ALBUM REVIEW: Bill Callahan Settles in on ‘Gold Record’
A gentle warmth enlivens the singer-songwriter’s follow-up to 2019’s ‘Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest’.
Year: 2020
ALBUM REVIEW: Nas and Hit-Boy Unite on ‘King’s Disease’
Bottom Line: it’s the best Nas record in years.
Bob Dylan’s Long Road to ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’
In contemplating the Bard’s remarkable new album, Rob Nicklin obsessively revisits his mammoth 60-year career, before bringing it all back home. (Long read ahead).
ALBUM REVIEW: MIKE’s ‘Weight of the World’ is a Raw, Exceptional Eulogy for a Lost Loved One
The latest long player from the Bronx rapper/producer is a beautiful meditation on grief that shows how much he’s grown.
ALBUM REVIEW: HAIM Makes a Crappy Year a Little Bit Better on ‘WIMP3’
The Haim sisters’ third outing is a masterpiece of sunny California rock.
Love Will Tear Us Apart: Joy Division’s ‘Closer’ at 40
The life and death of an album that defined and abruptly ended an era.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘RTJ4’
Killer Mike and El-P’s glorious late-career renaissance continues with another profoundly timely, brilliantly explosive masterpiece.
YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS: Chubby and The Gang
This might just be the best punk album of 2020.
ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Sailor Poon’s First Album’ is Here to Sit on Your Face
Loud, brash and in your face, Sailor Poon may as well be the face of the modern riot grrrl movement.
THE CORNER CLUB: Gil and Jorge
On this edition of The Corner Club (#3), a look at the sparse alchemy of two MPB titans and one incredible jam album.
ALBUM REVIEW: X Sound Forever Young on ‘ALPHABETLAND’
The L.A. punks reunite with their original lineup for the first time in 35 years.
ALBUM REVIEW: Charli XCX Finds Connection in Isolation
Her new album, ‘how i’m feeling now’, channels the anxieties of quarantine into a bold, delightful statement.
ALBUM REVIEW: Chris Brown Still Sucks
Young Thug is carrying dead weight on ‘Slime & B’.
ALBUM REVIEW: Isobel Campbell Paints a Rainbow on ‘There Is No Other’
Like being licked in the ear by a psychedelic mushroom.
Quarantine Diaries: Time Traveling with Melody Fields
Drop the needle and right away you’re needing to give your inner eye a quick squeegee.
YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS: The Cosmic Creeps’ ‘Crawl’
The Fort Worth psych rockers drop one helluva debut.
THE CORNER CLUB: Caetano Veloso’s Beautiful Contradictions
On this edition, we explore Caetano Veloso’s seminal 1968 debut, which sparked a movement in the face of a totalitarian state.
ALBUM REVIEW: Fiona Apple’s ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’ is Infinite
The songwriter laureate’s fifth record is a stewing masterpiece, brewed of raw honesty and imperfection.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Homesick Hits the Gym on ‘The Big Exercise’
On their Sub Pop debut, the Dutch trio finds their magic formula.
ALBUM REVIEW: Thundercat Juggles Joy and Pain on ‘It Is What It Is’
The bass virtuoso drops another fantastic voyage that’s even better than than its predecessor.
ALBUM REVIEW: Shabazz Palaces Gets Funky with ‘The Don of Diamond Dreams’
The new record from Ishmael Butler’s experimental rap venture is a delightful mix of psychedelic and corporeal funk.
THE UNDERDOGS: Deerhunter’s ‘Monomania’
A column about underrated albums that didn’t get their due.
THE CORNER CLUB: A História do ‘Clube da Esquina’
Welcome to The Corner Club, a new column on the music of Brazil. On the flagship issue, a legendary collective of musicians come together for one of the country’s most important records.
Quarantine Diaries: The Glory of Gil Evans
So now they got me in lockdown. Man is stuck indoors. Nothing to do. Twenty three hours
YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS: Ty Segall Covers Harry Nilsson
Good stuff can come out of bad times.
1001 Albums #1: Frank Sinatra’s ‘In The Wee Small Hours’ (1955)
A series in which I listen and write about every single entry in Universe Publishing’s ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die’.
ALBUM REVIEW: Boldy James Steps Out on ‘The Price of Tea in China’
The Detroit MC emerges from the underground on his Alchemized LP.
ALBUM REVIEW: Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Eternal Atake’ Lives Up to the Hype
And it was worth the wait.
The Best Covers from Ramin Djawadi’s ‘Westworld’ Soundtracks
With the return of HBO’s Westworld, MMC’s soundtracks correspondent highlights his favorite musical moments from seasons past.
YOU GOTTA HEAR THIS: Omni’s ‘Networker’
A stripped-down vision of post-punk that’s no less thrilling.
ALBUM REVIEW: Can Soundtracks the Apocalypse on ‘Live 1970’
Legendary live set from the experimental pioneers does not disappoint.
ALBUM REVIEW: Destroyer Returns With ‘Have We Met’
Dan Bejar’s new record just might be his best since ‘Kaputt.’
ALBUM REVIEW: Real Estate Paint Their Masterpiece on ‘The Main Thing’
Like hearing from an old friend.
ALBUM REVIEW: Disclosure’s New EP is a Bouncy Return to Form
The Lawrence bros return with 5 tracks of globe-trotting house music.
ALBUM REVIEW: Moses Boyd Soundtracks Dark Days in the U.K.
The drummer/producer’s solo debut is a post-Brexit masterpiece.
ALBUM REVIEW: Green Day Keeps It Brief on ‘Father of All…’
While no one really needs a new Green Day album, the aging punks’ latest effort doesn’t overstay its welcome.
ALBUM REVIEW: Beach Slang Makes Their Perfect ’80s Mixtape
With an actual Replacement joining them in the studio, the Philly outfit doubles down on their hard rock influences.
ALBUMS OF THE DECADE: Kanye West’s ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’
MMC Writers reflect on their favorite records of the 2010s
The Greatness of Rush’s ‘Moving Pictures’
With last week’s passing of Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, we revisits the band’s 1981 masterpiece.
The Top 5 Alt Rock Albums of 2019
Emo, indie and post-punk all had a big year.
ALBUM REVEIW: ‘Prison on a Hill’ Is Somos at Their Most Anthemic
The Boston emo outfit dropped one of 2019’s most underrated LP.
Claire Brown’s Top 25 Albums of 2019
If you don’t know many of these, you’re probably over the age of 25.
Mr. Owl’s Top 15 Albums of 2019
A tribute to MMC’s many contributors.