest vocalists. Christina Aguilera’s voice is arguably at its very apex — stronger, deeper, and fuller than we remember -- and Liberation is a showcase of exactly what she can do with those pipes. All of it makes for her most interesting, diverse, unusual, and conceptually cohesive set since 2006’s Back to Basics or even 2002’s Stripped. She has our attention once again. Now, what will she really do with it?

An album review by Taylor Dougherty, read by Clint Worthington.

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Listening to Heaven & Earth will give you a better sense of Kamasi Washington, the man and the artist, as well as the moods and textures of the America in which he resides. It'll also give you the chance to say you heard him when he was still, it seems, on the ascent towards the heights of his considerable powers. What a lucky time to own a record player.

An album review by Tyler Clark.

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There's no danger of Chromeo remaking their chosen genre in their own funky image, but there's also no danger of them releasing a bad record, either. The most dependable dance band of the 21st century continues its consistency streak on Head Over Heels, which contains enough radio-ready rump-shakers to earn a spot in your warm-weather playlist for this summer and a few more to come. If Chromeo can settle into their new California home and keep flipping through their ever-deepening Rolodex of potential collaborators, we'll be saying this again in a couple of years.

An album review by Tyler Clark.

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Testing is loud, frenetic, spastic, and about as vibrant as rap can be. The songs are busy, crowded with radiant instrumentation and stacked vocals, and rarely take time to breathe. It’s a welcome addition to a genre that has become so occupied with spacey, bare-bones operations and overly simplistic results.

An album review by Banksy Gonzalez, read by Michael Roffman.

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