Amoeba Music

Los Angeles duo Sophia Skye and Henri Cash (Starcrawler) make their album debut with Just A Stranger. The single "Stranger" is an infectious country rock gem that shows off the duo's chemistry and Skye's charming vocals. "Pasadena Girls," sung with an over-the-top twang by Cash, feels like a lighthearted take on Gram Parsons-style country, elevated by Skye's harmonies and its wry lyrics. Featuring contributions from other members of Starcrawler, Just A Stranger is a strong debut, a welcome entry from a couple artists that are on the rise. More

Australian singer-songwriter Ziggy Alberts writes tender folk songs with pop bones. His latest, New Love , is as gentle, warm, and inviting as its title...it's also seriously catchy. Alberts' songs always feel rousing and upbeat, whether he's going full-on rollicking (the title track) or getting cosmic and introspective ("Learn Yourself"). New Love is a rootsy folk-rock album with a lot of heart and plenty of sing-your-life style choruses. More

Bad times have never sounded so good. Bambi is a record about disillusionment, regret, and the eternal "what if," a grappling with the choices we make to pursue our dreams and live the lives we think we want to live. On their second full-length, Anxious finds a bittersweet edge to their urgent, empathetic blend of emo, hardcore, and pop-punk. Angsty and yet optimistic, Bambi is a soundtrack for the days when you're just questioning it all. More

Killswitch Engage are back with the epic, intense This Consequence . The band blends punishing riffs with melodic choruses to create songs that expertly balance brutality and beauty. Because this is an album about finding hope, personal power, and the will to go on...in spite of what seems like an inexorable darkness. Packed with headbanging rhythms, sweeping melodies, and incredible vocals, This Consequence will help you dust yourself off and keep fighting. More

The Lumineers are back with some of their best work yet. The songs on Automatic are eclectic and electrifying, from infectious sing-a-long stompers to intimate, introspective ballads. Album highlights include the wistful, tender, and moving "You're All I Got" and the bittersweet, rock'n' roll epic "So Long." Written in response to the strangeness of modern life, the blurred lines between reality and artifice, and the desire to numb out, the warm, spirited, and deeply human Automatic is an antidote to what ails us. More

Sharon Van Etten returns with a new band and a new sound. Her new self-titled album with The Attachment Theory is grandiose, exhilarating, and no holds barred. Rooted in post-punk, the album is cinematic and moody, with moments bridging shoegaze, Krautrock, goth rock, and bristling electronica. Rich in atmosphere, with sweeping soundscapes and bigger than life choruses, these songs will make you swoon. More

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Coolio's legendary "Gangsta's Paradise" single, Tommy Boy brings us Coolio's Greatest Hits . Out on CD and yellow vinyl, this collection truly is classic after classic, with none of the filler you find on other compilation albums. That's because Coolio was one of the most unique, influential, and straight-up talented rappers of the '90s era — and these songs sound just as killer today as they did back then. Of course, "Gangsta's Paradise" is on here, as is "Fantastic Voyage," "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)", "C U When U Get There," and "Rollin' with My Homies" (from the Clueless soundtrack). Essential and enjoyable. More

Maribou State return with Hallucinating Love , an album celebrating kindness, companionship, and care — just when it seems like the world is in short supply. The album was written after a particularly challenging period for Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, both on a personal and a global level. Their solution? Write an album “about being in a dark place, a place of struggle, and then looking forward to bright futures,” as Davids put it. That's the vibe of this gentle, gorgeous electronic album. With guest appearances from Holly Walker, Andreya Triana, North Downs, and Gaidaa, Hallucinating Love feels as warm and welcoming as the ecstatic and enveloping love it describes. More

With Lay Low , Eddie Chacon delivers one of the most compelling R&B records in recent memory. As one half of the '90s soul music duo Charles & Eddie, he brought us the undeniable "Would I Lie to You?," a 1992 global chart-topper. Lately he has teamed up with indie stars like John Carroll Kirby and Nick Hakim to create dreamy leftfield R&B influenced by neosoul, dub, and trip-hop. "Empire" is a timeless track with retro appeal, a beautiful heartbreaker, with bittersweet, enticing instrumentation, dreamy harmonies, and simple but gut-punching lyrics. "Let the Devil In" is a woozy, dub-influenced track that casts a sad, lovely spell. "End of the World" combines dub with alt-R&B to create a hypnotic, downbeat mood. Lay Low is moving, entrancing, and deeply cool. More

ALT BLK ERA's debut is wildly original and ultra addictive. The young UK sister duo fuses drum 'n' bass, alt-pop, and electronic into a gorgeous, hardcore, headbangin' mix. "My Drummer's Girlfriend" is a wickedly funny saga about the mean girls in your social circle. "Straight to Heart" is a real heartbreaker, a deeply vulnerable look at chronic illness and the feeling of being left behind. Then there's the hedonistic, frenetic "Run Rabbit," a track that conjures up wild, endless nights where anything can happen. Rave Immortal will make you want to do just that: rave 'til you've got nothing left to leave on the dance floor. More

Angelea Muñoz's Descanso is a brilliant, sophisticated solo debut. Dreamy and downbeat, these leftfield R&B tracks are atmospheric, languid, and seductive. Just twenty-two-years-old, the native Angeleno collaborated with Adrian Younge for 2020 release Introspection and joined The Midnight Hour, Younge's group with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, at age seventeen — she's an accomplished, assured, uniquely gifted artist. Descanso is absolutely lovely, calling to mind the moody magic of iconic fellow traveler Sade. More

The Human Fear is some of Franz Ferdinand's most irresistible, enjoyable work yet. With new wave synths, rollicking pianos, and post-punk guitars, the band makes writing catchy-as-hell indie anthems seem effortless. Yet there's a thrilling darkness beneath these ear worms: as you may have guessed from the title, the album is about chasing fear to feel human, the fear of leaving something familiar, the fear of isolation. Thrilling and tightrope tense, perhaps that's what makes this album hit so hard. More

ZZZahara's bittersweet Spiral Your Way Out is a satisfying, sad gem of an album. The band's dreamy garage rock sound comes with an edge sharp enough to draw blood; the melodies feel fueled by darkness with despair, and pleasurably intense, fuzzed out emotional crescendos. Listeners won't be surprised to learn that the album was written in response to the end of a relationship that required contortionist work to fit into someone else's box before inevitably shattering. But Spiral is also strong, redemptive, and fierce — it's the sound of picking up your own pieces and rebuilding yourself. A heartbreaking, scorching, beautiful record. More

Seeing The National live is a magnificent, revelatory experience. The vocals are urgent and insistent, the melodies driving and powerful, the mood elevated and transformative. The band's new live concert album, Rome , will transport listeners to a very special night under the stars of the Italian city, circa summer 2024. Listening to these twenty-one relentless tracks, it's easy to get caught up in the compelling, intense atmosphere of the band's performances. Rome is The National at their addictive, epic best. More

This anniversary double album reissue celebrates the hip-hop duo’s 2nd studio album, which was acclaimed for its further developments in production, creativity, and gritty sophistication. With clever bangers like “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” feat. Zach de la Rocha and “Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1,” the album was frequently named a Best of 2014 and remains an urgent and explosive must-have for hip-hop fans. More

Robin Carolan's score for Nosferatu is haunting and remarkable. Written to accompany Robert Eggers' moody, monstrous 19th century-set tale, the compositions were inspired by a range of influences, including Bartok, Coil, lesser known Hammer horror films, and a Ukrainian film called The Eve of Ivan Kupalo . These mood-setting songs range from the sweeping and sublime to the doom-laden and dread-inducing. Young British classical artist Daniel Pioro serves as the orchestra leader and first chair of a group of musicians consisting of sixty string players, a full choir, ancient horns and woodwinds, a harp player and two percussionists. The Nosferatu soundtrack is a masterpiece. More

On Beethoven Blues , Juilliard-trained piano sensation Jon Batiste reaches back to his classical roots – and shakes the proverbial snowglobe. Embracing his years of classical training, he interweaves well-known pieces from Beethoven with flourishes of the jazz and blues of his native New Orleans. On Ludwig Van classics like “Für Elise,” “Symphony No. 5,” and “Ode to Joy” (becoming “Ode to Joyful” here), Batiste effortlessly traverses back and forth between the musical worlds. Sure to be embraced and applauded,  Beethoven Blues is another shining example of the singular talent of Jon Batiste. More

On his tongue-twister of a new album (Mahashmashana means "great cremation ground" in ancient Sanskrit), Josh Tillman - more popularly known as Father John Misty – deftly threads his acerbic wit into his trademark radiant vocals. The mood shifts frequently on songs like “Screamland,” which fluctuates from intensely personal and intimate to a soaring, epic chorus, and on “She Cleans Up,” Father John has recruited the raucous, red-hot Swedish punks Viagra Boys. You don’t need to be a Bronze Age scholar to appreciate the beauty of Mahashmashana . More

This one was worth the wait. As the duo Black Star, No Fear of Time was Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli's first release in two and a half decades. Originally released in 2022 as a digital only record, this excellent, Madlib-produced album is now available to hold in your hip-hop-loving hands. As you'd expect, the album is smart and timely, with standout beats that sometimes veer into the experimental. No Fear of Time is a consuming listen that'll keep you hitting rewind; there's something new to discover (or rediscover) on every track of this fantastic album. More

Chappell Roan’s Grammy-nominated debut album chronicles her move from Missouri to Los Angeles and focuses on love and self-discovery. Big pop hooks and strong vocals abound here, often tinged with melancholy. The energy rides high on the ultra-catchy but sweet-natured “Pink Pony Club” and the cathartic, breakup track, “My Kink is Karma.” Elsewhere “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” is edgy and funky with tongue-in-cheek lyrics. More