Amoeba Music

On Dead Channel Sky , experimental hip-hop group clipping. has created a riveting futuristic universe, mashing together razor-sharp rhymes and head-bopping beats with cyberpunk and elements of techno, acid house, drum & bass, and more. These thrilling tracks with their bouncing lyrical flow feature guests as disparate as Nels Cline, Aesop Rock, and Bitpanic. "Change the Channel" evokes the slamming energy of Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" but with rapid-fire rhymes about digital anxiety and brainwashing. Elsewhere listeners are mesmerized by the intense industrial sounds of "Go" and the skittering beats and suddenly melodic interlude within "Mood Organ." It's a fascinating listen throughout. More

Coheed & Cambria's The Father of Make Believe is hard to resist. The guitars are driving, the mood wistful yet winning, the vocals ready to hook straight into your heart. The band deftly blends harder sounds with melodic choruses into tracks that serve up surprise gut punch after gut punch. With moments fusing stadium rock, hardcore, and even a bit of nu-metal, The Father of Make Believe is Coheed & Cambria at their very best. More

The spirit of rock 'n' roll is alive and well on Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes' Live At The Greek . Recorded during a 1999 performance at LA's Greek Theatre as well as at a concert in Long Beach, CA, the album is gritty, epic, and outstanding. This remastered edition features pristine-quality, scorching blues rock from the Black Crowes plus legendary Led Zeppelin songs — and a decent amount of unreleased tracks, too. An electrifying, powerful listen that'll make you feel like you're right there in the middle of the audience. More

The Seldom Scene are back with their first album since the death of founding member/ banjo player Ben Eldridge. Remains to Be Scene is a feast for the ears, with versions of bluegrass standards and covers of tracks by The Kinks, Bob Dylan, and Jim Croce. From picaresque to plaintive, rollicking to downbeat, there's an underlying authenticity to the album that'll enthrall listeners new and old alike. With gripping storytelling, delightful strings, and just straight up excellent songwriting, this is essential listening for any bluegrass fan. More

Jethro Tull's latest is enchanting. Curious Ruminant is the type of album that feels as if it's building its own storybook world. Folk-rock numbers feel lifted from a fantastical fairytale setting, with elements of pastoral English folk expertly melded with driving prog. Rollicking flutes blend with Celtic-tinged melodies before driving percussion kicks in, building towards an overwhelming emotional impact. The album is beautiful, urgent, and filled with pleasant surprises. What a gift it is to have a third, excellent album from the band within the past few years after nearly two decades without a new studio album. More

Jason Isbell returns with a fantastic new acoustic album, Foxes in the Snow . The songs are sparsely beautiful, the guitar work getting right down to the bone, while the vocals and lyrics feel pregnant with emotion. Isbell has always been lauded for his songwriting but Foxes in the Snow feels like a standout. On this new record, he seems to channel the classic country singers of yore, whose straightforward approach to loss and love, with their expressive, plainspoken melodies, made them legends. Foxes in the Snow will stick with you long after the last plaintive notes have faded away. More

Blood on the Silver Screen is the bold, jewel-like new album from Sasami. A conservatory-trained classical musician, when it comes to her contemporary oeuvre, Sasami's a chameleon. Whereas she previously toured with a metal band, on her latest, she's going full-in glossy alt-pop. The songs are glittering and catchy-as-hell; they're also earnest, thoughtful, and smart. These tracks are total earworms that'll get you in the gut while you're singing along at the top of your lungs. A compelling, addictive album. More

Hamilton Leithauser lets loose on This Side of the Island . Having come to fame with the wound-up, high-energy post-punk of The Walkmen, Leithauser leans more into the shambling, unpredictable energy of '70s rock 'n' roll on this one. The songs are eclectic and experimental; they make use of classic funk vocals, fever-pitch falsetto, garage rock grunginess, and lounge crooner ambience. This Side of the Island is heartfelt and gripping, imaginative and just straight up fun. A record that's a pure pleasure for listeners. More

Deep Sea Diver's Billboard Heart is eclectic and electrifying, the kind of album that'll make you want to pick up a guitar yourself. The title track opens the record with a dreamy, undersea vibe before morphing into a full-throated, emotionally gripping indie rocker. "What Do I Know" starts with brittle beats, crunchy guitars and shoegaze-y vocals taking over to create a driving, epic atmosphere. "Shovel" is a post-punk-influenced dose of sinister swagger. These are songs that go straight to your heart, a gut-punching, glorious testament to the power of music. More

Uplifting, soulful, and life-affirming, Aloe Blacc's Stand Together is guaranteed to make you feel good. It's also an album that DOES good, with each song dedicated to a different organization or cause. Case in point: lead single "Don't Go Alone" is inspired by the African proverb ("If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”) and spotlights sober-supportive community The Phoenix. Kindness, community, and connection are the underlying themes as Aloe Blacc deftly blends soul, R&B, and pop into an album that feels very much like what the world needs now. More

It's still early in the year, but it feels safe to say Michi's Dirty Talk will rank among the best of 2025. Out on Stones Throw, Michi brings a contemporary feel to the now-classic '90s and early '00s R&B diva sounds that inspired her. Breathy and downbeat, seductive and soulful, this is a record that's a pure pleasure to listen to. They don't make 'em like this anymore...unless, of course, you're Michi. More

Temporary , the new record from producer Richard Russell's Everything is Recorded project, is a jewel of an album. XL Recordings says it "might be one of the gentlest records ever made about death"...it's also probably one of the most vibrant. Grief and loss are underlying themes; there are jarring moments as well as tender, sweet moments and fantastically experimental ones. Russell's eclectic cast of collaborators is filled with heavy hitters, each of whom leaves their own signature on the album's sound. Kamasi Washington, Sampha, Bill Callahan, Noah Cyrus, Maddy Prior, Berwyn, Alabaster Deplume, Jah Wobble, Yazz Ahmed, Laura Groves, Rickey Washington, Roses Gabor, Jack Pe?ate, Samantha Morton, Clari Freeman-Taylor, Nourished By Time, and Florence Welch all make appearances on this astonishing album. More

Architects return with a blistering, disturbingly beautiful album. On The Sky, The Earth and All Between , the band's fierce, pummeling sound is punctuated by anguished, sweeping choruses and quieter moments of introspection. Architects skillfully juxtapose the album's most intense, growling, threatening heights with addictive, anthemic melodies that give the record its emotional center. A punishing, powerful collection of tracks that will keep fans returning. More

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